Today over 1,000,000 organisations worldwide are accredited with the International Standards Organisation, which sets the standard for excellence in Quality, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety. Achieving a recognised Quality Standard provides a benchmark by which a company can be measured by its customers and within its industry.

However there are a huge number of standards available to any organisation that wants to improve and it’s often difficult to decide which standard is the most suitable.

ISO 9001  – Quality

Originally intended for manufacturing, ISO9001 is now implemented extensively in the service and social enterprise sectors.

To achieve ISO 9001 accreditation a company needs to:

• Have a vision statement and a business strategy
• Be customer focused
• Ensure all employees are adequately trained in the skills required
• Have a quality policy, manual and operational procedures
• Keep adequate records of your activities
• Take appropriate corrective and preventative actions
• Demonstrate that you are able to continually improve
• Regularly audit the effectiveness of your system

 

ISO 9001 sets the standard not only for quality, but for effective management systems in general.

A short presentation covering the benefits of ISO 9001 can be found below by clicking the play button:

ISO 14001 – Environment

This standard is being continually updated to reflect changes in legislation.

To achieve ISO 14001 accreditation you need to:

• Demonstrate your operations meet the current legislative requirements
• Undertake an environment impact study
• Regularly audit the effectiveness of your system

• Implement a management improvement programme to meet legal requirements and address areas such as leaks, open drains, waste streams, etc.
• Raise awareness of environmental issues within your organisation
• Create an environment management system and procedure manual that documents, amongst other things, policy , legal aspects, improvement programmes, responsibilities, procedures for spillage, emergency response, waste storage, handling and disposal.

 

Accreditation to ISO 14001 helps an organisation to operate in a more cost efficient and environmentally responsible manner and demonstrate that it runs an effective business model.

BS OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety

Achieving BS OHSAS 18001 reduces the risk of legal action from incidents occurring in the workplace and reduces the risks in the working environment for employees, customers and the general public.

No responsible employer wishes to see anyone injured in their workplace. Achieving BS OHSAS 18001 gives a company and staff the peace of mind of knowing that they operate in a safe and healthy environment.

BS OHSAS 18001 has been designed to be compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

To achieve BS OHSAS 18001 accreditation a company needs to:

• Undertake a legislative review
• Have a health and safety policy
• Identify management responsibilities and commitment
• Raise awareness of health and safety issues within your organisation
• Have effective document control, record keeping and emergency response procedures
• Risk assess all activities
• Regularly audit the effectiveness of your system

 

The standard promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing a framework that allows an organisation to consistently identify and control its health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, aid legislative compliance and improve overall performance.

Our Capabilities

At ibd we have qualified consultants throughout the country who can help you assess the most relevant standards for your company and also assist in taking you through the accreditation process.