WHAT IS ISO 9000, ISO 9001:2008?

ISO is the word that represents the International Organization for Standardization. It is the worldwide federation of national standards bodies for approximately 150 countries. The ISO 9000:2000 family of Standards was developed to assist organizations of all types and all sizes to implement and operate an effective Quality Management System (QMS). It is made up of four core standards.

• ISO 9000:2005 - Fundamentals and vocabulary, describes the fundamentals of a QMS and specifies the terminology for QMS.
• ISO 9001:2000 - Quality Management Systems - Requirements, Specifies the requirements, for a QMS where an organization needs to demonstrate its ability to provide products that meet customer requirements and aims to enhance customer satisfaction. The three Standards ISO 9001:1994, ISO 9002:1994 and ISO 9003:1994 are replaced by a single Quality System Requirement Standard ISO 9001:2000 QMS Requirements.
• ISO 9004:2000 - Quality Management Systems - Guidelines for performance improvements which replaces ISO 9004 - 1:1994, providing guidelines for both the effectiveness and efficiency of the QMS. This follows the format and structure of ISO9001:2000 Quality management Systems – Requirements.
• ISO 19011:2002 - Guidelines for Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems

Auditing provides guidance on Auditing Quality and Environmental Management Systems

WHAT IS ISO 14001?

ISO 14000 is a set of international standards for improving the environmental performance of organizations. It includes the new standard for Environmental Management System (EMS) called ISO 14001. The ISO 14001 series addresses Environmental Management Systems, Environmental Auditing, Environmental Labeling, Environmental Performance Evaluation and Life Cycle Assessment, that will lead to the protection of the earth's environment while spurring international trade and commerce.

The ISO 14000 Series cover the following standards

• 1400:2004 – Requirements & Guidance to Environment Management Principles, Systems an Supporting Techniques
• 14004:2004 – Guideline for Environmental Management Systems
• 14020/23, 14024 - Environmental Labeling
• 14031/32 – Guidelines on Environmental Performance Evaluation
• 14040/43 – Life Cycle Assessment of Principles and Practices

For ISO 14001, except for committing to continual improvement and compliance with applicable legislation and regulations, the standard does not establish absolute requirements for Environmental Performance. ISO 14001 requires an Environmental Policy to be in existence within the Organization. The Environmental Management System ISO 14000, establishes Procedures, Work Instructions and Controls to ensure that implementation of the policy and achievement of the targets can become a reality.

The Environmental Management System requires a planned periodic audit to ensure that it is effective in its operation. The audits are designed to provide additional information in order to exercise effective management of the system. In addition to that there is a requirement for Management Review to ensure that it is suitable for the Organization and its objectives.

WHAT IS OHSAS 18001?

OHSAS is an Occupation Health and Safety Assessment System for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Management System to enable an organization to control OH&S risks and to improve performance Assessment System for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Management System to enable an organization to control OH&S risks and to improve performance.

OHSAS, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems was developed in response to urgent customer demand for a recognizable Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard against which their Management System may be assessed and certified. OHSAS 18001:1999 was released in April 1999.

OHSAS 18002:2000 - Guidelines for the implementation of OHSAS 18001.

WHAT IS SA 8000?

SA8000 members are offered a self-assessment package and other tools to help them implement a policy on social responsibility. They are expected to notify their suppliers of their intention to adopt SA8000 standards, and to set a timetable for phasing out dealings with companies that fail to meet those criteria.

Member companies are also required to produce an annual report detailing their SA8000 objectives, and outlining progress that has been made towards those goals. These reports are verified by SAI.

The second route, certification, is intended for manufacturers and suppliers themselves. The process is a rigorous one which begins with the company contacting an accredited auditor.

Having demonstrated compliance with existing regulations and assessed how current practice compares with the provisions of SA8000, the company is given the status of 'SA8000 applicant'.

The business then puts in place an SA 8000 programme, which is scrutinized by a 'pre- assessment audit'. Any improvements that are recommended can be put into practice before the formal audit takes place.

WHAT IS TS 16949?

ISO/TS 16949 is a standard equivalent to QS 9000, VDA 6.1(Verband der Automobilindustrie e.V - the German automotive Quality Standard), AVSQ and EAQF. Clients who are registered to QS9000, VDA 6.1 will be given till the end of 2005 to upgrade their registration to ISO/TS 16949:2009.

WHAT IS ISO/IEC 17025:2005?

ISO/IEC 17025:2005, General Requirements for the Competency of Test and Calibration Laboratories.

ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is an accomplishment for laboratories that provide product testing and certification for exports. It does eliminates inspection, test and analysis, once again, at the point and port of sales / entry.

Also consider the accreditation scheme under the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, A2LA or internationally Raad voor Accreditatie.

Laboratories across globally have been accredited under RvA or A2LA including; USA, Canada, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Malaysia, Netherlands, Republic of China, Scotland, Switzerland and Taiwan. These laboratories provide the following services:

• Metrology – Verification and Calibration of Instruments and Equipment
• Chemical Process Laboratories
• Construction Industry and Materials
• Electrical and Electronics
• Environmental
• Geology, Geophysics – Geotechnical
• Inspection Body (for Surveillance)
• Mechanical Testing
• Thermal Stress Testing
• Sound – Acoustics
• Vibration

The services above are not the only type of laboratory services. Further, accreditation to special laboratories is ongoing and which includes drug testing, pavement-tarmac- asbestos, automotive EMC, specific to environmental lead (Pb), fertilizers, food chemistry, microbiology, characteristics and properties of metals, and as need arise newer scheme will arrive.

WHAT IS ISO/ TS 29001?

PD ISO/ TS 29001:2003 Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. Sector- specific quality management systems. Requirements for product and service supply organizations.

Published in November 2003, this international standard for quality management systems has been customized for the needs of the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. It covers the design and implementation of an organization’s quality management systems providing useful information on general requirements and documentation needed to monitor quality, management, responsibility and policy, resource management, measurement, analysis and improvement.

The requirements specified in PD ISO/TS 29001:2003 are responsible to ISO 9001. They have been developed separately to ensure that the requirements are clear and auditable. The requirements also provide a global consistency and improved assurance in quality of supply of goods and services form providers, as the consequences of failure of goods or service may severe ramifications for the companies and industries involved.

WHAT IS HACCP(ISO 22000)?

• Analyze hazards Potential hazards associated with a food and measures to control those hazards are identified. The hazard could be biological, such as a microbe; chemical, such as a toxin; or physical, such as ground glass or metal fragments.
• Identify critical control points These are points in a food's production - from its raw state through processing and shipping to consumption by the consumer - at which the potential hazard can be controlled or eliminated. Examples are cooking, cooling, packaging, and metal detection.
• Establish preventive measures with critical limits for each control point For a cooked food, for example, this might include setting the minimum cooking temperature and time required to ensure the elimination of any harmful microbes.
• Establish procedures to monitor the critical control points Such procedures might include determining how and by whom cooking time and temperature should be monitored.
• Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring shows that a critical limit has not been met For example, reprocessing or disposing of food if the minimum cooking temperature is not met.
• Establish procedures to verify that the system is working properly For example, testing time and temperature recording devices to verify that a cooking unit is working properly.
• Establish effective record keeping to document the HACCP system This would include records of hazards and their control methods, the monitoring of safety requirements and action taken to correct potential problems. Each of these principles must be backed by sound scientific knowledge: for example, published microbiological studies on time and temperature factors for controlling food borne pathogens.

WHAT IS ISO 50001-Energy Management?

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