ISO certification in Australia

If you are a business owner, your advisers and well-wishers must have asked you to acquire ISO certification. You may have wondered what an ISO certificate is. In this article, we will answer all your queries related to ISO certification.

What is ISO standard?

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) creates a set of policies and procedures based on the recommendations of experts from various fields, so that organisations can create flexible management systems to increase the efficiency of their operations. These management systems focus on different areas of operations including environmental management, quality management, information security management, occupational safety, etc.

What is an ISO certificate?

When an organisation implements a management system based on the recommendations of a standard, they achieve compliance. To validate their compliance, many organisations undergo strict external audits by third-party accreditation bodies. When you clear the external audits, you acquire certification for your management system. This certificate is often called, “a stamp of approval,” as it validates an organisation’s efficiency, processes, products, services and people. For more information, we suggest reading the article What is ISO certification?

Popular ISO certifications in Australia

ISO has published more than 2000 standards. Organisations can select one based on the domain or area of operation they want to focus on.

ISO 9001: Quality Management System

As a general rule of thumb, many organisations begin by implementing ISO 9001 standard within the organisation as it focuses on quality management. The reason they select ISO 9001 is because quality is a prime concern for many organisations. Only when organisations have the ability to produce high-quality goods or services, can they survive in a competitive market. Hence, ISO 9001 is selected for its ability to create consistency regarding the quality of products or services, meeting customer expectations and increasing efficiency through the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS).

ISO 14001: Environmental Management System (EMS)

Another popular ISO standard is ISO 14001 that focuses on environmental management. ISO 14001 helps organisations create an effective Environmental Management System (EMS) that enhances sustainability, reduces environmental impact, minimises wastage and augments resource allocation. Before implementing ISO 14001, it is best to use ISO 14001 consulting services.

ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS)

ISO 45001, is another popular choice, especially in organisations that face volatility on a daily basis. The purpose of ISO 45001 is to create an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) that helps organisations conduct a detailed risk assessment and put in place security controls, so that the safety of their workplace is enhanced. As the standard helps in significantly reducing workplace accidents and increasing workplace health, it is a popular choice for industries such as ISO for construction industry, hospitals, et cetera.

ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 are considered as the golden trifecta, and many companies choose to implement all of these standards together.

ISO 27001 and ISO 22000

In addition, some organisations choose standards that focus on specialised areas of operations. Some pertinent examples include ISO 27001 that focuses on cyber security through the implementation of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) and ISO 22000 that focuses on maintaining hygiene in food items by implementing a Food Safety Management System (FSMS).

Benefits of ISO certification in Australia

The beauty of the ISO standard is that it has a similar structure. This implies that no matter which ISO standard you implement in your organisation, you will be able to enjoy certain foundational benefits in addition to domain specific benefits. For example, if you implement ISO 45001, you will enjoy better occupational health and Safety performance in addition to the foundational benefits.

benefits of ISO standards

Some examples of the core/foundational benefits of ISO standards include:

• Better efficiency: ISO standards require organisations to conduct in-depth internal reviews so that any unnecessary overlaps can be reduced, streamlining processes and improving efficiency.
• Enhanced employee satisfaction: Irrespective of the type of organisation you have, your employees will have more job satisfaction if they have clarity about their roles and if their feedback is regularly incorporated into the processes. ISO standards require organisations to create clear policies, procedures and work instructions, that helps to define responsibilities. Additionally, employee engagement is a core feature of ISO standards and as a result, inputs and feedbacks are regularly taken.
• Better brand credibility: The purpose of ISO standards is to incorporate standardisation into an organisation’s processes. So, when a company implements a management system based on the recommendations of ISO standard, the stakeholders view it as an attempt to improve operational efficiency and step towards continual improvement.

The procedure for ISO certification in Australia

As mentioned above, you can only acquire an ISO certificate if you clear an external audit. In order to clear an external audit, your documentation should be in alignment with the recommendations of your chosen standard. Additionally, your processes should be compliant, which means that you should adhere to the important clauses of the standard, namely the scope statement, planning, support, operations, performance evaluation, and continual improvement. Furthermore, you should implement the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle to regularly evaluate the efficiency of your processes.

Using ISO certification consulting services in Australia

The three most popular ISO standards in Australia include ISO 9001 which focuses on quality management, ISO 14001 which focuses on environmental performance and ISO 45001 which focuses on occupational health and safety. Acquiring the standard leads to better brand credibility, enhanced employee satisfaction, and better efficiency.

The ISO Council helps you to obtain ISO certification in the shortest possible time by using consultants with experience and a long history in the field of ISO consulting for various businesses. The easiest way to use ISO certification consulting services in Australia is to register an application on the ISO Council website.