Whether you’re working in an office, kitchen, laboratory, or manufacturing plant, chances are, you may have heard of having an ISO in the workplace. These crucial rules set out how different equipment, machinery, and processes must be conducted, but what exactly are they, which businesses use them, and what are their benefits of having one?
What is an ISO?
An ISO compromises a set of standards which a workplace must adhere to, as set out by the International Organisation for Standardisation. Over 160 countries are a part of the organisation, which helps to determine the best practice for workplaces and production, thereby creating harmonisation in the way professional fields operate.
There are around 22,000 ISO standards utilised, according to Reciprocity, with more being added every year.
Who might use an ISO?
ISOs are implemented by a wide-ranging set of businesses. These businesses need to adhere to a strict set of standards in their workplace. This can be due to either the standard being an aspect of national health and safety legislation and regulation, or expectations within their industry – from customers, suppliers, or even partners – to operate to a certain standard.
For instance, ISO 13485 is most often used by medical professionals, such as quality scientists and laboratory analysts, whereas AS9100 is used by the aerospace industry to ensure the safety and quality of operations.
Why are ISO ratings beneficial?
ISO ratings offer guidance to business on how they can adhere to best practices in the workplace. This can be beneficial for several reasons:
Demonstrate quality – If your business has an ISO accreditation, you can show customers and partners that your business is working to a globally defined standard. This can improve the success of your business.
Understand business risks – During the process of making sure your operations adhere to relevant ISO standards, you will be shown various risks that could affect your business. As such, the process of gaining accreditation improves the health of your business, without you needing to have experienced issues first-hand.
Find new opportunities – Much like risk, the process of gaining ISO accreditation will almost certainly train you to identify opportunities and understand how to take advantage of them.
A stronger workforce – With trained applicants in short supply, reducing churn and attracting the best talent is more crucial than ever. If you follow the ISO path, you will be making strides in improving your organisation and how it does business, thereby attracting go-getting applicants who want to work at a leading business.
Gain control – ISO standards require the involvement of management in assessing the quality of production. As such, in the process you will gain a more holistic, stronger understanding of your business, helping you improve decision making.
So, if it sounds like your business may benefit from incorporating an ISO in the workplace, its worth investigating and getting the ball rolling, so that you too can be on the way to having your own ISO certification.
