ISO standards help to make the construction industry more effective and efficient by establishing internationally agreed design and manufacturing specifications and processes. They cover virtually every part and process of the construction project, from the soil it stands on to the roof. Using ISO consulting services, you can start the process of obtaining ISO certification for your construction company right now.
Globally, all industries are experiencing rapid population growth and unbridled urbanisation. As a direct consequence of this unrestrained growth, there has been an increase in demand for safe, sustainable and high-quality built environment.
When talking about organisations in the construction industry, ISO standards help to codify and standardise international best practises, supplementing it with technical requirements to ensure that buildings and other structures are fit for purpose, safe, durable and sustainable.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops these standards by taking a consensus of technical experts, financial gurus and environmental specialists to negotiate all the aspects of the standard, including its content, key definition and scope.
As a standard is built by the amalgamation of internationally accepted recommendations, it is effective for different situations.
Additionally, the ISO standards were developed with inputs from architects, engineers, designers, contractors, owners, product manufacturers, regulators, policymakers and consumers. The implication of their involvement is that the best practises for manufacturing and design specifications are included in the recommendations.
Moreover, as the standards are updated on a regular basis to account for social, demographic, environmental and climate changes, the ISO standards are extremely helpful for the construction industry. This is because the services or products in the construction industry always interacts with dynamic social, demographic and climate factors. Therefore, incorporating the ISO standard provides stability and assurance.
Hence, ISO standards can help to make a construction company more effective and commissioned by establishing internationally agreed upon design and manufacturing specifications, and making it responsive to local and global challenges related to climate change or demographic evolution.
ISO has developed over 1100 standards related to building and construction, and many more are still in development. The standards cover structures, building materials, emissary, information management and construction, energy performance and sustainability, fire safety, lifts and escalators, concrete and cement, design et cetera. For example, ISO ensures that all the components of structure are strong enough to withstand appropriate load without compromising the design quality.
Standards such as ISO/TC 98 provide base for design structures, ISO/TC 167 provide recommendations for the structural use of steel and aluminium and ISO/TC 165 provide the load recommendations of structural timber. Moreover, as there is increased density of housing, protecting against fires and detecting fire risk has become important, and therefore ISO/TC 21 provides recommendations for fire protection and firefighting apparatus, ISO/TC 92 develop standards for assessing fire risks in a building, and ISO 7240 defines specifications for fire detection systems.
A popular standard that many construction companies acquire is the ISO 9001 standard. ISO 9001 focuses on quality management through the creation of streamline business processes, identification of customer requirements and reduction in waste. iso 9001 consultant will help you to set up your quality management system according to global standards as soon as possible.
Similarly, those industries that want to improve the environmental performance get ISO 14001. Additionally, ISO 45001 helps reduce workplace related incidents by enhancing occupational health and safety. Another common challenge is data management, and majority of the organisations acquire the ISO 27001 standard for data protection, but ISO/TC 59/SC13 develops standard that are used in digital exchange of documentation in construction companies.
With over a million certified organisations across 170 countries, ISO 9001 is the international reference framework for the development and implementation of a quality management system (QMS)
With over 300,000 certificates issued worldwide, the ISO 14001 standard provides a framework for the creation of an effective environmental management system (EMS).
ISO 45001 is the world’s first international occupational health and safety (OH&S) standard. It sets the requirements for OH&S management to help employers provide a healthy and safe working environment.
ISO/IEC 27001 sets out the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an information security management system (ISMS) to protect the security of information assets.
Similar to other industries, any construction company can get certified by developing and documenting their production processes, implementing the correct procedures to ensure that your management standards are maintained.
In order to become ISO-certified, construction companies must begin by developing their management system by identifying auditable business processes, going on to document their processes with the input of their employees. This data should be reviewed, approved and distributed to those, who require access to the updated information. Based upon the documentation, the management system should be implemented.
After launching your management system, it is essential to ensure that procedures are being followed as they are described in the documentation. The top management must conduct analysis to identify any skill gaps that exist within the organisation and ensure that employees are properly trained for the tasks that they are performing. Effective reporting systems should be created to cover evaluation, testing, active actions, preventive actions, management review meetings, monitoring of objectives and other statistical techniques. The effectiveness of your processes should be monitored by utilising measurable data and actions should be taken to reduce nonconformities and improve the areas of strength.
After implementation, an audit should be conducted to verify that your system is effective. To review the processes and system for compliance and effectiveness, it is helpful to observe, interview people and look at sample reports. This allows you to identify and report strengths and weaknesses of the newly implemented management system, going on to take corrective or preventive actions as required. The iso 45001 audit checklist article will help you get more information about how to conduct internal and external audits.
Once you have verified that your system is effective, it is time to select the appropriate auditing body for external registration. Submit your management system documentation for review and ensure that it complies with the standard that you have chosen. Prepare your organisation for a review by an external auditor by ensuring that the standard requirements are being satisfied, employees have appropriate knowledge and management system is effectively implemented.
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