What is a Health & Safety Policy and how do I write one?
It sets the agenda for everything else that follows. The main purpose of your OHSMS is to help you achieve what you set out in your Health & Safety Policy. A Health & Safety Policy is a very brief statement and you should be able to complete it without any difficulty. It’s a lot easier […]
Common information security breaches in business
When you’re building your information security defences, you obviously need to prioritise where to focus your energy and resources. This means you need to know where to look for weaknesses, understand the kinds of things that typically go wrong, and then identify where your vulnerabilities are. Obviously you’ll do this as part of your risk […]
How to use ISO standards to win new business
In my experience, I would estimate that 8 times out of 10, organisations seek to achieve ISO certification to win new business, not necessarily to improve their business – sadly. So, what is it about ISO standards that is so attractive to prospective clients? Why are they like gold dust in certain industries? And in some cases, […]
Notes on Coronavirus and Business Continuity Planning
When faced with a crisis, ‘Don’t Panic’ may seem like an inadequate response. But it’s an appropriate one. Not only does it emphasise a certain type of British sangfroid, it’s actually good advice. This certainly applies when looking at Business Continuity and especially an organisation’s response to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Careful planning and thinking things through will hopefully stop […]
ISO 45001 – What you need to know
What you need to know about ISO 45001 It encourages best-in-class risk management The purpose of the standard is to prevent work related injury and ill health and provide a safer environment to work in. Forward-thinking aspects of ISO 45001 include the identification of health and safety threats and opportunities, the consultation and participation of workers, and […]
ISO 45001 could be set to replace OHSAS 18001 sooner than anticipated
Progress has been made towards launching the much anticipated ISO 45001 standard, following a recent meeting of the Project Committee’s Working Group in Vienna. ISO 45001 is intended to replace OHSAS 18001 and create a truly international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. ISO Project Committee 283 (PC 283) has been tasked with the […]
Top 10 non-conformities with ISO 27001
The ISO 27001 Information Security Management System (ISMS) has rapidly increased in popularity in the last few years. The primary driver is, of course, concerns about the security of digitally stored data. But with ISO 27001, it’s not just about online hacks; the system encompasses all information in whatever format it’s held. And as well as the […]
Cybercrime: The third largest economy and the scale of threat to UK businesses
Back in 2020, it was reported that if it were measured as a country, then cybercrime would be the world’s third-largest economy after the United States and China. So it’s hard to overstate the significance of the issue. Looking at matters on a more local level, the Government’s own statistics show that 39% of UK […]
Why ISO certification from a UKAS accredited Certification Body is so important
Many businesses get ISO certified only to regret it. Why? Because they got certified by a certification body that wasn’t UKAS accredited. Many organisations enter onto their ISO certification journey with just a little knowledge of what ISO certification is but with big hopes that it will open doors otherwise closed to them, for example in tendering […]
Top ISO 9001 Management System Non-conformities: Avoid these common pitfalls
Alcumus ISOQAR conducts thousands of ISO 9001 audits every year. As the Head of Technical at Alcumus ISOQAR, where we review reports from our Auditors who have visited all sorts of businesses, I get to see exactly what’s going on at the ground level. What I see is the same nonconformities cropping up time and […]
An introduction to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and why its time has come
As someone who’s been in the ISO certification business for many years, it’s interesting to chart the rise of standards and reflect on how they found such popularity. And right now, it’s the turn of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. Back in the 1970s and 80s, British industry looked on with envy at the burgeoning Japanese manufacturing sector. […]
Dare to Err
The concept of continuous improvement is present in all modern management standards. But why do so many organisations not learn from their errors? The ISO 9001 Quality Management standard says this: “When a nonconformity occurs, including those arising from complaints, the organisation must react to the nonconformity, and as applicable: There can be many reasons for not reacting […]
How to choose a certification body for your ISO management system
So, you’re thinking about implementing a management system? Maybe you’ve already done it or are going through the process and you’ve decided you’re going to get it certified. You’ve made a good decision there. If you’ve been thinking about implementing a system but not getting it certified – stop and think about this. A system is meaningless […]
First Traffic Management Company to Achieve ISO 45001 from Alcumus ISOQAR
Kidderminster based firm, Signal Traffic Management, has become the first traffic management company to gain ISO 45001 certification from leading certification body Alcumus ISOQAR. The UKAS accredited certificate demonstrates their compliance to the world’s first international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. As well as creating consistency around the world, the new standard enables organisations to successfully manage […]
The New ISO 27001:2022 Information Security Management Systems standard has been released
The updated version of the ISO 27001 standard has now officially been released. Its full title is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information Security, Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection — Information Security Management Systems — Requirements. If you’re already ISO 27001 certified, changes have been introduced to the 2013 version of the standard that will eventually impact your ISO 27001 Information […]
The importance of ISO certification in the construction sector
Did you know that there are more than one thousand ISO standards and related documents for the construction industry? These ISO standards are a demonstration of the conformity of materials and processes to international standards, so that buyers and end users can have confidence in what they are procuring. They cover everything from concrete to […]
Top 10 Steps to Successfully Implementing ISO 9001
The benefits of adopting a Quality Management System (QMS) that conforms to ISO 9001 can be transformational in strengthening your organisation. Alcumus ISOQAR consistently observes that companies working to ISO 9001 experience increased efficiency and productivity; a reduction in errors and resource waste; higher quality products and services; increased customer satisfaction and stronger sales. All of which […]
What’s the Difference Between ISO 14001 and ISO 50001?
