Uncategorized Archives

5 Success Factors for the ISO 14001 Certification

ISO 14001 is the global standard for Environmental Management systems (EMS). Being Certified to the standard has become essential for most businesses because of the rise in harmful emissions and other environmental impacts worldwide. Therefore, getting the ISO 14001 certification helps the companies to put in best practices for reducing their effects and demonstrating their efforts to preserve the environment to the customers, partners, financiers, etc.

While implementing an appropriately structured EMS is integral for achieving the certification, other factors will lead you to successful certification on the first try.

These five factors help your organization get certified with ISO 14001.

1). Employee Awareness

All employees on every level must know the EMS and its purpose. If they do not get involved, achieving the goals and compliance will become challenging.

2). Efficient Processes

The certification focuses on improving environmental performance and the organization’s overall efficiency. Streamlining your processes and improving efficiency are necessary to optimize the use of resources and reduce waste.

3). Regulatory Compliance

The main objective of the implemented EMS should be meeting legal and regulatory compliance. Thus, determine the environmental regulations that apply to your business and assure compliance with them.

4). KPIs

Make sure you have determined the relevant and measurable KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) of environmental performance that the EMS helps to achieve.

5). Improved Stakeholder Relationship

Establishing a good relationship with stakeholders will ensure that their interests regarding environmental management are also considered and met by the EMS.

Final Thoughts

While these are the most crucial elements that assure a successful ISO 14001 certification, you must remember that the EMS varies from business to business. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate your business’s specific environmental im[pacts and set the goals that your EMS should achieve. Accordingly, you can adjust these success factors and incorporate them into your EMS.

Related: Different Aspects of The ISO 14001

4 Key ISO Certifications Awarded to Sky Electric (Pvt.) Ltd.

ISO Certifications are the benchmark for management systems in businesses. They certify that a company meets the best quality, safety, environmental quality, reliability, and efficiency of products or services. Different ISO Certifications are essential because each addresses various aspects of a business.

4 Key ISO Certifications

ISO 9001 features Quality Management, and ISO 45001 certification assures the Health and Safety of employees engaged with the company.

To earn credibility and classify itself as a trusted company with concrete informational security management, a business will need ISO 27001 certification. ISO 14001 certification will help a company prove its sustainability and environmental and social responsibility to its customers, suppliers, alliances, and other businesses. Therefore, not one but several ISO certifications are relevant to the industry. TUV Austria Bureau of Inspection and Certification successfully awarded these certifications to Sky Electric (Pvt.) Ltd.

ISO 9001 Certification

Businesses, irrespective of their sales and the nature of their products or services, need to get ISO 9001certification to prove their commitment to quality to their customers. When customers are satisfied that the products/services are delivered, they pass through a strict quality management system.

As a result, they are more likely to indulge in repeat purchases. Therefore, ISO 9001 is also a prudent marketing tool for businesses to earn customers’ trust.

ISO 45001 Certification

ISO 45001 is the standard to help your business enjoy higher employee performance and lower turnover. ISO 45001 is the standard for occupational health and safety management. When your company achieves certification, it will exercise a management system to control health risks, accidents, sickness, or any other distresses to the employees in their working environment.

ISO 27001 Certification

Every Business process stores and uses a vast amount of data or information to run its operations. This includes customer details, vital data, and any market research data.

Since every database is confidential and needs to be secured from leakages or losses, the business must follow an uptight informational security management system. ISO 27001 standard certifies the informational security of a business. It ensures that the company adopts and maintains a strict plan to safeguard its confidential information or data.

ISO 14001 Certification

The EMS, specifically the Environment Management System, is a comprehensive framework that sets out practices for organizations to reduce their environmental impacts, including the Waste generated by their processes. Every business needs to implement the best EMS to enhance its environmental performance. ISO 14001 is the globally recognized standard for EMS that helps them achieve that.

Hence, achieving the ISO 14001 Certification assures that they have the most credible EMS, which helps them reduce Waste and operate sustainably.

Final Takeaway

Keeping it Simple, these essential ISO Certifications add value to a business. By ensuring an appropriate quality management system with ISO 9001, a health and safety management system with ISO 45001 certification, or an information security management system with ISO 27001, The certifications will help businesses prove their efficiency and commitment to quality.

How Can a Quality Management System (QMS) Help Your Business?

The ISO 9001 standard for Quality Management systems (QMS) is essential for both small and large businesses to ensure the reliability and quality of their product/services. It requires companies to adopt best practices that help produce and deliver quality products or services. It helps a business in many ways, from focusing on customer experience to meeting regulatory compliance. What exactly is a QMS, and how does it profit a business?

