ISO Certification

ISO: Why bother?

• Public sector tenders increasingly ask for ISO accreditation/s
• Private sector tenders (for large organisations) again ask for proof of certification/s
• Stand out from the crowd, prove that you deliver officially accredited quality goods/ services
• Secure more opportunities
• It provides a framework for a well-organized Quality Management System.
• It creates satisfied customers, management and employees.
• It helps companies continually improve.

The purpose of a quality system is to enable a company to achieve, sustain and improve quality economically. It is unlikely that you will be able to produce and sustain the required quality unless you organize yourselves to do so. Quality does not happen by chance - it has to be managed planned, organized and controlled in some way.

Quality systems focus on the quality of what the organization produces, the factors which will cause the organization to achieve its goals, the factors which might prevent it satisfying customers and the factors which might prevent it from being productive, innovative and profitable.

How long will this take?

If an organistion required all 3 ISO systems in an integrated management system, they would need to appoint a project coordinator working in the project on an as and when required basis who would basically  be the company contact that we would work through, then manage the completed systems (note: once in place, maintaining the system/s is not a full time job! ) We would anticipate 4 months tops to progress an integrated project from start to finish. Single ISO's would take  8- 10 weeks each.

For most organisations there are 3 core ISO certifications as below:

ISO 9001 (latest version 2015)

Is a quality management system (QMS) standard that requires an organization to meet its own requirements and those of its customers and regulators? It is based on the plan-do-check-act methodology, which helps organizations establish, implement, monitor and measure their processes so as to deliver results that align with the organization's requirements and continually improve its performance by taking appropriate action.

ISO 14001(latest version 2015)

Specifies the requirements of an environmental management system (EMS) for small to large organizations. An EMS is a systemic approach to handling environmental issues within an organization. The ISO 14001 standard is also based on the Plan-Check-Do-Review-Improve cycle.

OHSAS 18001 / ISO 45001 ( latest version 2018 )

Specifies the requirements of a Health and Safety system for small to large organizations. 18001 is a systemic approach to handling Health and Safety issues within an organization. The ISO 18001 standard is also based on the Plan-Check-Do-Review-Improve cycle.

To achieve certification, a company must:

• Follow the guidelines of the ISO standards by creating and using a Quality Manual as supported by quality forms and procedures
• Fulfil its own requirements and those of its customers, follow the QA manuals / procedures
• Follow statutory and regulatory requirements as outlined in the QA manual/s
• Create the required documents needed / describe processes using process charts
• Keep track of records
• Pass a third party certification audit

Who are ISO ?

ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 162 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

What are standards?

International Standards make things work. They give world-class specifications for products, services and systems, to ensure quality, safety and efficiency. They are instrumental in facilitating international trade.

ISO has published more than 19000 International Standards and related documents, covering almost every industry, from technology, to food safety, to agriculture and healthcare. ISO International Standards impact everyone, everywhere.

ISO develop International Standards, such as ISO 9001 ISO 18001 and ISO 14001, but are not involved in their certification, and do not issue certificates. This is performed by external certification bodies, thus a company or organization cannot be certified by ISO.

Certification Options

We are fully independent and can help you choose the correct certification option and certification company for your organisation. There are 3 main options; Option 1. Systems in place to the requirements of the standards but no certification; Option 2. Systems in place and certified by 3rd party certification company; Option 3. Systems in place and certified by UKAS accredited certification company.
The systems we will help develop and put in place are exactly the same whatever your certification requirements allowing you to choose the most appropriate and cost effective certification route for your company.