It’s a good question. If you want the short answer: ISO 50001 is about saving energy whereas ISO 14001 is about your environmental performance, which doesn’t necessarily involve saving energy. Strange, but true. This is explained later. Both the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and ISO 50001 Energy Management System are rising in popularity. It’s […]
How can ISO 14001 drive ESG and grow your business?
Our recent research revealed that ESG is having a large or very large impact on most businesses across the UK, with the majority of them expecting that effect to increase still further in the next few years. Most companies are taking action to integrate ESG into their business strategy and decision-making, but many are unsure […]
Strengthening Your ISO 27001 Information Security Management System with the ISO 27017 and ISO 27018 Codes of Practice
The ISO 27001 Information Security Management System standard has become a fixture of many industries and organisations. And just like a successful film franchise, it has spawned several sequels and spin-offs. In some cases, these are ‘Codes of Practice’ related to specific industries or applications. There are over 40 of these and some have multiple parts. Some are auditable […]
How to manage your way out of lockdown
The target date for all Covid-related restrictions to be lifted In England is 21 June if everything goes to plan. The dates for the other home nations are less specific. Many businesses made a swift transition in March 2020 to home working (or ‘remote working’ as it’s often called, or even ‘telecommuting’ if you want […]
Big Energy Savings Week 2021 – Save Energy, Cut Costs
Big Energy Savings Week is here, running from 18 to 24 January as part of the Big Energy Saving Winter campaign that kicked off in November 2020. This is the eighth national campaign to help people cut their energy bills and get the financial support they’re entitled to, run by Citizens Advice, the Energy Saving Trust and […]
ISO 9001 – The customer is king
“When a customer enters my store, forget me. He is king.” So said John Wanamaker, American merchant and pioneer in marketing more than 140 years ago. I’m sure he wasn’t the first person in business to acknowledge that the customer comes first, but few have expressed it so powerfully. It’s self-evident that if you produce […]
Why a Business Continuity Plan may not be enough
Under normal circumstances, if your business takes a downturn or fails, you’d take a look at yourself and the way you run things. You’d possibly conclude that it was your responsibility. Now we have something else to blame. An invisible enemy seemingly beyond our control. But is there something more you could have done to protect […]
5 ways to protect your people’s mental health with PAS 3002
Given current circumstances, this year’s World Mental Health Day on Saturday 10th October could not be timelier. The global pandemic has created a world of turbulence and uncertainty which has impacted everyone differently. The virus and subsequent lockdowns have had a massive economic impact globally. This has put a lot of strain on businesses and has […]
Top Tips for Risk Assessment Methodologies for ISO 27001 Information Security Management Systems
If there’s one thing that all ISO management systems have in common, it’s the management of risk. If there’s one thing that all ISO management systems have in common, it’s the management of risk. Whether it’s health and safety, quality, environmental management or – as in the case of ISO 27001 – information security, it’s all about making […]
An introduction to the ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System
It was the first management system to be built around what was known at the time as Annex SL (subsequently renamed Annex L). This defines a format for how standards should be written by the International Organisation for Standardisation. So, since ISO 22301 was first published back in 2012, all new and revised ISO standards have […]
Things to know before you get started with ISO 27001
As many organisations start to examine how well they responded to Covid-19 and how they could have done better, the topic of ‘business resilience’ arises. In the world of management systems, the obvious one that springs to mind which would have helped organisations ride this out is ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management Systems. Having plans […]
Love is…an ISO 9001 Quality Management System
ISO 9001 makes your business more successful because everyone who works within a quality workplace is happier. Why are they happier? Here are just three reasons. You’ll be richer – and more attractive Yes, really. You’ll be richer. The overriding reason to get ISO 9001 certified is to win more business. In a world that’s more competitive […]
PAS 3002 Helps your Workforce Become Safer, Healthier and Stronger
In 2017 – 2018 over half a million employees suffered an injury whilst at work – 147 of those were fatal. In that period, over 30 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health and injuries with organisations spending £15 billion on sick pay and other associated costs. This not only indicates the […]
Adhering to data protection legislation with BS 10012:2017
Let’s remind ourselves of the situation regarding data protection in the UK. First up is the flavour-of-the-month General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This is an EU regulation and directly applies to all European Union member states, including the UK, at least until Brexit (and almost certainly beyond). Second, running in parallel with this, is the UK’s new Data […]
Getting the most out of Internal Audits
Internal audits are a way of regularly controlling whether or not your own organisation conforms to the requirements that you have implemented; both the requirements that you have implemented for yourself and the requirements you have implemented to meet the standard. You must therefore assess your organisation to determine if your processes and procedures are […]