QMS Help Your Business

The establishment of a solid and structured QMS can bring a lot of favorable impacts for your business.

Streamlining of internal processes increases efficiency and cost savings.
Improving the accountability of employees causes fewer errors or mistakes in the process and hence, fewer reworks.
Increase focus on customer expectations with improved customer support services and complaint/feedback management.

There are many external benefits that your business may get by implementing a competent QMS.

Increase your company’s competitive advantage due to efficient processes, superior product services, and higher customer satisfaction.
Due to quality assured and cost-effective processes, there are many new supplier contracts or partnership opportunities.
Prevention of fines or litigation cases by proving compliance with international quality guidelines and necessary legislation.

Final Thoughts

The most important reason businesses achieve the ISO 9001 standard is that it helps them establish a well-structured Quality Management System (QMS). It is perhaps the most widely applied management standard worldwide that allows organizations to follow best practices and continually improve their processes.

Being an international standard also increases the recognition and credibility of the organizations, making them highly competitive in the market. If your company has not implemented a QMS yet, it is high time you do so to receive its practical benefits in your business.

8 Components Necessary for Implementing the ISO 45001 OHSMS

ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management is a necessary and continuous process for every organization. It helps them to utilize the best provisions to prevent occupational risks or injuries to workers and protect their wellbeing. The ISO 45001 standard for OHS management system (OHSMS) is developed by ISO, which elevates the significance of OHS to businesses worldwide. It underlines the requirements for implementing the best OHSMS in organizations that continually improve and ensure more excellent safety for workers.

8 Must Have Components to Consider for the ISO 45001 OHSMS

These main components would make your OHSMS effective and conform to the ISO 45001 standard.

Planning
Incident Reporting
Documentation
Employee Training
Risk Assessment
ISO Certification
Communication
Data Accessibility

1). Planning – ensuring that your organization fulfills all Australian OHS regulations and has a crucial policy.

2). Incident Reporting – to ensure that the OHSMS is accessible to every member at all levels to report any hazards or incidents at the right time.

3). Documentation – Ensure that all employees know the policy, practices, and instructions required for OHS management.

4). Employee Training – to ensure that the employees follow the practices of OHSMS smoothly and can make them a part of everyday processes.

5). Risk Assessment – to ensure that all potential risks are identified, measured, or assessed to implement appropriate actions for prevention.

6). ISO Certification – to validate your OHSMS and demonstrate your organization’s commitment to employee health and safety.

7). Communication – to ensure that the staff across your organization can communicate, keep themselves updated about the OHS needs, and improve OHS performance.

8). Data Accessibility – to evaluate the OHS performance over time, trace the effectiveness in incidents management and implement change in OHSMS if needed.

Key Takeaway

Understanding these eight components is essential if you want to place the best OHS management system in your organization that meets your employee safety needs addressed by OHS challenges. Whether you modify your existing OHS management system or need to implement it from scratch, the system that will be ultimately effective in your organization can get the ISO 45001 certification only if includes these components.

5 Key Requirements of the ISO 13485 Medical Device Standard

ISO 13485 is the international standard for medical device quality management. The ISO develops explicitly to help medical device businesses ensure their devices’ quality, consistency, and safety. Achieving the ISO 13485 Certification demonstrates that your business complies with regulatory requirements consistently. Including legal and industry-specific regulations increases the acceptance of your products or devices. The certification is still not mandatory for medical device companies, but without it, you may find it challenging to keep up in the market and expand your business.

5 Key Requirements Underlined by the ISO 13485 Standard

The ISO 13485 standard underlines its requirements in eight sections. The first three sections are generic and introductory. The following five sections highlight the critical requirements for QMS (Quality Management Systems) medical devices. Here they are:

QMS Requirements
Management Responsibility
Resources Management
Product Realization
Performance Evaluation

1). QMS Requirements

Determining the scope of your QMS, establishing its structure, and deciding how it will be integrated into your medical device manufacturing process. You should also create and maintain proper documentation of your operations and the QMS.

2). Management Responsibility

Proactive participation and commitment of the management team in developing, executing, and maintaining the QMS.

3). Resources Management

Determining the resources needed, including personnel, infrastructure, training programs, communication, etc., ensures the QMS is implemented correctly and the planned objectives are achieved.

4). Product Realization

Determining the methods of designing, purchasing, developing, reviewing, measuring, and controlling the products or devices.

5). Performance Evaluation

Regularly monitor the QMS to ensure it is operating competently, identifying issues and taking necessary actions to improve it.

