What is ISO Certification?

ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization and it's a network of the national standards institutes of 162 countries (member states) with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO was formed in 1947 and its mission is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological, and economic activity.

Why do I have to have my service or product certified?

According to the ISO 9001: 2015 standard, an organization shall implement a quality management system where all processes are documented as well as their sequence to meet customer's requirements. There are requirements for the process of ordering, purchasing, receiving/accepting product or service delivery. This ensures customers receive what they have ordered.

How do you register with ISO?

The first step is to contact Integrated Assessment Services (IAS). IAS will discuss the requirements of ISO 9001 with you. You will have to fill out an IAS Application Form, which will be submitted along with necessary documents to IAS. If it's a service, you'll also have to provide the output of the process.

IAS must receive your application form, fee, and all supporting documentation within six months of the signature date on your contract or invoice for certification to be completed before this date. The standard requires annual surveillance audits to ensure that your organization is in compliance with ISO 9001.

What are the fees involved with certification?

The initial certification costs around 1,50,000 pesos for the organization up to 25 employees. The annual management fee for certification will be invoiced 12 months after the surveillance audit date and annually thereafter as long as ISO 9001 remains active, Which will be around 75,000 pesos per annaum

What do I get with my certificate?

The organization is required to have a documented quality system that must be implemented and maintained. The organization shall undertake preventive and corrective actions to ensure that the products and services provided to the customer meet its requirements. The audit report is issued with one of three conclusions:

• Certification achieved, which means that your organization satisfies all the requirements of ISO 9001 and it's ready for certification;
• Surveillance is not required, which means that despite non-conformities found, the system allows you to provide your service or product in compliance with ISO 9001;
• Surveillance is required, which means that the system does not allow you to provide services and products in compliance with ISO 9001. It's recommended for your organization to improve its quality management system before applying again for certification.

What happens if you don't pass the certification?

When your organization does not pass, it will be given a period of time (at least 12 months) to get back to IAS and get re-assessed. A new surveillance audit report will be issued.

How do you maintain ISO 9001 over the years?

According to the ISO 9001 standard, the organization must implement corrective and preventive actions to ensure that the products and services provided to the customer meet its requirements. The actual implementation of these actions is what differentiates ISO 9001 from other quality standards.

How are audits carried out?

IAS has an accredited registrar who conducts surveillance audits at least once a year to ensure the organization is in compliance with ISO 9001. The auditor reviews all relevant records, reports, and other documents describing or supporting your quality management system. He will also observe activities related to product realization and provision of services by the organization.

Who can do surveillance audits?

A registrar who holds an Accreditation Certificate from a recognized body for ISO 9000 audits.

What is the process of surveillance audit?

The auditor will first meet with management to discuss his or her intentions for conducting an audit. The registrar will then plan the actual audit, which includes identifying what records and other documents are required during the on-site visit. During this meeting, the registrar may require additional information not initially provided by the company. The auditor must then perform his or her work in accordance with the Quality System requirements (Part 5).

What are records?

Records include all documents, files, and other evidence that support your quality management system. All necessary records must be maintained throughout the life of a product or service to help you demonstrate compliance with ISO 9001 requirements.

What are the corrective actions?

It's what you do to prevent nonconformities from happening again. The review of records and other evidence of your quality system provides the basis for taking appropriate corrective actions. These will not necessarily mean a return to step 1 but rather a move forward based on lessons learned from previous steps towards better quality.

How do you know the system is effective?

To ensure that your quality management system is working, internal audits must be performed. These audits target specific areas of the organization and are intended to determine if the documented procedures and records for those areas meet customer requirements and internal specifications. The internal audit report provides a basis to take necessary corrective actions.

Do you have to keep the same procedures after the surveillance audit?

No, if your organization is not in compliance with ISO 9001 requirements, some of the existing procedures may be modified or new ones developed. The local management should send a report to IAS within 30 days of receipt of notification indicating how they intend to rectify non-compliance.

How is corrective action taken?

The Quality System requirements of ISO 9001 requires that local management maintains records and makes available the details on how it has responded or will respond to non-conformities identified during internal audits. It should also send a report of its corrective actions including the date they were implemented to IAS within 30 days of receiving the notification.

Who verifies corrective actions?

Notifying IAS about corrective action measures your organization takes help them to verify that it has dealt with non-conformities identified during audits.

How often should internal audits be done?

Your quality management system documentation should indicate how frequently internal audits are conducted.

What is the impact of internal audits?

It should indicate how your quality system responds to any detected non-conformity. Your organization could then consider what changes need to be made. If you choose to change your procedures, it must be done based on lessons learned from previous steps towards better quality.

Conclusion:

By explaining what ISO Certification is all about, the organation can implement and contact us @ +6531591803  for its certification requirements. E-mail: enquiry@iascertification.com