Much of the world we live in today revolves around the industry, whether through our work or the products we consume daily. We are constantly shopping, eating, browsing, traveling, and coming into contact with many businesses and products.
But how do we know that what we’re doing is safe, and how is
our safety regulated to ensure everyone stays happy and healthy?
The ISO, or International Organisation for Standards, aims
to promote the best ways and methods of ensuring safety and good practice in
many areas and aspects of the industry.
First, a little bit about the ISO as an organization: they
are an independent, non-government body of 165 member states, with headquarters
based in Geneva, Switzerland. So, why do we trust this decentralized group to
assess industry conformity regulations? Well, since 1946, ISO has been meeting
to discuss standardization. Their aim was for each member to be able to partake
in the standardization discussion. In fact, ISO, an acronym that undoubtedly
varies language-to-language, actually derives from the Greek ‘isos’, meaning
equal. ISO produced its first international standard in 1951; it has
continuously pursued standards for the safety and good of the planet.
Who decides on what becomes a standard? Naturally, producing
an internationally recognized standard is vital to work. It requires much
authority, which is why you’ll be pleased to hear that standards are defined by
industry experts (called CASCO) who know what a company or industry needs to
produce quality, safe, effective work. Before any industry standard is
published, it goes through drafting, reviewing, voting and publication,
ensuring every standard is fairly regulated.
ISO has almost 24,000 standards, spanning many different
types of regulation: quality management, environmental management, health and
safety, energy management, food safety, and IT security. As a result, ISO can
also proudly say that they contribute to all of the global sustainable
development goals.
So, on a grander scale, why do ISO standards matter so much?
First, the ability to provide quality assurance and international
standardization is something we definitely take for granted. There was no
standardization process for much of history, and therefore no safety net for
when things went wrong. Promoting industry standards gives us a sense of
assurance that things are done safely and correctly; it gives us one less thing
to worry about. Second, the benefits of conformity assessment are manifold; it provides
consumers with confidence, gives businesses a competitive edge, and helps
regulators ensure health, safety, and other standardized conditions are met.
This contributes to making the world a better, safer place for everyone because
everyone is a consumer when it comes down to it!
International Standards are developed with several key
principles in mind. First, standards are developed in response to need, so they
are developed in the interest of customers and stakeholders worldwide. Second,
industry groups and unions communicate what they need to be standardized,
growing from there. Second, because global experts develop these standards,
their collective expertise is used to define the scope and breadth of the
standard as it is built. All terms are negotiated and rigorously considered.
Experts come from a range of backgrounds, whom all have relevant but varied
knowledge of the industry, meaning many different opinions and ideas are used
in the development process. Everything posted by the experts is considered the
outcome, making it a consensus-based process that leads to a logical outcome.
On the surface, this process works in six stages: proposal, preparatory,
committee, inquiry, approval, and publication.
What you may not realize about the benefit of international
standards is that they change not only the big things but some of the most
minute details of industry that we often don’t even think about. For example,
ISO 639 standardized the way we describe languages. The purpose of this was
bibliographic, computerization, and improved the easy representation of
different languages. This is probably something we don’t even stop to think
about. A standard that we’re probably more aware of is 22000, food safety
management. This regulation ensures that no matter what the food is, producers
have a responsibility to prioritize the wellbeing of their consumers and
guarantee the safety of their products. Of course, the dangers of unsafe food
are all familiar with, so we can easily understand why these regulations become
so vital on a global scale.
Did you know that you can get ISO certified? ISO
certification is a process by which you can assure that your business or
organization meets standardization requirements that promote good practice and
ensure that your work is consistent and in line with the forefront of
developments globally.
Three processes result in ISO certification:
- Certification
is a written assurance that a service or product meets the specific
requirements to gain an ISO qualification. An independent body provides
this. However, many companies choose certification in a general
business-standard such as 9001 to show their business is effectively
managed.
- Testing
– this is where the written assurance is put to the test. Qualities or
characteristics of an object or system are tested in a laboratory to
ensure the standard is met.
- Inspection
– after the above two tests, regular checking is performed to ensure that
it continues to meet the certification criteria, just as smoke alarms are
regularly tested to ensure that they are useful in an emergency.
Why should your company get ISO certified? Here are a
few reasons:
- The
credibility of ISO means that obtaining certification places your company
in a great position and will improve your image, potentially even on a
global scale.
- Standardizing
your practices means simplifying many aspects of your business, too – by
ensuring consistency and safety, everything will be done by a certain
process that is the same every time.
- While
it shouldn’t be the only reason you seek ISO certification, procuring said
standard satisfies customers. It gives them a sense of reassurance towards
your business and the products they are consuming.
- By
gaining an ISO certification, you can seek to improve the quality of the
product you provide for the environment and industry and the direct impact
on your consumers. Having consistent operations should also make working
easier in the long run.
- If
your business already prides itself on meticulous quality, environmental
benefits, or helping consumers, it makes sense to gain the backing of ISO
in proving your intentions; it can also help you with resources and
guidance on having a more ethical business.
When you decide to certify your business or product, there
are several things you should make sure of first. First, make sure you choose
an appropriate standard that meets the criteria you want to prove about your
idea or object.
Finding a good fit shouldn’t be hard, and once you have it,
you should know that it meets your broader objectives as a business. Sometimes
there may be multiple standards that you feel would be beneficial, but many
standards are so similar that you can likely become standardized in both at
once. Then, both certifications can be completed at the same time.
You will not be certified by the ISO itself. Instead, you
need to go through a certification body that will provide the qualification.
Therefore, it’s important to put ample research into the process before
selecting a certification body. You should read reviews, understand their
qualifications as a certification body, and look for government accreditations
supporting them. Don’t settle for anything less than helpful.
Ensure everyone from the company to your stakeholders is
knowledgeable about ISO certifications and understands how applying the ISO
implementations will help you. Sometimes it works best to offer training about
ISO standards because, as you’ll remember, ISO standards are important for a
cohesive workplace and aim to improve upon the standards already in place.
ISO standards are not simply about improving the image of a
company or workplace; they are about committing to practical benefits that
impact everyone from consumers to stakeholders in your business. It is a choice
that promises to improve industries and, in turn, the world around us fairly
and with awareness for what we need today. As standardization occurs, safety,
quality, and value increase globally, and the more people who choose to
partake, the greater momentum this can bring.
To conclude, ISO standards are a rigorously tested
methodology that provides greater assurance that, as consumers and
stakeholders, jobs are being done properly, with cohesive structures and in a
way that everybody can understand equally. When we choose to standardize according
to ISO, we listen to experts about what industries and individuals need.
Choosing to certify your business benefits you in your work and, in turn, helps to build better relations with clients, citizens, and other organizations about the quality of work being done.