This chapter provides an overview of key concepts, along with three ISO standards central to this e-book:
- ISO 9001 for Quality Management
- ISO 14001 for Environmental Management
- ISO 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management
Introduction
To help you navigate this guide effectively, we will first clarify some fundamental concepts, such as an ISO standard, the meaning of certification, and what constitutes a management system.
What is a “standard”?
In short, a standard is a collection of knowledge in a specific field that is locally or internationally recognized. Certification means that an independent certification body has assessed the management system as conforming to the selected standard within the defined scope.
The certificate is issued after an external auditor has reviewed the management system and the work covered by the certification.
What is ISO?
When we hear the word standard, we often immediately think of ISO. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental international organization that collaborates with experts to develop global standards. One current example is ISO/IEC 42001 for artificial intelligence management systems, which makes it possible to certify an AI management system.
What does an auditor do?
An external auditor is a qualified individual from a certification body who is impartial regarding the company to be certified.
Their task is to review the company’s management system for conformity with selected standards. They check whether the company has implemented the processes and controls needed for the defined scope.
What does AmpliFlow do?
AmpliFlow is a partner and IT-software vendor that can support you throughout the entire process, from ideas to certification. After implementing the management-system work in AmpliFlow, with or without the help of expert consultants, the goal is to have a management system that can be assessed against the requirements in your chosen standards. Then, it is time to call an auditor to perform the actual audit. Vendors and partners like AmpliFlow are not allowed to issue the certificate, because that would create a conflict of interest.