ISO 9001 Standard / ISO 9001 Standards – ISO 9000 Standard / ISO 9000 Standards Certification & Implementation

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a managing body that was founded to provide quality and environmental management systems to industries across the world. The ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards are accreditations that are issued to organizations that meet or exceed the criteria set by the ISO. The certifications, which differ in criteria, have been proven to increase profitability and commercial status for the holding parties.

Some of the core differences between ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 stem from the criteria covered by each standard. As a quality management certification, ISO 9001 is awarded based on set standards being met in key areas. These areas include quality management systems, management responsibility, resource management, and how quality performance is measured, analyzed, and improved.

The standard ISO 14001 is an environmental management certification that is designed to assist organizations as they develop in-house environmental management systems. This standard is based on a model of continual improvement, which differentiates it from the fixed criteria that must be met to be awarded ISO 9001 accreditation. For an organization to achieve the certification, it must develop an ISO 14001-compliant environmental management system through a process of planning objectives, implementing processes, measuring and monitoring the processes, and improving the system based on the results of the monitoring stage.

As a part of ISO 14001 accreditation, a continual improvement process (CIP) is required. This CIP is based on expanding the environmental management system across all sectors of the business, using the system to enrich other processes and improving over time by continual monitoring. Many organizations seek to be awarded both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification as it demonstrates a high overall standard of quality and environmental management structures.

The scope of each standard is what defines the differences between ISO 14001 and ISO 9001. The routes to accreditation and methods of maintaining the systems once certification has been achieved are similar across both standards. Both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards can be applied for once a compliant management system has been implemented following the ISOguidelines. An intensive external audit will be required for either standard with an additional internal audit required for ISO 9001.

Both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 are measures of the processes used by an organization, not the end product. This means that a company that holds ISO 9001 accreditation can still produce a poor end product providing the correct paperwork is in place and the quality is consistent. Similarly, ISO 14001 certification simply means that there is a system in place to meet that organization’s specific environmental targets.

Read more on ISO 14001 Standards at http://www.iso14000store.com

It’s always a good time to line up for a session with an ISO 14001 consultant. For most companies, this is really a good way of looking better. In reality though, certification can do so much more than polish company image. It is also the best way to make sure that a company has such strong values that its systems are structured in such a way as to limit negative environmental impact.

For a lot of businesses, general objectives revolve mainly around making more profits. These days though, it is hardly feasible or wise to maintain only this single-minded drive. Nearly every business, regardless of type or size can have an impact on the environment. Whatever you do can either worsen environmental degradation or help in preservation. It is now therefore, every business owner’s responsibility to strike a balance between making profits and promoting environmental responsibility. This is where becoming ISO 14001 certified becomes important.

To be exact, certification is a form of acknowledgement. Certified companies are recognized as holders and users of comprehensive environment management systems. What the 14001 standards really seek to provide are generic standards. This can’t be helped. Specific points are difficult to come up with since businesses aren’t all the same. This isn’t exactly a negative aspect though. After all, there are many general terms and standards that are applicable and even necessary to companies that belong to different sectors.

Certification is beneficial in a number of ways. First of all, a company that passes ISO 14001 certification comes out as automatically compliant with legal requirements. What partly keeps you in business other than customer satisfaction is compliance with government standards.

Legal compliance or going beyond this is advantageous in other ways. It is for example a good business image boost. With certification under your belt, you are able to build a great reputation for yourself, your company and your brand. This can then lead to attracting more customers and getting more sales conversions.

Naturally though, the top benefit of all is achieving control over how your processes affect the environment. By helping preserve the environment, you get the extra perks of power and cost conservation, thereby reducing your operational expenses.

An ISO 14001 certified system is important because it is what gives structure to your processes. With a solid structure on your side, you can be certain that your bid to make more profits and your commitment to preserving the environment are both on the same playing field.

Companies can perform self audits to prepare for the process of certification. Some business owners however immediately hire consultants to help with the preparations. Consultants do charge high fees but great service providers can actually help you save more in the long run. Specialists typically assess the system already in place, recommend changes for improvement and provide suggestions for staff training and documentation. It’s generally a good idea to tap expert help if you are a bit lost on where to begin. If you aren’t even yet compliant with mandatory requirements, getting help is a must.

Read more on ISO 9001 Standards at http://www.iso9001store.com

ISO 14001:2004, element 4.4.5, instructs an organization to control documents required by the EMS and the standard. While some companies often try to justify not controlled forms, let’s find out if forms are the same as “documents” and if they also should be controlled.

Organizations use forms and tables within their environmental, quality, H&S and other management systems. Often, instead of preparing a traditional instruction or a procedure with all the sections, such as scope, purpose and process description, a simple form can provide this information. Frequently registrars issue companies non-conformities for their not controlled forms of their EMS.

