Overview of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

Overview of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 in brief

• ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are among ISO's most well-known standards ever.

• They are implemented by more than a million organizations in some 175 countries.

• ISO 9001 helps organizations to implement quality management.

• ISO 14001 helps organizations to implement environmental management.

Quality management

• ISO 9001 is for quality management.

• Qualityrefers to all those features of a product (or service) which are required by the customer.

• Quality management means what the organization does to

• ensure that its products or services satisfy the customer's quality requirementsand

• comply with any regulations applicable to those products or services.

• Quality management also means what the organization does to

• enhance customer satisfaction, and

• achieve continual improvement of its performance.

Environmental management

• ISO 14001 is for environmental management. This means what the organization does to:

• minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities,

• to conform to applicable regulatory requirements, and to

• achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.

Generic standards

ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are generic standards.

Generic means that the same standards can be applied:

• to any organization, large or small, whatever its product or service,

• in any sector of activity, and

• whether it is a business enterprise, a public administration, or a government department.

Generic also signifies that

• no matter what the organization's scope of activity

• if it wants to establish a quality management system, ISO 9001 gives the essential features

• or if it wants to establish an environmental management system, ISO 14001 gives the essential features.

Management systems

• Management system means what the organization does to manage its processes, or activities in order that

• its products or services meet the organization’s objectives, such as

• satisfying the customer's quality requirements,

• complying to regulations, or

• meeting environmental objectives

• To be really efficient and effective, the organization can manage its way of doing things by systemizing it.

• Nothing important is left out.

• Everyone is clear about who is responsiblefor doing what, when, how, why and where.

• Management system standards provide the organization with an international, state-of-the-art model to follow.

• Large organizations, or ones with complicated processes, could not function well without management systems.

• Companies in such fields as aerospace, automobiles, defence, or health care devices have been operating management systems for years.

• The ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management system standards now make these successful practices available for all organizations.

Processes, not products

• Both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 concern the way an organization goes about its work.

• They are not product standards.

• They are not service standards.

• They are process standards.

• They can be used by product manufacturers and service providers.

• Processes affect final products or services.

• ISO 9001 gives the requirements for what the organization must do to manage processes affecting quality of its products and services.

• ISO 14001 gives the requirements for what the organization must do to manage processes affecting the impact of its activities on the environment.

Certification and registration

• Certification is known in some countries as registration.

• It means that an independent, external body has audited an organization's management system and verified that it conforms to the requirements specified in the standard (ISO 9001 or ISO 14001).

• ISO does not carry out certification and does not issue or approve certificates,

Accreditation

• Accreditationis like certification of the certification body.

• It means the formal approval by a specialized body - an accreditation body - that a certification body is competent to carry out ISO 9001:2008 or ISO 14001:2004 certification in specified business sectors.

• Certificates issued by accredited certification bodies - and known as accredited certificates - may be perceived on the market as having increased credibility.

• ISO does not carry out or approve accreditations.

Certification not a requirement

• Certification is not a requirement of ISO 9001 or ISO 14001.

• The organization can implement and benefit from an ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 system without having it certified.

• The organization can implement them for the internal benefits without spending money on a certification programme.

Certification is a business decision

• Certification is a decision to be taken for business reasons:

• if it is a contractual, regulatory, or market requirement,

• If it meets customer preferences

• it is part of a risk management programme, or

• if it will motivate staff by setting a clear goal.

ISO does not certify