ISO 13485: Medical Devices – Quality Management Systems
ISO 13485: Medical devices – quality management systems was published in March 2016. This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 13485:2003), which has been technically revised. Rather controversially, ISO 13485:2016 has not been revised in line with the high level structure, HLS, adopted by ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and 30 other management […]
Food Safety from Farm to Fork?
Over the past few decades there have been many a controversy in the food and beverage industry. These breaches have ranged from tainted dairy products to contaminated beef. These high profile cases of food fraud have dented consumer confidence and made the general public question the journey their food takes from farm to fork. Food […]
ISO 9004 is Getting a Facelift
ISO 9004 is the forthcoming standard for managing the sustained success of an organisation. It is to be used as a tool to extend the benefits of ISO 9001:2015, by ensuring organisations can consistently meet the relevant needs and expectations of their interested parties, in a balanced way, over the long term. Relevant interested parties […]
Health & Safety in the Construction Sector
Construction is one of the most highly regulated industries and health and safety is of paramount importance due to the nature and severity of the risks involved of the field. The construction sector has about four times the average rate of fatal accidents. Each year, the sector sees approximately 3% of its workers sustain a […]
Advancing HSE Standards in the GCC
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is one of the fastest developing regions in the world. Member states include The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. While the benefits of economic development are tangible, there are potential social and environmental costs of such rapid change. Regulatory measures, with particular respect to Health, […]
Benefits of Certification
International Standards are strategic tools that can address many of the problems faced by companies in our globalised world. Certification to ISO standards can positively impact a company’s bottom line, improving the efficiency of company operations. They allow access to more customers and additional markets, while also improving customer satisfaction and reducing environmental impact. Cost […]
ISO 50001 Set for a Revision
The International Energy Management System (EnMS) Standard ‘ISO 50001’ recently celebrated its 5th anniversary in June 2016. According to ISO, by the end of 2014, 6,778 organisations achieved certification to the standard, with many others implementing the standard without getting certified. As with all ISO management system standards, ISO 50001 must be reviewed every five […]
Brexit: Where does this leave UK EHS Legislation?
On the 23rd June 2016, 17,410,742 people in the United Kingdom voted to the leave the European Union. Having been a member since 1975, the UK now needs to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to formally begin the negotiations to leave the EU. As the UK is the first member to invoke Article […]
Life-Cycle-Perspective According to ISO 14001 – the Advantages and Requirements of taking a Holistic View
From August 2017, all new certifications must comply with the ISO 14001:2015 standard, and from September 2018, all certificates according to the old standard ISO 14001:2004 lose their validity. The revised environmental management standard requires businesses to undertake a life cycle perspective of their goods and services. This implies looking beyond one’s own processes and […]
ISO 45001 Will Proceed to Second Draft International Standard
The highly awaited international standard ISO 45001 for occupational health & safety has suffered a slight set back but this delay should be seen as an opportunity to refine and improve upon the draft standard. The first Draft International Standard (DIS) has failed to attain the necessary votes for approval at a recent ballot of […]
