ISO 9001:

The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good quality management practices.
It consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards.

ISO 9001:2008 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management
system, regardless of what the user organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private, or public sector. It
is the only standard in the family against which organizations can be certified – although certification is not a
compulsory requirement of the standard.

The other standards in the family cover specific aspects such as fundamentals and vocabulary, performance
improvements, documentation, training, and financial and economic aspects.

Why an organization should implement ISO 9001:2008

Without satisfied customers, an organization is in peril. To keep customers satisfied, the organization needs to
meet their requirements. The ISO 9001:2008 standard provides a tried and tested framework for taking a
systematic approach to managing the organization's processes so that they consistently turn out product that
satisfies customers' expectations.

How the ISO 9001:2008 model works

The requirements for a quality system have been standardized - but many organizations like to think of
themselves as unique. So how does ISO 9001:2008 allow for the diversity of say, on the one hand, a "Mr. and
Mrs." enterprise, and on the other, to a multinational manufacturing company with service components, or a
public utility, or a government administration?

The answer is that ISO 9001:2008 lays down what requirements your quality system must meet, but does not
dictate how they should be met in any particular organization. This leaves great scope and flexibility for
implementation in different business sectors and business cultures, as well as in different national cultures.

ISO 14001:
The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two
standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO
14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.

The other standards and guidelines in the family address specific environmental aspects, including: labeling,
performance evaluation, life cycle analysis, communication and auditing.

An ISO 14001:2004-based EMS:

An EMS meeting the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 is a management tool enabling an organization of any
size or type to:

 identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services, and to
 improve its environmental performance continually, and to
 implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets, to achieving these and
to demonstrating that they have been achieved.
How it works:

ISO 14001:2004 does not specify levels of environmental performance. If it specified levels of environmental
performance, they would have to be specific to each business activity and this would require a specific EMS
standard for each business. That is not the intention.

ISO has many other standards dealing with specific environmental issues. The intention of ISO 14001:2004 is
to provide a framework for a holistic, strategic approach to the organization's environmental policy, plans and
actions.

ISO 14001:2004 gives the generic requirements for an environmental management system. The underlying
philosophy is that whatever the organization's activity, the requirements of an effective EMS are the same.

This has the effect of establishing a common reference for communicating about environmental management
issues between organizations and their customers, regulators, the public and other stakeholders.

Because ISO 14001:2004 does not lay down levels of environmental performance, the standard can to be
implemented by a wide variety of organizations, whatever their current level of environmental maturity.
However, a commitment to compliance with applicable environmental legislation and regulations is required,
along with a commitment to continual improvement – for which the EMS provides the framework.

The EMS standards:

ISO 14004:2004 provides guidelines on the elements of an environmental management system and its

ISO 14001:2004 specifies the requirements for such an environmental management system. Fulfilling these

What can be achieved:

ISO 14001:2004 is a tool that can be used to meet internal objectives:

 provide assurance to management that it is in control of the organizational processes and activities

ISO 14001:2004 can also be used to meet external objectives:

 provide assurance on environmental issues to external stakeholders – such as customers, the community
and regulatory agencies
 comply with environmental regulations
 support the organization's claims and communication about its own environmental policies, plans and
actions
 provides a framework for demonstrating conformity via suppliers' declarations of conformity,
assessment of conformity by an external stakeholder - such as a business client - and for certification of
conformity by an independent certification body
OHSAS 18001:

What is OHSAS 18001?

OHSAS 18001 is the latest certification specification for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
It is based on already published criteria such as BS 8800 and the Management Regulations 1992. OHSAS 18001
is an audit/certification specification, not a legislative requirement or a guide to implementation.

Why seek certification to OHSAS 18001?

Registration to OHSAS 18001 by an independent, third party, certification body demonstrates a commitment to
implement, maintain and improve the way in which you manage your Health and Safety system.

Organisations registered to OHSAS 18001 can be more confident about meeting the requirements of Health and
Safety legislation. The setting of targets through the Health and Safety policy, together with the ongoing
measurement against it ensures a process of continual improvement.

How do you start to implement OHSAS 18001? What is involved?

Firstly, evaluate the Health and Safety needs of your staff and visitors. Then identify the boundaries of your
Health and Safety system and document your procedures for meeting the requirements of OHSAS 18001. Ensure
these procedures are fully implemented, then audit and review them.

Once developed, internal audits are needed to ensure the system continues to be effective. Always bear in mind
the need to conform to legislative requirements.

Assessment to OHSAS 18001

Having chosen a third party certification body for your audit, it will review your documentation to ascertain that
it meets all the requirements of OHSAS 18001. This is followed at a later date by an audit to check that records
are being kept and documented working practices are being followed.

After a successful audit, a certificate of registration to OHSAS 18001 will be issued. There will then be continual
surveillance visits (usually once a year) to ensure that the system is maintained and continues to be effective.

INTEGRATION OF OHSAS 18001, ISO 9001 AND ISO 14001 SYSTEMS:

There are several common elements between these three systems, such as management review, document control,
corrective action and the requirement for trained personnel. These can be integrated into a single, joint system or
a combination of any of the above. Audit of joint systems is available and may be the best method for some
companies.

Integrated systems not only help an organisations internally, by reducing duplication and providing a centralised
document control system, but may also offer cost benefits for your third-party audit.
The OHSAS 18001 management system is compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems and
represents a progression of a management system philosophy, from quality to environmental and continuing to
occupational health and safety. An integrated management system merges the QMS, EMS, and HSMS requirements
together into one management system. The significant similarities and overlap between these systems facilitates the
ease to integration.