Key Takeaway

Meeting the requirements with a well-implemented QMS is not enough to get the ISO 13485 Certification. There is more to the process. You need to perform an internal audit to ensure all the methods are effective and identify the nonconformities to undertake corrective or preventive measures. When you are assured about your medical device business’s compliance with the ISO 13485 requirements, you can apply for the certification and get certified.

The ISO 27001 Certification: How Can You Achieve It?

High-end information security is essential to build trust in your existing customers and make your business look credible to potential clients. It means the protection of information assets, IT Systems, processes, and people involved. The ISO 27001 certification helps demonstrate the importance of data security and information in your organization, strengthening your reputation and reliability in the industry.

5 Essentials Steps to Get the ISO 27001 Certification for Your Business

Achieving the ISO 27001 certification can be easy following these five quintessential steps.

Initial Discussion with our Team.
Creation of ISMS Manual.
Employee Training.
Apply to a third-party certification body.
ISO Certification.

1). Initial Discussion with our Team

Please get started by contacting our reliable Team, who will help you understand the objective of the ISO 27001 standard in your business and how to achieve them.

2). Creation of ISMS Manual

The Team of TUV Austria Bureau of Inspection and Certification will evaluate your business’s existing information security system and determine its required changes to transform it into an ISMS (Information Security Management System). The necessary changes and ISMS procedures must be documented to make employees aware.

3). Employee Training

You need to conduct proper and periodic training to ensure the documented procedure of the ISMS are put into practice by the employees of your organization.

4). Apply to a Third Party Certification Body

You need to apply to a recognized and reliable certification body that will audit your organization’s information security policies, objectives, and ISMS to ensure that they meet the requirements of ISO 27001.

5). ISO Certification

Once the TUV Austria Bureau of Inspection and Certification auditors confirm that everything complies with the ISO 27001 requirements, your business is presented with the certificate.

Key Takeaway

Certification is a priority for businesses today. Because privacy breaches, cyberattacks, and data infringements are accounted for everywhere worldwide. With that in mind, is it not wise to shield your business from such alarming instances with the strongest ISMS? Certifying your ISMS framework with the ISO 27001 standard assures that! Therefore, you should aim to achieve the certification for your business as soon as possible. The ISO 27001 Certification is made simple with a few elementary steps if you are with the Team of TUV Austria Bureau of Inspection and Certification.

How Does the ISO 14001 Certification Help with Waste Reduction?

Hence, achieving the ISO 14001 Certification assures that they have the most credible EMS, which helps them reduce Waste and operate sustainably.

5 Keyways ISO 14001 Will Help to Reduce Waste in Your Business

A vital requirement of the ISO 14001 Standard is reducing Waste in businesses. The ISO 14001 compliant EMS will help you reduce or minimize Waste through the following effective practices.

Reuse of wastes or by-products of other processes or services.
Recovery of energy from accumulated wastes.
Separating the Waste to identify which are recyclable and which are not.
Performing audits to identify activities or processes where Waste can be reduced.
Treating the wastes before disposal.

4 Benefits Your Business Can Get by Reducing Waste through the ISO 14001 EMS

The reduction of Waste in your business due to implementing the ISO 14001 EMS will also provide a few benefits.

Cost savings on waste management positively impacts profitability.
Reduction of Waste leads to operational efficiency, contributing to better business performance.
Ensures your business complies with the latest environmental regulations, avoiding breaches or risk of litigations.
Improves the company’s image and corporate reputation by demonstrating your commitment to reducing Waste or its impacts on the environment.

Final Thoughts

Are you considering getting the ISO 14001 Certification to reduce the release of Waste in your business? ISO 14001 is a generic and internationally acclaimed environmental management systems (EMS) standard that applies to companies of all types.

Why ISO 21001 Over ISO 9001?

ISO 21001 is based on ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems. Still, it provides a specific framework for educational organizations that aim to enhance the satisfaction of their learners by improving the educational processes and ensuring conformity to learners’ requirements.

1). Applicability of the Standard

ISO 9001:2015 (QMS)

ISO 9001 is a Quality Management System Standard which is generic in nature. i.e., the certification can be availed by any organization.

ISO 21001:2018 (EOMS)

ISO 21001 is an Educational Organization Management System Standard developed specifically for an educational institute. i.e., School, College, or Training Institute.

2). Standard Requirements

ISO 9001:2015 (QMS)

The standard requirements don’t cover the implementation of specific processes of the educational institute.

