ISO CERTIFICATION

WHAT IS ISO 9001?

The Quality Management ISO 9000 series of standards were first issued by the International Organisation for Standardisation in 1987. These were based on the British standard, BS 5750 series, with the origins of the standard dating back to 1959.

Although often referred to as ISO 9000, the standard to which companies can be certified is specifically titled ISO 9001:2008.  This standard requires that an organisation establishes and maintains documented procedures, covering a range of administrative and operational functions.  Six of the requirements need documented procedures: –

• Control of Documents
• Control of Records
• Internal Audits
• Control of Non-Conforming Product
• Corrective Action
• Preventive Action

A written statement from senior management in the form of a Quality Policy is also required, as is a Quality Manual, which may include the above procedures, and such other procedures that the organisation may need to effectively manage the other requirements of the standard.

To the uninitiated, the language of these standards can appear very daunting.

In essence, an organisation needs to put in place written procedures for its management system, for its management’s responsibilities, for its resource management, for its product or service provision and for the measurement of the performance.

In simple terms, the organisation sets out what it intends to deliver to its customers, how it is going to deliver it, and the means of monitoring and measuring its performance against those initial intentions.  There are sound business administration principles underpinning each requirement. Many different types of businesses may derive greater or lesser benefits from any combinations of these requirements.

What gaining ISO 9001 certification will be saying to your customers and potential customers is that you have a fully documented system of work; and that you are confident enough in your adherence to those written procedures that you invite an external certification body in on an annual basis to check that you are doing what you say you are doing.

It is often suggested that gaining ISO 9001 certification will bring in more business, but at the same time it tends to be the more successful companies that go for certification, who might have achieved that improved business performance irrespective of establishing their Quality Management System.  What the standard does contain within its purchasing requirements is the need for organisations to establish their own selection criteria for their suppliers. Although this is not strictly necessary, many companies choose to include the need for their suppliers to also be ISO 9001 certificated.

This was one of main inertias behind the growth of BS 5750 during the Eighties, and can be traced as the origin of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaires and Approved Suppliers Lists that are used within many business sectors today.

The BSQA assessment process begins with a gap analysis of your existing processes, and ensures that a system is established, incorporating the elements that you already have in place. Advice and guidance is provided for any elements that need to be introduced.

WHAT IS ISO 14001?

The ISO 14000 series of standards were first published by the International Organisation for Standardisation in 1996. It addresses various aspects of environmental management. It provides practical tools for organisations to identify and control their environmental performance. ISO 14001 sets out the criteria for the environmental management system. It does not set requirements for environmental performance, but establishes a framework that organisations can use to assess, analyse and monitor the effects that it is having upon the environment.

The 14001 process begins with the organisation undertaking a review of every effect that the fact the organisation exists is having upon the environment. The findings of the review are used to establish a register of the organisation’s significant environmental aspects and impacts. Typically, but not exclusively, an organisation will find that most of its significant aspects will fall broadly into five areas:

• Office(s) impacts, including waste
• Logistics impacts
• Site impacts
• Site waste
• Procurement

ISO 14001 does require that once the organisation has identified its significant environmental aspects and impacts, that objectives and targets are set for each, and thereafter the means of operational control, monitoring and measurement of performance are identified. Each organisation must also be able to demonstrate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements applicable to their sector as they affect the environmental programme.

ISO 14001 does not require that the organisation takes action on each impact immediately. It recognises that some impacts may be beyond the control of the organisation due to the best available technology, financial considerations or customer requirements. Even when this may be the case, the organisation is required to constantly review the validity of any areas upon which they have deferred action.
Many organisations will find that they have already undertaken a variety of initiatives, which may not have had the environment as the catalyst for establishing the initiative, but which have environmental benefits nonetheless. These existing practices naturally form the cornerstone of an organisation’s environmental programme.

BSQA can undertake assessment for ISO 14001 or in conjunction with ISO 9001 assessment; there are a number of synergies between the two standards, but neither is a prerequisite to the other. The assessment process begins with a gap analysis against the requirements of the standard. Advice and guidance will be provided, including assistance in the preparation of the environmental programme.

WHAT IS ISO 45001?

ISO 45001 is an internationally applied British standard for occupational health and safety management systems. It is intended to help an organisation control occupational health and safety risks. It was developed in response to widespread demand for a recognised standard against which to be certified.

The ISO 45001 management system sits above an organisation’s health and safety policy; it addresses the management of health and safety within an organisation. It requires that legal compliance, and a means of ensuring continuing compliance, can be demonstrated. Essentially, a certified company is saying that we have a fully legally compliant health and safety policy and arrangements, and a management system to make sure that we are doing it. In common with other management systems, the standard places responsibilities upon an organisation with regards to document and record control, internal audit and management review.