Mo Nassar

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February 14 2022

ISO 9001 Certification-What are the steps? How long will it take? How much will it cost?

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Many companies see the benefit of ISO 9001 certification. When we receive a call, we get these typical questions:

What are the steps?
How long will it take?
How much will it cost?

One approach is that we offer a simple 8 Step approach to help you get your first ISO 9001certification or 5 steps to get you ready for re-certification.

GAP assessment of your current Quality Management System. If you don’t have a QMS then step 1 is bypassed.
Action plan of the identified GAPs in your QMS and detail what is needed to correct them to meet the standard. If you don’t have a QMS, then step 2 is bypassed.
You write the processes/procedures/documents for your organization with our support and mentorship OR we can do it for you.
Schedule a meeting with your Top Management/employees to train on ISO and how the components of your new Quality Management System are integrated into your business.
Perform your first Internal audit. We recommend training at least two people in your organization to become certified Internal Auditors.
Perform your first Management Review with our support.
When complete we turn you over to our Accredited Certification body who will perform a first stage audit to ensure that nothing was missed. This is an opportunity for correction if needed.
The Accredited Certification Body now performs the full ISO 9001 audit. Our Accredited body has a large number of auditors available so you need not have to wait too long for this to happen.

NOTE: We provide mentorship and support to help you understand the standard and the components. We can help with your first team meetings, how to develop proper Work Instructions and anything that goes into a robust Quality System. We say this with great confidence due to our 30 plus years as industry veterans in Quality and Quality Systems. We can even provide you with best practices based on our observations in numerous industries.

Depending on the time commitments of both the Company and Consultant this process can take anywhere from 90 to 180 days. This is assessed for each situation.

Call us for immediate action 416-622-0022

April 20 2021

COR vs. ISO 45001 Certification: Which one is better?

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COR certification is the craze these days and seems to be the “must have” certification for construction companies. However, what most people don’t realize is that there is an alternative to COR certification which on many levels is superior. I’m referring to ISO 45001. When comparing these two strong certifications, one must ask themselves which one gives me more value for my investment. From a cost perspective, both certifications are relatively equivalent in the costs of preparation, audit and final certification. Since cost is not the driving force in this dissertation then other items need to be qualified.

It is important to note that under Bill 30 the law recognizes ISO 45001 as equivalent to COR.

https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-44/session-1/bill-30

We have decided to de-mystify this question by providing some pros and cons to these two certifications.

One of the benefits of ISO 45001 is that it is recognized internationally, and once a company obtains certification, it is valid in any jurisdiction. This means that a company no longer has to absorb the cost of becoming COR certified in multiple provinces in order to do business in each of those provinces. ISO 45001 can be a substantial cost benefit to your company in this case.
ISO 45001 certification means that a Canadian company gains instant international recognition which allows them to bid on contracts and projects in the U.S. and around the world.
COR is required in order to be certified in each province, which means if your company works in two or more provinces, you will need to familiarize yourself with the subtle differences among provinces prior to requesting equivalency. This is an additional burden within your company to have someone become the subject matter expert to be familiar with all the nuances of the requirements for each province. ISO 45001 is standardized irrespective of which Province you are working in.
COR was developed in Canada by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations to ensure that construction companies have set standards for measuring their health and safety programs. COR is widely recognized in Canada, and managers who have completed the NCSO are familiar with the COR auditing system, which provides an advantage for companies who choose to pursue COR.
ISO 45001 may not have as many managers who are specifically trained for the system. However, once the framework is learned, it is fairly easy to follow. It is also part of the ISO Annex XL system, meaning that if your company currently implements other ISO systems (for example 14001 – Environmental, ISO 9001-Quality Management Systems and many others), the framework of 45001 will feel familiar. Also, one must note that ISO 9001 is the core standard on which all ISO standards are built. This means that once a company implements one ISO standard, they’ve provided themselves the basic framework to implement any and all certifications. This provides an easier avenue for companies to achieve any ISO certification in the future.
ISO 45001 can often be successfully implemented in a much timelier manner than COR. This is especially true if your company is familiar with other ISO management systems.
Larger companies that currently employ a full-time in-house safety manager have an advantage over small or medium companies when it comes to COR. The program requires an in-house auditor, so having safety staff already in place is a big advantage.
With ISO 45001, there is no requirement for the full-time in-house auditor therefore smaller companies can opt to contract external consultants (not on full-time payroll). These external consultants can help manage the implementation process as well as provide ongoing audit support. This is a large cost savings to any size organization.
ISO 45001 has approximately 7 clauses which any health & safety system across the globe must follow in order to be accredited. The COR standard has 13 primary elements required for all provinces in Canada, with 6 additional elements required from companies in Ontario. The 19 elements for Ontario encompass the need for various procedures, policies and implementation measures. These additional requirements could prove burdensome for a company to implement and maintain.