ISO 21001:2018 (EOMS)

The standard was developed in 2018 mainly to focus on the performance of the educational sector. The ISO 21001 standard requirements are specific to the educational institute. The application processes are defined, and the related conditions are specified.

3. Performance Improvement

ISO 9001:2015 (QMS)

Many times, it becomes a documentation burden rather than a performance improvement.

ISO 21001:2018 (EOMS)

Implementing ISO 21001 adds value to the organization’s overall functioning rather than just documentation. The standard operating procedures and documentation are developed specifically for processes such as Admission, Academics, Examinations, etc.

4). Certification Bodies

ISO 9001:2015 (QMS)

There are more than 200 certification bodies authorized to issue certificates. Many of those certification bodies do not even offer International Traceability.

ISO 21001:2018 (EOMS)

The number of certification bodies authorized to issue certificates is less than 10 & are with genuine International recognition.

5). Creating Brand Value for an Institute

ISO 9001:2015 (QMS)

The ISO 9001 standard requirements are generic, and the number of certified organizations is in few Lakhs. ISO 9001 Certification is widespread and doesn’t add value to brand enhancement.

ISO 21001:2018 (EOMS)

ISO 21001 is a premium certification as the total certification count in Pakistan has not reached a mark of 500. ISO 21001 certification adds value to the brand image of an institute for better prospects and future.

8 Elements to Include in a QMS for the ISO 9001 Certification

A Quality Management system (QMS) is the cornerstone of the ISO 9001 Certification because the successful implementation and operation of the QMS lead an organization to certification. Certification is crucial these days for every organization, regardless of industry or size. It shows their excellence in quality management practices and helps them achieve more customers and business opportunities.

8 Key Elements to Incorporate in the QMS for ISO 9001 Certification

The QMS of any organization must be developed including the following core elements:

1). Set of Objectives

Of Course, the QMS requires a definite set of objectives regarding quality assurance and the performance of your business.

2). Personnel and Management Responsibilities

The QMS must assign responsibilities to the management team and your organization’s personnel.

3). Data Management

The QMS must be able to keep track of organizational data to help identify vulnerabilities and result in corrective actions/improvements.

4). Process Approach

The QMS must be competent enough to streamline all business operations and help you monitor them.

5). Customer Support

Serving customers and satisfying them is the prime goal of the QMS; hence, it should be able to respond to customers’ complaints/feedback and improve their experience.

6). Continual Improvements

The QMS should promote the continual improvement practice or Plan-Do-Check-Act method to ensure an increase in products/services quality consistently.

7). Documentation

The QMS must focus on documenting all the organization’s processes and quality practices.

8). Management Review

A part of the QMS must be about reviewing the quality practices and processes of the management team to ensure their compliance with ISO 9001 requirements.

Final Thoughts

As a Quality Management System (QMS) is requisite for the ISO 9001 Certification, ensure you develop and integrate it effectively in your organization by including these core elements. These make the QMS comprehensive and help your organization achieve quality excellence through process streamlining and uniform management.

Need for The ISO 9001 Quality Management System

ISO 9001 is the renowned international certification for Quality Management systems (QMS). Achieving it primarily helps businesses enhance the quality of their products/services. However, providing quality services or products consistently in the long term ensures other rewarding benefits like growth and future prosperity, market share improvement, customer base growth, and enhanced reputation. Thus, thousands of businesses today are implementing the ISO 9001 Quality Management System to ensure quality and realize long-term benefits.

9 Signs That Show That They Need ISO 9001 Standard

While benefits of the ISO are assured, many businesses are reluctant to achieve the certification because of its tedious process or consider it expensive. Well, they should still go for it to avoid these specific facts.

The management team lacks efforts, leadership, and commitment to quality assurance.
Disengaged and less motivated employees are rarely conscious of their quality management responsibilities.
Lack of a customer complaints program that helps to enhance customer satisfaction.
Lack of proper documentation of procedures results in inconsistencies in business.
Lack of formal, well-structured Quality Management System (QMS) integrated with other critical management systems.
Negligence in conducting internal audits shows that there is no approach for continual improvement of quality.
Lack of an appropriate quality policy that defines the scope and objectives of your business regarding quality management.
Quality Management is the responsibility of one person or team in your company and not every employee.
The need for corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) is not felt frequently.

Final Words

These weaknesses in your business imply the importance of implementing the ISO 9001 quality management system. It doesn’t just make your business customer-oriented but also ensures continual improvement of processes and quality practices, increased participation of employees, the establishment of a quality culture, and a competitive position in the market. Businesses that want to grow and remain relevant in the market must avoid these signs, which is undoubtedly possible by implementing a standardized QMS.