Repeatedly I discuss this issue with my clients. Regularly I hear the same answer “Why do I need control a form?” Honestly, I do not understand this! Why should a form be treated differently from any other document? How would one know that we need a form if it is not referenced in our ISO 14001 management system? If forms are not managed by your documentation system, and you decide to modify them, how can you be confident that you make changes to the latest revision? Anyway, what is a form? A short review will help answering this question. If we have a list of directions telling us to:

1 – prepare 2-column table

2 – note your organization’s name in the first column

3 – put your business’s URL into the 2-nd column

There is no doubt; most of us would call this three-line direction a procedure or an instruction. So, if this is an instruction, it shall be controlled per ISO 14001 Standard.

Now, what if we were given a two-column table where the first column was titled “You enterprise name” and the second column “Internet address”. We were asked to complete the form. Easy to imagine, we would enter our company’s name and our URL in the table. It means that we interpreted this table as an “instruction”. If it walks like duck it is a duck! OK, most like a duck

This example demonstrate that our first three-line instruction in English (that obviously needs to be controlled), serves the same function, producing the same result, as our form. Therefore, the form as an instruction and “shall” be controlled as well.

I suspect that the confusion regarding forms used in ISO 14001 environmental management systems is based on the fact that forms serve two purposes. Blank forms are brief instructions written in tabular language. The same form, after being completed, becomes a record. Since records are not required to have a number, I presume this transposes on the source document – our blank table. Let’s remember this and treat our blank forms as instructions letting the documentation control process govern them. There are a couple of easy tests you may take when you are tempted to use a form that has not been identified:

- If you created a form for ISO 14001:2004 EMS and found it was changed, would you like to know who did it and why?

- If you revised one of your ISO 14001 forms, would you like your users use the latest revision?

- If you are in Brazil on a business trip, would you like other employees to know where to find your form in your EMS?

If you answered, “yes” at least once, your form is a definite candidate for being a part of your formal ISO 14001 documentation management system.

ISO 14001 certification is primarily concerned with the approach of Environmental Management System. Keeping in mind the growing worldwide concerns regarding the living environment, we have come up with expertise in providing certification services.Certification to the internationally recognised EMS standard, ISO 14001 from an accredited and reputable provider is becoming a preferred choice for organisations looking to demonstrate their environmental credentials.

What is ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised standard for the environmental management of businesses. It prescribes controls for those activities that have an effect on the environment. These include the use of natural resources, handling and treatment of waste and energy consumption.

Implementing an Environmental Management System is a systematic way to discover and control the effects your company has on the environment. Cost savings can be made through improved efficiency and productivity. These are achieved by detecting ways to minimise waste and dispose of it more effectively and by learning how to use energy more efficiently. It verifies compliance with current legislation and makes insurance cover more accessible.

Advantages of ISO 14001 certification:

* Environmental legal liability.
* Improved corporate image; strategic investment; improved regulatory relations.
* Improving the quality of the environment.
* Assuring commitment to manage and improve environment
* Reducing incidents that may be detrimental to working in the long run and causing liability
* Conserve natural resources and energy and help in getting the required legal consent
* Sharing environmental solutions and improving industry and government relationship
* Evaluates system performance through management review and correct management system deficiencies.

The ISO 14001 certification provided by OSS, offers quality control system defines the organisation, responsibilities, objectives and procedures used to assure quality and reliability of products and services. The policies of the ISO 9001:2008 quality control program should be implemented and maintained at all levels of the business operation and be accessible to all employees.

The ISO 14000 standardization series establishes standards, guidelines, and policies governing correct environmental management by certified organizations. ISO 14001 is, thus far, the most recognized of the ISO 14000 series, as well as the sole ISO standard that can be certified. In an era of environmental consciousness, this certification is crucial for a business or corporate entity to remain competitive in not only a national market, but the international market.

Wide acceptance- ISO certification is recognised in more than 120 countries and is the logical choice for any organisation involved in international business or committed to quality.

The certification process is undertaken by a third party uninvolved in any way with the organization seeking certification. A sizable number of certification organizations, known as auditors, will provide materials, mentoring, and monitoring to ensure that organizations recognize and comply with the various management guidelines. Once the standards have been met, the auditing organization will certify the applicant organization as ISO 14001-compliant.

OSS is considered as a professional organisation which holds some of the highly qualified individuals in the pool, serving for a wide range of areas by providing customer preferred and efficient certification services. The company toils for rendering a complete suite of consulting services and training in the field of Quality Management and Environmental Management to the organisation across all the industries verticals for building a progressing and profitable organisation by creating competitive advantage in the market.