Environmental System, ISO 14000
Quality Management System, ISO 9000
Safety System, ISO 18000
Integrated Management System
1. Quality Management Systems, ISO 9000
Ø ISO Technical Commission 176 (ISO/TC 176) presented a set of standards for ISO 9000 to the world
Ø These standards aim at setting an international model for creating a management system to ensure quality. This set of standards received the world"s endorsement. Quality management systems are set up to ensure the quality level of products and to improve the quality by changing the processes in organizations.
Ø Today, service organizations, like industrial organizations, are interested in conforming to the standards of quality systems.
Ø Advantages of quality management system, ISO 9000:
Ø Quality management system is a means to produce goods in accordance with what the organization has promised its customers. It has the following advantages:
Ø Re-investigation of the organization"s activities, objectives, and heightening the defects
Ø Clearing the organization"s processes and indexes
Ø Preventing the waste of workforce and time by defining planned and systematic activities
Ø Lowering the costs
Ø Building up trust inside the organization (in management levels and employees)
Ø Building up trust outside the organization (customer) and consequently compete in the business world
Ø Enabling the organization to compete in international markets
2. Environmental Management Systems, ISO 14000
Ø Set of ISO 14000 standards are international standards on environmental systems. This system includes: organizational structure, planning activities, defining responsibilities, assigning approaches and processes, as well as taking required resources to provide, implement, review, and maintain the environmental policy of the organization.
Ø Environmental management system is a set of ISO 14000 standards as a model of implementation. It is evaluated by a Certification Body.
Some of the advantages of such standards are:
Ø Paying attention to environmental aspects in production of goods or offering services
Ø Integrating management systems and improving management approaches
Ø Minimizing business non-tariff hindrances and facilitating international transactions while taking environmental factors into consideration in the organization
Ø Attracting more customers and win the competition in international markets
Ø Make the best of natural resources
Ø Following national environmental regulations
Ø Safeguarding the environment and paying attention to the nation"s interests in this regard
3. Management systems of Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS), 18001
Ø OHSAS 18001 certification is awarded to organizations with high level of OHSAS. Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS), 18001 is a set of standards to evaluate the management system of the organization"s occupational health and safety. 18001 set of standards are compatible with ISO 9001-2000 and ISO 14001-1996 so that the organization can easily merge the management systems of quality, environmental, and safety and occupational health into an integrated management system. A safety and occupational health system help the organization detect, prevent, or minimize both the beneficiaries and employees" safety and occupational health risks.
Awarding OHSAS 18001 certificate
Receiving an OHSAS 18001 certificate has advantages:
Ø It is a document that proves the organization"s safety and occupational health (S&OH).
Ø It is a clear structure for S&OH management.
Ø It creates a safer and healthier environment at work.
Ø It increases the awareness and knowledge about S&OH.
Ø It decreases the occupational risks, accidents, and diseases.
Ø OHSAS 18001 set of standards present a detailed structure to plan an S&OH management system. It helps the organizations to have a safer and healthier work place.
Ø The assessment procedures of S&OH management system based on OHSAS 18001 standards are similar to the assessment procedures of quality management system based on ISO 9001 standards and ISO 14001 set of environmental standards.
Abstract
Ø Seeking a higher quality of products and services in any business is one of the recent controversial studies.
Ø Development of business, competing in markets, fulfilling customers" expectations, and following international and legal requirements, etc. are among the main factors that propel organizations to systematize their procedures. Undoubtedly, various international set of standards play a key role in improving quality, environmental, and S&OH systems. Similarities and advantages of these management systems necessitate the subject of Integrated Management System (IMS).
Ø Simultaneous deployment of these three management systems helps employ a compound and solid management system. Such a system, in which quality, environmental and S&OH management systems are put together, conforms a single system of management. In this system, documents are merged to form a single directive for all three management systems. In addition, implementation methods and directives meet the requirements of the three systems and the volume of documents is decreased to 30%.
