WHAT IS ISO

ISO originated from the union of two organizations – the ISO (International Federation of the National
Standardizing Associations) and the UNSCC (United Nations Standard Coordinating Committee).

In 1946 over 25 countries met at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London to create a new international
organization, where the objective was to ‘facilitate the international coordination and unification of
industrial standards’ from this the new organization ISO began operations in February 1947. The word
ISO is derived from the Greek ISOS meaning ‘equal’.

As the International Organization for Standardization would translate differently across different
languages it was decided that the short form name for the organization would be ISO.

Today the ISO has grown to a confederation of delegates representing over 150 countries and has
published over 16,500 international standards. They meet on a regular basis to further develop new and
existing management standards.

BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION
Each standard supports its own benefits within every industry, however the common benefits across the
certifications include: widened market potential, compliance to procurement tenders, improved
efficiency and cost savings, higher level of customer service, and therefore satisfaction, and heightened
staff moral and motivation.

By having a recognised management standard it tells your customers that you are serious about their
needs.

WHY OBTAIN ISO CERTIFICATION?

There are three main reasons why companies adopt an ISO management system:

To increase success on public and private tenders

To improve internal efficiency and reduce costs
Subliminal marketing – by showing our logo on your marketing you prove to your prospective clients you
are credible.

IS ISO CERTIFICATION RIGHT FOR OUR COMPANY?

Are there any areas of your business you would like to improve?
Would you like to save time and money on recurring problems by resolving them permanently first time
round?
Would you like to tender for contracts within your sector?
Would you like better utilisation of your time though improved resource management?
Would you like to enhance the customer/supplier relationship by responding pro-actively to customer
feedback?
Would you like to see an improvement in your internal efficiency?
Would you like to potentially reduce company on-going permit and insurance fees?
If you can answer yes to any of the above questions ISO Certification may be for you.

SIX CORE PRINCIPLES OF ISO CERTIFICATION

Document Control
Issuing a document with a reference and version number to ensure that the right document, is in the
right place, at the right time.

Record Control
A record is a completed document (see above). Record control is an efficient method of finding
individual records. It can also refer to how you file, remove, archive and destroy individual records.

Internal Review
An in-depth review of your management system, to ensure you are on track for your end of year
validation audit. This also ensures the company satisfies internal audit requirements laid out in the
standard.

Non-Conformance
A non-conformance is when something happens within the business that wasn’t planned. This could be:
Internal E.g Out of date process / procedure, human error etc. External E.g Customer complaints,
supplier issues etc.

Corrective Action
A plan created by management to rectify a non-conformance (see above), and to prevent it from
recurring

Preventative Action
An action to clarify and address potential risks to the business, with a view to reduce future non-
conformances.