The Best ISO Certification Services in Fairfax, Virginia (VA)
At this point in time, it is very important to keep your brand on top by meeting all the international standards that are relevant to the industry that you are in. The International Organization for Standards (ISO) has very many set standards to help you in making your organization a better place for all and to offer high-quality services.
As the manager or the business owner, you have a great role to play in ensuring that you are certified for different ISO standards. In this article, we are going to talk about 8 of the most common ISO standards that apply to almost all industries. We will wrap it all by looking at how you can get your organization certified for any given international standard.
ISO 45001
Your organization has a big role to play to ensure that every one that is working there is safe and free from any work-related health problems. That is what this ISO standard is all about. It helps you create a conducive and safe working environment in your organization by specifying requirements for an effective occupational health and safety management system.
If you need to maintain high safety standards and help in fighting away work-related deaths and injuries reported daily, then you will need to comply with ISO 45001 standards and get certified for it. It is important here that you need to first implement an occupational health and safety management system that meets the minimum requirements by this standard before you apply for certification.
There is no other better way to benefit from ISO 45001 than first getting certified for it. When it gets to market sourcing, you can only land top talents if you comply with this standard. That is because everyone is concerned about their safety as they offer you their services. It has even become more serious due to the outbreak of the corona pandemic as people become more and more concerned about the working environments.
ISO 9001
There is a current trend where customers prefer the quality of the [products and services that they receive more than anything else. It is not all about the loyalty of your customers, but all about what they receive. It is not what you offer, but the ability to make it of high-quality is what will set you apart in the fairly competitive job market.
ISO 9001 is the answer to all those who are looking to improve the quality of their products and services and maintain it there. This ISO standard has specifications for establishing and maintaining a quality management system that is just what you need to take advantage of the quality services in the market.
Organizations and companies that have implemented a quality management system and have proven their ability to maintain and improve it over time can be certified for it. The certification is done by a third party that is licensed to offer auditing and certification services to organizations that apply for it. If you want to know more about what ISO 9001 is all about, then you can check out ISO’s quality management principle. Remember that high-quality products and services help you in winning new clients and customers and maintain them.
ISO 14001
With the increasing awareness about environmental conservation, different companies and organizations are expected to be very responsible enough to reduce the environmental impacts that they have. To do that, you will need an environmental management system that can keep track of all the processes and how wastes are managed within the organization.
ISO 14001 has generic standards that can be tailored to establishing an effective environmental management system. While setting up your own environmental management system, you are expected to follow the standards outlined in ISO 14001. From that, you can get the best system and consequently get certified for it is the implementation is also as per the standard.
ISO 14001 is among the ISO 14000 family of standards that were developed by the ISO Technical Committee and its many other subcommittees. It generally offers you the best procedure for reducing your environmental trails if you comply with it. Many other benefits come with it. One of the most prominent ones is environmental conservation. You can also consider adhering to the environmental laws set by the government and other stakeholders.
ISO 13485
Quality is desired everywhere. But when it comes to medical devices, it is much more critical to set other unique requirements for the medical devices given the reliability needed. Medical devices are designed and manufactured to save a life. Any fault in the design or manufacturing process can lead to the mass loss of human lives. To avoid this, ISO set up an international standard for the manufacture of medical devices.
ISO 13485 outlines the basic requirements for a quality management system that all the people involved in the manufacture and supply of medical devices must comply with before they are certified to offer such services. That is exactly what this is about. By extension. ISO 13485 also has specific requirements for the production, distribution, and storage of all medical devices.
Every organization or companies that are involved at any part of the supply chain mentioned above need to comply with the ISO 13485 regardless of the size except where it is explicitly exempted. For instance, a company that is only responsible for the distribution of medical services is not liable to comply with the design and production requirements. However, they have a role to play in ensuring that they source their medical devices from reputable companies that are ISO certified.
Just like all other ISO Standards that we have talked about so far, this too needs certification. After implementing a quality management system as specified, you need to apply for certification so that you can leave a mark in the global market.
AS9100
Just like in medicine where there are specific standards for medical devices design, production, and distribution, aerospace also has the same thing. Both medical and aerospace devices require unique standards to ensure safety. While ISO 123485 is for medical devices, AS9100 is a standard for all devices in the aerospace industry.
AS9100 is an international standard for quality management systems in aviation, space, and defense industries. It was created by IAQG, and it has undergone several revisions to accommodate new things that are deemed critical in the industries listed. The latest version is the AS9100D that came into effect in 2016.
As a supplier or a trader in aerospace, your certification for AS9100 is very critical for increased market performance. Whether you are the designer, manufacturer, or just a supplier, you are covered by this international standard. You will need to get certified as many customers now prefer AS9100 certified individuals to work with.
IATF 16949
The automotive industry is also not left behind when it comes to international standards. The IATF 16949 is here to make sure that your quality management system for an automotive organization is set and maintained according to the international standards. This standard was developed by the International Automotive Task Force then approved and published by ISO.
This standard was globally accepted as an international standard for any organization that is involved in the manufacture of the automotive parts, distribution, and assembling of the automotive parts. If you fall in any of the categories, then you should make it upon you to implement a quality management system that adheres to the strict requirements of IATF 16949.
If you want to know, IATF is a group formed by automotive manufacturers and dealers from around the globe. The aim of the group was, and still is, to provide quality products to the market globally. Everyone can join the group to become recognized. However, becoming a member by registration does not mean you are certified. The certification for your organization is done by a third-party after auditing the compliance organization.
CMMC
CMMC, a short form for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, is a unified standard that guides the implementation of cybersecurity across the defense industrial base (DIB). This industry has over 300,000 companies in the supply chain. The first version of CMMC was released by the department of defense (DoD) on 31st January 2020 just as was much expected. The major contributors to this standard are the Federal Funded Research and Development Centers, University Affiliated Research Centers, and Industry.
This standard is specifically for the DoD constrictors, but it can also be used by the general public to maintain the security of their IT system. Since the release of the first version, DoD contractors have been busy learning the technical specifications of CMMC to implement them and getting certified. The guidelines for CMMC certification are still being expected, but the relevant companies are expected to familiarize themselves with the standard specifications.
Even though CMMC certification is yet to begin, you need to prepare yourself for it so that you get ahead of the rest. There are many benefits that you get from complying with the strict requirements of CMMC in your organization.
CMMI
CMMI, an acronym for Capability Maturity Model Integration, is not a standard in particular, but it all about helping many different organizations to improve the performance. The concept of CMMI is all about enhancing efficiency within an organization, and who doesn’t want that? That has been made possible through risk mitigations and encouraging efficient culture within the organization.
The CMMI model was developed by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University with the help of the DoD and the government of the United States. It is administered by the CMMI institute. There is much that can be said about this model. However, we are going to leave out the lengthy explanation here. If you are interested in it, then you should dedicate your time to learn more about it and implement it to improve the performance of your organization.
How do you get your organization certified for the above standards?
The implementation and certification is done by a third-party that is licensed and certified to offer such services. It is a straightforward process that you can easily follow, especially when you choose ISO Pros. ISO Pros is a licensed organization that serves Fairfax and the entire State of Virginia.
You can apply for the certification now. However, before you get into that, you need to first implement your management system according to the standard that you want the certification for. Your system should have been in use for at least 3 months as required by the USO. If you are ready with everything, then you can come forth for certification.
Certification for the standards that we have discussed here are for the organization and not an individual. So, you need to prepare your organization to comply with the requirements and not you even though it is still important to teach your employees about it.