After reviewing all of the above pros and cons for each certification, it’s clear that becoming ISO 45001 certified can be of greater benefit to an organization.

ISO Certification Consultants provides an A to Z approach for a Construction Company’s certification needs in ISO 45001 as well as ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certifications. Our organization can provide the consultation needed to ready a company for certification. Ask us about our latest channel partnership with an ISO and operational software management system which takes much of the stress and complication out of becoming ISO 45001 certified. Contact us to find out more and see our no obligation software demo in action.

December 8 2020

How to get started: ISO 9001 Certification simplified

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How to get started: ISO 9001 Certification simplified

When speaking with clients these are some of the things I hear:

It would be a great idea to get ISO 9001 Certified
We would like for our company to be ISO certified but we don’t know where to start
We need ISO certification but don’t know what’s involved
Where do we begin?
How much does it cost?
How quickly can this be done?
What are the steps?
When can I get audited?
What do we need to do?

And any combination of these.

It’s interesting to find that there are a number of companies out there who are geared to providing the auditing and certifying for any business. You place a phone call and book an appointment. This in my estimation is the easiest transaction available. An auditor comes to your facility or provides a remote audit and provides you an assessment of your company’s conformance to the ISO 9001:2015 standard. Easy enough. Then they go away and wait 90 days for you to provide evidence that you’ve corrected the minor non-conformances. If major non-conformances exist, they want to book another follow up review of your facility to validate your compliance. This is one cost of getting certified.

I’ve discovered what’s really missing. Many smaller companies have heard of the benefits of ISO 9001 certification but don’t really understand how to navigate this complex world. When potential clients call me, I take the time to make them understand what’s involved. Invariably I get thanks and accolades for taking the time to explain the steps. I’ve even heard, “it’s so nice to actually speak with a real live person”.

What’s typically missing are the competent and qualified consultants who get the small or medium size business’s ready for ISO Audit. These are the unsung heroes of the business. Company’s like ISO Certification Consultants are few and far between. They understand what’s involved and how to get a company ready for it’s first ISO 9001 audit.

Our approach is simple. We provide a consulting service which walks a company through the steps needed to get ready for it’s first ISO 9001 Audit. We understand the needs of business. Most auditors are not business people. They are pure practitioners and are therefore well suited to the Audit and Certification side of the business. Although Auditing is a very intense and often tiring activity it pales in comparison to the energy and time required to prepare for the audit. As business people we know the value of time and money, therefore we’ve streamlined the approach. We can even provide our consulting remotely, depending on the company.

I advise my clients to take the “border-crossing” approach to start. This means only answer the most necessary questions which need to be answered. If portions of the standard don’t apply, don’t look for reasons or find ways to make it apply. The standard and its clauses must be tailored to your unique business. No more, no less.

Breakdown the business into the fundamental core process’s
Develop High level Process diagrams and steps for each process
Develop next level standardized work instructions
Document the steps. Start with a system for documentation and storage.
Develop the recording and reporting process’s
KEEP IT SIMPLE

Now, it’s important to note that Clause 10 of the ISO 9001:2015 standard talks about continuous improvement activity. What most company’s miss is that the standard is a more than just a Quality Management system. When properly implemented it forms the framework for a complete Business Management System. The ISO 9001:2015 standard is the basis for the integration of a company’s systems in a way which provides a value-added approach to doing business. Many company’s fail to remember that their company’s operational stance should be built around a very basic premise. That is, is the company activity value added and is it something that the customer is willing to pay for. If the answer to one of both of these questions is NO, then you should stop doing it.

ISO 9001:2015, when properly implemented, can help a company put in place the methodology to help address these questions. It’s also the basis for other integrated systems such as ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety) and a number of other ISO standard which are commensurate with the type of business vertical your company occupies.

Another common statement amongst company’s is, ‘just get me my certificate so that I can continue with my business.’ This attitude and approach contravenes the reason for getting ISO Certification in the first place. Once you put a basic system in place, the goal should be to continuously improve everything about your business. Many company’s neglect this most important point. Depending on the type of business this can be a recipe for poor performance in many areas and sometimes disaster. History is full of examples of company’s that went out of business because they simply did not improve or change. Meanwhile the competitors who continued in business made it a regular exercise to improve and where required re-invent themselves.

ISO Certification Consultants provides a one-stop consulting service for your ISO certification needs. We provide the consultation, our partner accredited group provides the auditing and certification.

Call us for quick service at 416-622-0022