What is a certification body, and how can your organisation achieve ISO certification? We have produced a helpful guide that explains the most important elements of achieving certification and the ways in which you may go about doing so. Read more below.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has nearly 25,000 international standards. They span 17 sectors and this number continues to grow each year. It’s especially true for ISO’s industry, innovation and infrastructure goals.
But even if you’re familiar with ISO standards, why are they important? And, how do businesses implement them and achieve certification? That’s where the certification body comes in.
Keep reading to learn more about how businesses can get ISO certification.
What Is ISO?
ISO is the International Organisation for Standardisation. It’s an independent, non-governmental organisation. Its membership consists of 165 national standards bodies.
Sixty-five delegates from 25 countries founded the organisation in London in 1946. Today. ISO’s Central Secretariat is in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1951, the organisation published its first standard, ISO/R 1:1951. Businesses still use this standard today, but ISO has updated it several times.
The organisation has a different acronym in various languages. So, the founders chose ISO. ISO comes from the Greek word ‘isos,’ which means ‘equal’. It is pronounced as ‘aye-so’ as opposed to individual letters (I.S.O.).
Why You Should Get ISO Certified
ISO aims to describe the best way to do something. This includes making a product, managing a process, and delivering a service.
Achieving ISO certification for any business or organisation demonstrates quality and credibility to stakeholders, including, primarily, customers.
ISO is one of the most recognisable and knowledgeable organisations globally. Companies with an ISO standard show they can meet the expectations of customers. ISO standards improve quality control and client satisfaction, which lessen complaints. This is one of the top benefits of having an ISO certification.
Some industries even need ISO certification legally or contractually. It promotes best practices. As a result, standards exist for almost every business sector you can think of.
Best of all, ISO standards help improve productivity. With the standard, you must clearly:
- Define business procedures
- Document business processes
- Track business practices.
Setting objectives and measuring progress ensures ISO compliance.
Plus, better productivity and higher quality improve revenue. Thus, ISO standards are an excellent business investment. They can also allow for further business opportunities in new markets. Government contracts and the international market often seek out ISO certification from providers. In fact, the UK Government has issued a statement to say that “the only ‘authoritative statement’ of competence, that has public authority status – providing the last level of control in the conformity assessment chain – is from the UK’s sole national accreditation body, UKAS.”
What Are Certification Bodies?
To get an ISO certification, you need to choose an ISO certification body. ISO does not certify or issue certificates to businesses. ISO only develops the standards.
A certification body is an independent third party that handles a certification process. So, ISO certification bodies assure each business follows its ISO standards. This includes all the necessary conditions for each standard a company has.
The certification body provides:
- Assessments (often referred to audits), which conclude with reports that provide details around the outcome of the assessment and, where appropriate, any gaps between the requirements of the standard and the way the organisation is currently operating.
- Certification – subject to successful completion of the assessment(s).
- A logo or badge that certified organisations can used to show their certification status.
Although not required, many certification bodies are also accredited. This means an independent organisation confirms the certification body’s competence. Accreditation ensures an unbiased and robust audit of a certification body.
ISO also highly recommends using an accredited certification body. It’s crucial to find a body with a strong reputation. Going through a rigorous certification process will benefit your business. In the UK the accredited body, appointed by the Government, is UKAS.
How To Achieve ISO Certification
First, you need to choose what standard or standards you want for your business. At this point we recommend discussing your needs and requesting a no-obligation quote from one of our team.
In order to achieve ISO certification you need to ensure your business conforms with the requirements of your chosen standard(s). There a number of way you can achieve this, but typically this might involve:
- Buying a copy of the standard from ISO, implementing the requirements in your business youself
- Employing an ISO consultant to work with your business
Once you have a management system in place it’s time for your first assessment. An assessor will review the management system and then provide necessary feedback on changes that need to be made in order to be compliant with the standard. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘gap analysis’ report. Your business must then put these changes in place.
Once the changes have been made, the certification body will carry out a final assessment. It’s not unusual for the body to give feedback on areas that need correcting/improcing. Once you meet all the requirements of the standard, the body will award you your standard certificate.
Your business needs to go through this process for each standard it wishes to get, however, there are significant cost and effort savings to be had by implementing multiple standards at the same time, compared with doing them separately.
In order to maintain certification, you need to undergo an annual review/surveillance, completed by the certification body. You are then responsible for renewing the certification every three years.
Why You Should Choose UKAS
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) oversees certification bodies that provide:
- Certification
- Testing
- Inspection
- Calibration services
This includes ISO certification bodies. But, UKAS is the only organisation appointed by the UK government. Thus, only UKAS can provide accreditation to certification bodies in the country. So, to use the government-endorsed national accreditation symbol, you need UKAS accreditation.
There is no other way to use the coveted ‘Crown & Tick’ mark logo. A certification body with UKAS accreditation will be impartial, competent and remain confidential. These are all essential when gaining your ISO certification.
Plus, working with a non-UKAS accredited certification body can cost you business. The professional community identifies these bodies as lacking in ISO standards. And, since UKAS is internationally recognised, the benefits are plentiful.
Always look for a UKAS accredited certification body.
Find Your Ideal Certification Body Today
ISO certifications are like the gold standard in business. They transcend national boundaries, providing businesses with more profitability. Your customers will be happier, too, with better products and services. UKAS-accredited bodies push the bar even higher.
Contact us at British Assessment Bureau to find out more about partnering with a UKAS-accredited certification body, or request a quote. Our internationally-recognised team will help your business secure its ISO certification.
If you are approaching ISO certification for the first time, you may want to download our free ISO Buyer’s Guide – it contains a checklist of key factors you should consider when choosing a certification body. Enter your email address below to receive your free copy.
