Why did your company decide not to certify to ISO 9001:2015?
Many companies decided not to seek certification for a transition to ISO 9001:2015. On September 15, 2018, their certification to ISO 9001:2008 was no longer valid unless they entered into an agreement with a certification company. No one has yet conducted a thorough post-mortem on this situation. However, there are some clear deficiencies in how ISO 9001:2015 was written and how it was presented to the companies that were already certified to ISO 9001:2008.
There were many changes made to ISO 9001:2015. The management system document and the ISO 9000:2015 (fundamentals and vocabulary) document were vague when it comes to determining context (clause 4.1) and using risk management (clause 6.1) to deal with “uncertainties” in the business operating environment that could affect quality.
What went wrong with ISO 9001:2015?
Instead of answering this question directly (i.e. because no one seems to want to talk about it). Let’s look at the writing and release of ISO 45001:2018 (occupational health and safety)[i]. This way we can deal with facts!
The American Society for Sustainability Professionals (ASSP) worked within the ISO rules to make sure the new standard meets the needs of the practicing ASSP member. They wanted the new standard to concentrate on the interaction between an organization and its business environment[ii]. The key difference was that OHSAS 18001 was focused on managing OH&S hazards and other internal issues. But there were other differences. ISO 45001 is:
- Process-based
- Dynamic in all clauses
- Considers both opportunities and threats in the risk assessment
- Deals exclusively with risk
- Includes the views of interested parties (stakeholders)
These points represent a significant shift in the way that OH&S is perceived. “OH&S is no longer treated as a ‘stand alone,’ but must be viewed within the perspective of running a sound and sustainable organization[iii]. Obviously, the Technical Committee responsible for ISO 9001:2015 did not share these views.
How will ISO 45001 be used?
ISO predicts that “most organizations will use ISO 45001 to establish an effective OH&S management system, and just a few will want to the extra recognition that comes with certification[iv]. It is well-known that there is no requirement to certify an ISO management system standard. “Certification is merely an added endorsement that demonstrates to external parties that you have achieved full compliance with a specific standard[v].
The benefits of ISO 45001 are endless when implemented correctly. ASSP is supporting this statement by creating a Risk Assessment Institute[vi] and creating additional information to help its members conform to the new standard. What would have happened to ISO 9001:2015 implementation if the American Society for Quality (ASQ) had taken a similar approach? Why did ISO let the Technical Committee stray so far from the high-level structure in the ISO Directives Annex SL?
Using Self-Declaration in ISO 9001:2015
Companies that are interested in the self-declaration option for ISO 9001:2015 can follow the information that ISO has published on ISO 45001:2018 (see the end notes). These companies should also read the high-level structure in the ISO Directives Volume 1 (Annex SL)[vii]. If your organization is seeking to self-certify its ISO 45001:2018 management system, you should sit down and talk with them.
A self-determination and self-declaration are specified by ISO/IEC 17050-1[viii]. We will look at how a self-assessment of ISO 9001:2015 would be constructed in the next blog. This will give you plenty of time to digest what ASSP was able to accomplish for its members by working with ISO Technical Committee for ISO 45001:2018.
Bio:
Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D.
Harvard University & Pojasek & Associates LLC
Risk Management & Organizational Sustainability
rpojasek@sprynet.com
(781) 777-1858 Office
(617) 401-5708 Mobile & Text
www.linkedin.com/in/bobpojasek
Organizational Risk Management and Sustainability:
A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
Now available as an e-book
http://tiny.cc/xz3fhy
Also available as an online action learning course
Expert as environment, health & safety, and sustainability professional with a record of providing leadership, training and operational support to all levels of the organization; Implements new and revised management systems to drive EHS/sustainability program conformance throughout the operation; Integrates organizational systems of management using the ISO harmonized high-level structure; Provides support for organizations implementing sustainability/risk management practices featured in my book.
[i] “ISO publication on ISO 45001” https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/store/en/PUB100427.pdf
[ii] “ISO 45001 – All you need to know” https://www.iso.org/news/ref2271.html
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] ASSP programs to support ISO 45001:2018” https://www.assp.org/advocacy/risk-assessment-institute
[vii] ISO/IEC Directives Volume 1 https://www.iso.org/sites/directives/2017/consolidated/index.xhtml
[viii] “Conformity Assessment – Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity – Part 1 https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso-iec:17050:-1:ed-1:v2:en