ISO Standards

ISO standards contain the metrics or specifications required to achieve the guidelines or criteria specified under that series. These standards are referred to as ISO series to refer to groups of standards used for quality management and assurance.

Here are some of the most popular ISO standards applied for:

Top 10 Most Popular ISO Standards

There are many different ISO Standards out there, sometimes it can be hard to understand which ones are the most suitable for your business. While some are industry-specific, many of the most popular standards are generic and can be implemented into an organization no matter what sector it is in. If you are not certified to any ISO standards and are interested in certification, or want to add more, we have outlined the ten most popular standards below. Read on to learn about their history, what they entail, and their impact on the businesses that employ them.

1. ISO 9001

By far the most popular family is that of ISO 9000. A family of quality management standards, there are fourteen in total. Of these, ISO 9001:2015 is the only one that can be certified. It was first published in 1987 and has since been updated about every 7 years. The standard details how to put a Quality Management System (QMS) in place to better prepare your organization to produce quality products and services. It is customer-focused and emphasizes continuous improvement and top management processes that extended throughout the organization.

The standard was updated in 2015 and now places a greater emphasis on risk management. The standard is generic and can be used in any organization in any sector. Over 1,000,000 ISO certifications have been given out in over 170 countries according to the ISO Survey of Management System Standard Certifications. Click here to read our article about the history of the ISO 9001 series.

2. ISO 14001

ISO 14000 is a family of standards relating to the environment. It includes multiple standards, similar to ISO 9000. ISO 14001:2015 is the most popular in the family and is the only one in which an organization can be certified.

It establishes requirements for an Environmental Management System (EMS) based on the continuous improvement model PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act). It is a voluntary standard, put in place by companies who want to improve their processes, and is very popular, with over 300,000 certifications in 171 countries worldwide.

3. ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety

ISO 45001 is an International Standard that specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, with guidance for its use, to enable an organization to proactively improve its OH&S performance in preventing injury and ill-health. ISO 45001 intended to apply to any organization regardless of its size, type, and nature. ISO 45001 enables an organization, through its OH&S management system, to integrate other aspects of health and safety, such as worker wellness/wellbeing; however, it should be noted that an organization can require applicable legal requirements to also address such issues.

Benefits of using ISO 45001:2018?

An ISO 45001 based OH&S management system will enable an organization to improve its OH&S performance by:

Developing and implementing an OH&S policy and OH&S objectives
Establishing systematic processes which consider its “context” and which take into account its risks and opportunities, and its legal and other requirements
Determining the hazards and OH&S risks associated with its activities; seeking to eliminate them, or putting in controls to minimize their potential effects
Establishing operational controls to manage its OH&S risks and its legal and other requirements
Increasing awareness of its OH&S risks
Evaluating its OH&S performance and seeking to improve it, through taking appropriate actions
Ensuring workers take an active role in OH&S matters
In combination, these measures will ensure that an organization’s reputation as a safe place to work will be promoted, and can have more direct benefits, such as:
Improving its ability to respond to regulatory compliance issues
Reducing the overall costs of incidents
Reducing downtime and the costs of disruption to operations

Reducing the cost of insurance premiums
Reducing absenteeism and employee turnover rates
style=”font-weight: 400;”> Recognition for having achieved an international benchmark (which may in turn influence customers who are concerned about their social responsibilities)

How does ISO 45001 relate to other standards?

ISO 45001 follows the high-level structure approach that is being applied to other ISO management system standards, such as ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment). In developing the standard, consideration has been given to the content of other international standards (such as OHSAS 18001 or the International LaborOrganization’s “ILO –OSH Guidelines”) and national standards, as well as to the ILO’s International Labor standards and conventions (ILSs).

Those adopting the standard, once it has been published, should find its requirements consistent with the other standards. This will allow for relatively easy migration from using an existing OH&S management system standard to using ISO 45001 and will allow for the alignment and integration with the requirements of other ISO management system standards into their organization’s overall management processes.

