ISO 9000 - Quality management

The ISO(International Organization for Standardization) 9000 family addresses various aspects
of quality management and contains some of ISOs best known standards. The
standards provide guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to
ensure that their products and services consistently meet customers requirements, and
that quality is consistently improved.
There are many standards in the ISO 9000 family, including:

ISO 9001:2008 - sets out the requirements of a quality management system

ISO 9000:2005 - covers the basic concepts and language
ISO 9004:2009 - focuses on how to make a quality management system more
efficient and effective
ISO 19011:2011 - sets out guidance on internal and external audits of quality
management systems.

International Organization for Standardization[1]

Abbreviation

ISO

Formation

23 February 1947

Type

Non-governmental organization

Purpose/focus

International standardization

Headquarters

Geneva, Switzerland

Membership

163 members[2]
English

Official languages

French
Russian[3]
Website

iso.org

What is ISO 14000?

ISO 14000 is a series of international standards on environmental management. It
provides a framework for the development of an environmental management system
and the supporting audit programme.
The main thrust for its development came as a result of the Rio Summit on the
Environment held in 1992.

The History of ISO 14000

As a number of national standards emerged (BS 7750 being the first), the International
Organization for Standardisation (ISO) created a group to investigate how such
standards might benefit business and industry. As a result this group recommended that
an ISO committee be created to create an international standard.
What is ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 is the corner stone standard of the ISO 14000 series. It specifies a
framework of control for an Environmental Management System against which an
organization can be certified by a third party.

Other ISO14000 Series Standards

Other standards in the series are actually guidelines, many to help you achieve
registration to ISO 14001. These include the following:

ISO 14004 provides guidance on the development and implementation of

environmental management systems

ISO 14010 provides general principles of environmental auditing (now

superseded by ISO 19011)

ISO 14011 provides specific guidance on audit an environmental management

system (now superseded by ISO 19011)

ISO 14012 provides guidance on qualification criteria for environmental auditors

and lead auditors (now superseded by ISO 19011)

ISO 14013/5 provides audit program review and assessment material.

ISO 14020+ labeling issues

ISO 14030+ provides guidance on performance targets and monitoring within an

Environmental Management System

ISO 14040+ covers life cycle issues

Of all these, ISO14001 is not only the most well known, but is the only ISO 14000
standard against which it is currently possible to be certified by an external certification
authority.

The Health and Safety & OHSAS Guide

Welcome to the OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Zone. Here you will find a
information, guidence, resources and recommendations to help you address the
requirements of this standard, and to manage health and safety more effectively.
What is OHSAS 18001?
OHSAS 18000 is an international occupational health and safety management system
specification. It comprises two parts, 18001 and 18002 and embraces BS8800 and a
number of other publications.

Who Wrote It?

OHSAS 18001 was created via a concerted effort from a number of the worlds leading
national standards bodies, certification bodies, and specialist consultancies.
How Can it Help?
OHSAS helps in a variety of respects... it helps: minimise risk to employees/etc; improve an
existing OH&S management system; demonstrate diligence; gain assurance; etc.
The benefits can be substantial
Policies and Procedures
Central to OHSAS requirements are strong policies and procedures. To assist in this respect,
we can therefore offer a full code of practice.

More Information on the Standard?

OHSAS 18000 actually forms part of the acclaimed Health and Safety Electronic Kit. This
includes not only the text from OHSAS 18001/2, but a safety manual, and implementation
guide and various other materials and information. This is an excellent next step.
Alternatively, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information and guidance.

SA8000 Standard
SA8000 Standard: 2008
International workplace-quality standard based on the concept of social
accountability, its major objective is to ensure application of ethical practices in
hiring and treatment of employees and in production of goods and services.
Released in 1997 by the New York (USA) based non-profit body social accountability
International (SAI), it relies on the codes-of-conduct affirmed by
International Labour organization (ILO), the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights,
and UN Convention On The Rights Of A Child. Founded on
the principles of transparency, credibility, and verification, it is said to be the
first global ethical standard and appropriate for any type of organization regardless
of the country, industry, or size. Although not an ISO standard, SA8000 is modeled
on similar accreditation and certification schemes,
and provides therequirements and audit methodology to evaluate
and improve workplace conditions.

Read
more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/SA8000.html#ixz
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