What are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Standards?
27 Oct 2015
Most people have heard of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. However, you might not understand exactly what the standards relate to or involve. The ISO 9000 group of standards are concerned with Quality Management Systems, whereas the ISO 14000 standards involve Environmental Management Systems. They are used by a variety of different companies, including those involved with plastic pallets, to highlight how a company’s internal standards meet the certification principles. Working towards these certifications can benefit a company by helping it to improve its internal systems.
Working Towards the Standards
Both of these sets of standards are generic principles which can apply to any type of business, whether they’re involved in plastic or wooden pallets, the retail sector, the leisure industry or any other area. They can also be applied to government departments and public administration services. This means that whatever area of business a company is involved in it can implement the ISO 9001 standards when it wants to bring in a Quality Management System and the ISO 14001 standards for its Environmental Management System.
A business can have their processes accredited or certified to show that they conform. However, this is not a compulsory requirement, and companies can use the principles of both sets of standards to benefit their business without having to be certified.
The ISO 9001 Standards
The ISO 9001 standards show the efficiency of a company’s Quality Management Systems. It enables it to bring in more streamlined systems and improve the operational efficiency of the business. Quality Management relates to how a company ensures its services meet the quality requirements of their customers and that they comply with all the necessary regulations.
The certification system uses eight Quality Management principles to assess a company. The principles are:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Involvement of people
- Process approach
- System approach
- Continual improvement
- Fact-based decision-making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
The ISO 14001 Standards
These standards assist a company in developing an Environmental Management System. This enables them to assess the impact of the business on the environment. The standards will highlight the way in which the company is trying to reduce the negative effects that their activities have on the environment and show how they conform to all the necessary regulatory requirements. Having these standards in place helps a business work towards improving their environmental performance.
The standards use five different principles of environmental management. These are:
- Environmental policy
- Environmental plan
- Plan implementation
- Monitoring and corrective actions
- Management review
At Plastic Pallets we are constantly looking at ways in which we can develop our business for the benefit of our customers. Both of our business arms – Associated Pallets and Plastic Pallets – are currently working towards both the ISO 9001 and the ISO 14001 standards which will help us to improve our internal processes and provide an enhanced service to our customers.