Types of ISO certification

As a business owner, if you plan on bidding on projects, particularly tenders released by government bodies or larger corporations, there is a good chance that you will come across a requirement for ISO certification. While, there are many types of ISO certifications in Australia, they are all designed to ensure that products or services of a company are operating at acceptable international standards. In this article, we will talk about the different types of ISO certifications in Australia.

What is ISO certificate?

ISO certification ensures that an organisation runs its business using international standards for products, services and processes. Acquiring such a certification is the stamp of authorisation, demonstrating to your stakeholders that you have efficient business processes, transparent management systems and a commitment to ongoing improvement.

Acquiring ISO certification confirms that an organisation is operating responsibly and in accordance with the industry standards as well as management procedures. ISO certification helps organisations to leverage benefits such as:

• Improved profits
• Reduced costs
• Reduced wastage
• Better brand credibility
• Boosted market efforts
• Accessibility to international trade
• Enhanced employee engagement

The most important types of ISO certification

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has initiated over 22521 international standards that cover all industries ranging from food safety to healthcare. However, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 are the most popular standards among organisations, as they can be applied to a variety of businesses and industries. Having said that, here are some other ISO certification standards that are popular:

ISO 9001 certification

ISO 9001 is a well known method for implementing, executing and sustaining a Quality Management System (QMS) that is applicable to any business size and capital. The most recent version of the standard was issued at the end of 2015, and it has been in use from the beginning.

The standard helps to streamline processes, allowing organisations to understand the customer requirements and create consistency in the quality of their products and services. You can use the ISO 9001 consultation to get more information.

ISO 14001 certification

This standard provides a manual to organisations about what must be done to establish an effective Environmental Management System (EMS). The EMS comprises of procedures, strategies, policies, processes and documents that outline the guidelines for how your organisation should deal with the environment.

The malleability of the framework allows it to be adapted by any type of business. Benefits include better energy conservation, smarter usage of resources, leaner processes and compliance to various applicable regulations and legislations. If you want to get ISO 14001 certification in Australia, ISO Council will be with you.

ISO 45001 certification

This standard was created as an attempt to combat the increasing need for safety in workplaces. The International Labour Organisation (ILO ) states that annually approximately 3 million deaths take place due to avoidable workplace accidents. The standard describes what must be done to establish an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS).

The standard consists of guidelines, operations, programmes, schedules, risk assessment, hazard identification and record which establishes the guidelines that are needed to appropriately mitigate occupational risks and enhance security. The latest version of the ISO 45001 certification standard was released in 2018 and is currently being implemented by a variety of industries.

ISO 27001 certification

ISO 27001 is an information security standard and it helps organisations to develop a management system that brings information security under the control of the management. The implementation of ISO 27001 will help you to maintain the security of your information.

Other types of ISO certification

• ISO 22000: ISO 22000 defines the guidelines for an effective Food Safety Management System (FSMS). It allows any organisation that is directly or indirectly involved in the food supply chain to develop, implement, run, maintain and improve their FSMS, so that they can provide items or products that are safe, of high quality and are functional according to their intended usage.
• ISO 50001: The standard provides industries with an internationally-accepted framework that helps them enhance their energy efficiency. Additionally, it also manages documentation and reporting on energy usage and consumption. The standard includes guidelines for procurement and designing of equipments so that energy consumption becomes more controllable and trackable.
• ISO 20000: The focus of this standard is on creating an IT service management system. The IT Service Management System (ITSM) helps organisations evaluate how effectively they are delivering, managing, measuring, and assessing their service level. In other words, this standard enables IT organisations to ensure that their IT service management processes are in alignment with the needs of the business and with international best practises.
• ISO 31000: This is an international standard that provides the principles and guidelines for effective risk management. Created in 2009, it outlines a generic approach to risk management that can be applied to a wide variety of risks including project risk, safety or financial risks. The main difference between the standard and ISO 27001 is that ISO 27001 focuses on information security management whereas ISO 31000 is applicable to an array of risks.

Conclusion

ISO has initiated over 22521 international standards. The standards cover almost every industry, from technology to health. However, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 are the most popular standards, as they are applicable to most types of businesses and organisations. ISO 9001 focuses on quality management whereas ISO 14001 focuses on improving environmental performance of an organisation.