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4. ISO 27000

This family of standards concerns information technology, to improve security and protect company assets. Starting in 2005, the two most popular standards are ISO 27001:2013 and 27002:2013. 27001 is a management-based system, whereas 27002 is a technical document, focused on the individual and putting a code of conduct in place.

Organizations can choose either standard; ISO 27001 has over 22,000 certifications worldwide. It is a broad standard, and for this reason, the certification can be customized to fit the needs of the organization and is not mandatory.

5. ISO/TS 16949

One of the older standards, ISO/TS 16949 refers to the automotive industry. TS stands for Technical Specification. Before the standard, suppliers were asked by car manufacturers to standardize to the regulations of each country, which often led to suppliers needing multiple certifications for the same vehicle.

According to the British Standards Institution (BSI), in 1999 the ISO/TS 16949 standard was created by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) to help streamline this process. It focuses on the avoidance of errors and defines the requirements for the development, production, and installation of automotive-related products. Today certification is required by almost all tier 1 companies, and in turn, many of them require their tier 2 and 3 suppliers to certify. The standard has over 50,000 certifications.

6. ISO 22000

This standard is focused on the development and implementation of a food safety management system and can help any organization that works in the food chain. With multiple standards including 22001 for food and drink, 22002 for food manufacturing, and more, this family is used in a variety of organizations directly or indirectly involved with food. These include obvious choices such as restaurants of any kind, and also companies such as food manufacturers or even food transportation services such as caterers.

With over 26,000 certifications, ISO 22000:2005 is one of the more common standards. It can be applied on its own or integrated with ISO 9001. 22000 is currently under revision with the updated version expected to be released in early 2017.

7. ISO 50001

One of the newest standards, the energy standard ISO 50001:2018 is nevertheless becoming increasingly important. Released in 2011, the standard is meant for companies to put in place an Energy Management System (EMS) dedicated to improving energy usage and efficiency. This includes reducing an organization’s energy footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as energy costs.

It is not required, but with over 5,000 certifications and a 234% certification increase in the past calendar year according to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, it is clear that companies are finding benefits and think the standard improves their business processes.

8. ISO 13485

The medical equipment standard ISO 13485 is a single document and does not belong to a family like many of the ISO standards. Published in 2003, with one revision published in 2016. It puts a QMS in place for the production of medical devices and equipment and is very specific to the health industry.

It is a regulated standard and has over 25,000 certifications. It is often implemented with ISO 9000 to show that an organization is qualified to do business with, and the document can be catered to the needs of a specific organization.

9. ISO 31000

An organization in any field needs to be able to manage risk effectively. ISO 31000:2009 puts in place a risk-management system to do just that. It was created in 2009 as an attempt to create a universally recognized program to reduce risk, eliminating the need for the many standards in other industries that include risk. The standard allows a company to better identify threats before they occur, and effectively allocate and use resources for risk treatment.

10. ISO 26000

A relatively new standard, ISO 26000 focuses on social responsibility and was released in 2010. It cannot be certified but rather guides how businesses can operate in a socially responsible way. It helps clarify what social responsibility is, and helps organizations put in place the methodology to take effective actions relating to global social responsibility. The certification is used in over 60 countries.

11. ISO 20121

The newest standard on this list, ISO 20121 was started in 2012. It came about due to overwhelming support of BS 8901, an event sustainability standard put in place with support from the Head of Sustainability at the London 2012 Olympics. It is a voluntary event sustainability management system.

ISO 20121 is relevant to all members of an event’s supply chain, from organizers to caterers, and assists these organizations in reducing their environmental footprint while still being a financial success. These can be of any size, from music festivals to a school function, even something on a scale as large as the Olympics. Click here to learn more about the History of ISO 20121.

Closing

There are ISO standards for just about every sector in business, and even can be applied to non-business organizations. These standards are being revised constantly to account for the changes in our environment, technology, social attitude, and legislation.