Management systems
Education
ISO has published specific guidelines for organizations in the education sector wishing to benefit from the implementation of ISO 9001:2000, the improved version of ISO's quality management system standards.
ISO/IWA 2: Quality management systems - Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001:2000 in education, contains the full text of ISO 9001:2000, followed by specific text making the standard easier to understand and implement in the education sector.
While ISO 9000 users already include educational establishments of all types, the guidelines are aimed for organizations at all levels, providing all types of education, including: elementary, medium and higher; special and adult education; distance and e-learning.
Environment
The ISO 14000 family is among ISO's most widely known standards. ISO 14000 standards are concerned with Environmental management. This means what an organization does to:
- minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities,and to
- achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.
ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 (Quality management) standards are implemented by more than 760 000 organizations in 154 countries. ISO 9000 has become an international reference for quality management requirements in business-to-business dealings, and ISO 14000 is well on the way to achieving as much, if not more, in enabling organizations to meet their environmental challenges.
Food safety
Food reaches consumers via supply chains that may link many different organizations and stretch across multiple borders. One weak link at any point of the chain can end in unsafe food that is dangerous to health, resulting in potentially serious hazards to consumers and considerable costs to food chain suppliers.
ISO offers the ISO 22000 family of standards for food safety management systems, to ensure safe food supply chains worldwide by providing a framework of internationally harmonized requirements.
- ISO 22000:2005 gives the requirements for a food safety management system that can be implemented by all organizations within the food chain, including feed producers, primary producers, food manufacturers, transport and storage operators, subcontractors to retail and food service outlets and producers of equipment, packaging material and cleaning agents. Organizations can choose to be independently certified as conforming to the requirements of ISO 22000, or may be required to do so by their customers or regulators, However, certification is not a requirement of the standard itself, which can be implemented solely for the benefits it brings the organization.
- ISO 22004:2005 provides organizations with guidance on implementing ISO 22000.
- ISO/TS 22003:2007 defines the rules applicable for the audit and certification of a food safety management system complying with the requirements given in ISO 22000 and provides the necessary information and confidence to customers about the way certification of their suppliers has been granted.
- ISO 22005:2007 establishes the principles and requirements for the design and implementation of a feed and food traceability system. This is a tool to assist in establishing the history or location of a product or its relevant components.
- ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems – An easy-to-use checklist for small businesses - Are you ready? is a combined handbook and CD to help small businesses in particular to implement ISO 22000 food safety management systems
Information security
Information is an asset, which, like other important business assets, adds value to an organization and consequently needs to be protected. An Information Security Management System (ISMS) is a systematic approach to managing sensitive company information so that it remains secure. It encompasses people, processes and IT systems.
Information security flaws can result in escalating financial losses and wreak havoc with business operations. ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission have published a standard for information security management systems, which can help organizations plug existing leaks and prevent future threats. ISO/IEC 27001, Information technology – Security techniques – Information security management systems – Requirements, specifies the processes to enable a business to establish, implement, review and monitor, manage and maintain an effective ISMS.
It can be used by a broad range of organizations – small, medium and large – in most commercial and industrial market sectors, such as finance and insurance, telecommunications, utilities, retail and manufacturing sectors, various service industries, transportation sector, governments and many others.
Quality
The ISO 9000 family is among ISO's most widely known standards. ISO 9000 standards are concerned with "quality management". This means what the organization does to fulfil:
- the customer's quality requirements, and
- applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to
- enhance customer satisfaction, and
- achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives.
ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 (Environmental management) standards are implemented by more than 760 000 organizations in 154 countries. ISO 9000 has become an international reference for quality management requirements in business-to-business dealings, and ISO 14000 is well on the way to achieving as much, if not more, in enabling organizations to meet their environmental challenges.
Measurement processes
All the quality processes in the world won't help a company whose measuring equipment and measurement processes are out of control. Especially in manufacturing, maintaining accuracy in measurement equipment is essential to ensuring a quality end product.
ISO 10012 specifies the requirements for a measurement management system that can be used by an organization performing measurements as part of the overall quality management system, and for ensuring that metrological requirements are met. To help users get the best out of the standard, the requirement clauses are followed by text boxes containing relevant guidance.
ISO 10012, Measurement management systems - Requirements for measurement processes and measuring equipment, can be used by organizations to meet the requirements for measurement and measurement process control in ISO 9001:2000 (Quality management systems) and ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental management systems) - although its use is not a requirement of either - or it can be implemented independently of these standards.
The standard will prove useful when customers and their suppliers need to specify product characteristics, as a technical reference underpinning legislation and regulations, and as a tool in assessment and auditing of management systems. However, its use in third-party certification is not a requirement, but a matter of agreement between the interested parties.
By merging the scopes of application of these earlier standards - equipment and processes - in a unique document and integrating the process-based approach of the ISO 9000:2000 series, ISO 10012 constitutes a comprehensive "measurement management system".
Supply chains and security
Billions of dollars worth of goods move at any given time along global supply chains. Supply chains involve many entities such as producers of the goods, logistics management firms, consolidators, truckers, railroads, air carriers, marine terminal operators, ocean carriers, cargo/mode/customs agents, financial and information services, and buyers of the goods being shipped.
Since security hazards can enter the chain at any stage, adequate control throughout is essential. ISO has published a public available specification (PAS), ISO/PAS 28000, Specification for security management systems for the supply chain, which outlines the requirements to enable an organization to establish, implement, maintain and improve a security management system. This includes the aspects critical to security assurance of the supply chain, such as financing, manufacturing, information management and the facilities for packing, storing and transferring goods between modes of transport and locations.
It will help ensure the safe and smooth flow of international trade, by enabling better monitoring of freight flows, combating smuggling and responding to the threat of piracy and terrorist attacks.
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