ISO 9001 vs 14001 vs 45001: Do I need them all?
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is an independent international NGO comprising 165 national standards bodies. This organisation develops practical standards based on global expert consensus to provide businesses with solutions to a wide range of challenges including environmental sustainability, workplace health and safety and quality management.
Three of the ISO’s most popular standards include ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001. We’re going to look at what each of these standards applies to and which ones you need to become certified in as a business.
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ISO 9001 vs 14001 vs 45001
ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 are ISO standards governing management systems. Each standard sets out the criteria, principles and requirements for the management system and each of these standards has a focus on the overarching ISO principle of continuous improvement.
ISO 9001
ISO Family: ISO 9001 — Quality Management
Purpose: ISO 9001governs quality management systems (QMS).
What you need to know about ISO 9001: ISO 9001 is designed to be used by organisations of any size and scope regardless of industry or field of practice. Over a million companies across 170 nations are ISO 9001 certified. ISO 9001 is based on quality management principles determined by quality management experts from around the world. These principles include things like focusing on the customer, involvement of management staff, process development and ongoing improvement. ISO 9001 is valued for its ability to help create consistently high-quality products and services which ensures customer satisfaction, improves customer retention rates and delivers other benefits for businesses.
Who needs it: Any business that wants to make a commitment to delivering consistently high-quality products with a culture of continuous improvement should become ISO 9001 certified. Certification in ISO 9001 demonstrates your companies commitment to an internationally recognised standard and engenders confidence in all stakeholders.
Read about the importance of quality management in business.
ISO 14001
ISO Family: ISO 14000 — Environmental Management
Purpose: ISO 14001 governs environmental management systems (EMS)
What you need to know about ISO 14001: ISO 14001 provides an environment management system set-up framework which can be used by any organisation to create a compliant EMS. ISO 14001 is applicable to all companies regardless of size or industry. The management system enables a company to continually monitor, measure and minimise its impact on the environment. This standard proves an organisation’s commitment to environmental responsibility and helps improve efficiency, both minimising environmental impact and improving profitability.
Who needs it: Any business that wants to minimise its impact on the environment, improve its efficiency and reassure employees, customers and stakeholders of its commitment to sustainability.
Learn more about the benefits of an environmental management system to your business.
ISO 45001
ISO Family: ISO 45000 — Occupational Health and Safety
Purpose: ISO 45001 governs occupational health and safety (OHS) management systems
What you need to know about ISO 45001: ISO 45001 looks at both risks and opportunities for workplace health and safety and encompasses mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. This standard was designed to prevented, illnesses, injuries and deaths from workplace accidents and diseases by improving processes and proactively identifying and eliminating risk factors.
Who needs it: Any business that wants to proactively improve the mental, physical and emotional health and safety of its staff, minimise workplace injuries and illnesses and increase profitability through reduced downtime and stoppages.
Learn more about ISO 45001 implementation.
ISO 45001 vs 4801
AS/NZS 4801 is the Australian and New Zealand standard for occupational health and safety management systems published by Standards Australia in 2001. According to Standards Australia, AS/NZS 4801 is now superseded by ISO 45001.
Do I need ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 certification?
If you want to run an efficient, profitable and responsible business then you should use all three of these ISO management systems. The good news is ISO management systems including ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 are designed to be integrated and used concurrently. The International Organisation for Standardisation recognised that many companies were taking on multiple standards and developed their management system standards in such a way that they could easily be used together.
As ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 cover such vastly different factors of company management it’s crucial for any business to use all three if they want to prove their commitment to safety, quality and environmental sustainability. These systems are all designed to grow with your business and foster innovation and continuous improvement.
minimising your environmental impact
Combining your ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 management systems in one online solution with Mango
If you’re thinking of gaining certification for ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 Mango offers a smart, streamlined management solution integrating all three management systems into one cloud-based portal.
Read more about Mango or watch this video to learn more about Mango’s integrated HSEQ management systems: