What Is an International Standards Organization?

The International Standards Organization is a global organization responsible for developing most of the modern international industrial standards. They ensure quality in goods and services and promote global business cooperation.

History
In London of 1946, 25 countries held a meeting to address the issue of unifying industrial practices using international standardization. The ISO began its work February 23, 1947, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Name
Although ISO in English means "International Organization of Standards" it is does not fit the acronym. This is because when it is translated into many languages, the structure of the acronym would have to change. For this reason, no matter what language you speak, it will always be ISO.

Members
The ISO network consists of 162 countries with one member from each. Each member helps coordinate the system to be used with their respective countries. These members may be government officials or they may be from the industrial sector.

Voting
The ISO is divided into three categories: member bodies which are full members, correspondent members and subscriber members. Only the member bodies can vote on policies.

Importance of Standards
Standards allow for products and services to meet a certain level of quality. If there were no standards, organizations could profit by producing cheap, low-quality goods.

Types of ISO Standards

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental network of national agencies whose purpose is the development of international standards for business and government. International standards are designed for trade between

countries. They provide a technological base and a system of best management practices. Standards ensure safe products and organizational procedures that reduce environmental impact. Standards benefit trade and business by simplifying procedures and reducing an organization's environmental risk. Consumers benefit by the knowledge that state-of-the-art practices are developed for global relevancy.

Environmental Management
ISO 14001:2004. This ISO standard is the basis of development of an environmental management system (EMS). An EMS is a set of guidelines and procedures developed by an organization to ensure compliance. An EMS benefits an organization by increasing environmental awareness and investigating ways to reduce its costs. ISO 14004:2004. This ISO standard provides more specific information for implementation and maintenance of an EMS, with the aim to continually improve the plan based on its performance. The standard is applicable to any industry. ISO 5001. This yet-to-be-released standard will address energy management and ways to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact of organizations. It will consider technical and topical issues, such as climate change and dependence on foreign oil.

Health and Safety

ISO 22000. This ISO standard sets global guidelines for food safety and handling. Major corporations have embraced this standard, including Arla Foods and Kraft Foods. Its aim is to focus on the entire food chain and reduce hazards and safety issues such as foodborne illnesses. IWA 1:2005. This standard addresses issues in the healthcare sector. It provides guidelines for health care organizations to respond to natural and manmade disasters. Specifically, the standard gives recommendations for reducing error and organizational waste, while embracing a customer-centric framework. ISO 9001:2000. This standard addresses quality management in the medical device industry. It specifically provides suggestions and guidelines for industries involved in the development, production, and installation of these devices. The standard also considers continual monitoring within the industry.

Transportation

ISO/TS 16949. This standard reviews all areas of the automotive industry supply chain. It concentrates on areas of training, monitoring, analysis and improvements within the industry. The standard also focuses on ways for suppliers to reduce their costs and improve efficiency. ISO/PAS 30003:2008. This standard looks at specific concerns within shipping and marine technology. It focuses on areas, such as ship recycling management and other material handling, that can have potential environmental impacts. It addresses industryspecific concerns such as hazardous materials and asbestos emission.

ISO Standards for Safety

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) manages more than 18,000 standards affecting industries around the world. Two safety standards supported and underwritten by the ISO are ISO 14121-1 and ISO 22000 2005.

ISO 14121-1
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ISO 14121-1 protects users of machinery, regardless of industry. The standard helps designers and manufacturers of machinery to incorporate safety into their designs and reduce safety hazards. It applies to all types of machinery, from simple machines, such as lawn mowers, to large earth movers used on construction projects.

ISO 22000 2005

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ISO 22000 involves food safety. It specifies food safety requirements for every organization in the food chain, from farmers to food packagers to distributors to grocery stores and restaurants.

Function
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Both ISO 14121-1 and 22000 2005 require businesses to prove ISO safety compliance to an accreditation or certifying body. The ISO itself does not certify. Each country is responsible for adopting its own certifying and/or accreditation organizations.

Significance
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The value of safety can not be over emphasized. The lack of machine safety could cause injury or death to operators as well as ignite law suits against manufacturers of the machinery. The lack of food safety could have catastrophic consequences on thousands, potentially millions of consumers.

What Are the Benefits of ISO Standards?

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. According to Inc. magazine, ISO standards apply to everything from screws to freight containers, ensuring that machinery made in one country can work with machinery from another country.

Manufacturing
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According to iso.org, ISO standards for screw threads make it easier to repair and maintain everything from chairs to airplanes.

Terminology
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ISO standards "establishing an international consensus on terminology" have made it easier to make technological advances, according to iso.og.

Businesses
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Because so many businesses around the world have adopted ISO standards, companies can develop products that can compete in many more markets, according to iso.org.

Consumers
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ISO standards make consumer products more compatible. According to iso.org, standards give consumer more product choices and help to increase competition.

International Trade
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According to iso.org, standards governing the dimensions of freight containers have made international trade faster and cheaper.

ISO Certification Standards

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issues the ISO Certification standards. This nonprofit and nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, works with about 160 nations to develop international industrial guidelines promoting interoperability. Since its inception in 1947, the ISO has generated 18,000 standards as of 2010.

Certification
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When a company seeks certification to one of the ISO standards, it contacts an accreditation firm within its country. This triggers a visit by auditors, who compare the organization and employees' actions to the rules specified in the standards. Upon positive feedback from the auditors, the accreditation firm grants a certificate valid for three years.

Popular ISO Certification

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ISO 9001:2008 certification represents one of the most popular ISO awards and has been adopted by about 900,000 companies in 170 countries as of 2010. The 9001:2008 standards, often listed as a prerequisite in business contracts defining a supplier-buyer arrangement, guide quality management with the aim of achieving zero defects.

Value
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ISO certification represents a stamp of approval recognized by the industry. It indicates that the company's practices align with the methods of other ISO certified organizations. The University of California-Berkeley and Harvard conducted a study that showed sale revenues of 1,000 companies increased by 9 percent on average over a period of 11 years as a direct result of obtaining the ISO 9001 certification.

Standards catalogue
ISO has developed over 19 000 International Standards and all are included in the ISO Standards catalogue. There are three ways to find the standard you are looking for: 1. You can browse by ICS (International Classification for Standards). ICS is a way of classifying standards into fields such as electrical engineering or paper technology. 2. You can browse by TC (technical committees). ISO standards are developed by experts from TCs focusing on all kinds of different subjects from screw threads to shipping technology. By clicking on the TC you can see all the standards published by this group of experts. 3. You can search the standards catalogue using a key word or the number of the standard (all ISO standards are numbered) for example quality management or 9001 to find ISO 9001.

According to TECHNICAL COMMITTEES

Committee JTC 1 JTC 2 Title Information technology Joint Project Committee - Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources - Common terminology

Committee TC 1 TC 2 TC 4 TC 5 TC 6 TC 8 TC 10 TC 11 TC 12 TC 14 TC 17 TC 18 TC 19 TC 20 TC 21 TC 22 TC 23 TC 24 TC 25 TC 26 TC 27 TC 28

Title Screw threads Fasteners Rolling bearings Ferrous metal pipes and metallic fittings Paper, board and pulps Ships and marine technology Technical product documentation Boilers and pressure vessels Quantities and units Shafts for machinery and accessories Steel Zinc and zinc alloys - STANDBY Preferred numbers - STANDBY Aircraft and space vehicles Equipment for fire protection and fire fighting Road vehicles Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry Particle characterization including sieving Cast irons and pig irons Copper and copper alloys Solid mineral fuels Petroleum products and lubricants

Committee TC 29 TC 30 TC 31 TC 33 TC 34 TC 35 TC 36 TC 37 TC 38 TC 39 TC 41 TC 42 TC 43 TC 44 TC 45 TC 46 TC 47 TC 48 TC 51 TC 52 TC 54 TC 58

Title Small tools Measurement of fluid flow in closed conduits Tyres, rims and valves Refractories Food products Paints and varnishes Cinematography Terminology and other language and content resources Textiles Machine tools Pulleys and belts (including veebelts) Photography Acoustics Welding and allied processes Rubber and rubber products Information and documentation Chemistry Laboratory equipment Pallets for unit load method of materials handling Light gauge metal containers Essential oils Gas cylinders

Committee TC 59 TC 60 TC 61 TC 63 TC 67

Title Buildings and civil engineering works Gears Plastics Glass containers Materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries

TC 68 TC 69 TC 70 TC 71 TC 72 TC 74 TC 76

Financial services Applications of statistical methods Internal combustion engines Concrete, reinforced concrete and pre-stressed concrete Textile machinery and accessories Cement and lime Transfusion, infusion and injection, and blood processing equipment for medical and pharmaceutical use

TC 77 TC 79 TC 81 TC 82 TC 83 TC 84 TC 85 TC 86

Products in fibre reinforced cement Light metals and their alloys Common names for pesticides and other agrochemicals Mining - STANDBY Sports and recreational equipment Devices for administration of medicinal products and intravascular catheters Nuclear energy, nuclear technologies, and radiological protection Refrigeration and air-conditioning

Committee TC 87 TC 89 TC 91 TC 92 TC 93 TC 94 TC 96 TC 98 TC 100 TC 101 TC 102 TC 104 TC 105 TC 106 TC 107 TC 108 TC 109 TC 110 TC 111 TC 112 TC 113 TC 114

Title Cork Wood-based panels Surface active agents Fire safety Starch (including derivatives and by-products) Personal safety -- Protective clothing and equipment Cranes Bases for design of structures Chains and chain sprockets for power transmission and conveyors Continuous mechanical handling equipment Iron ore and direct reduced iron Freight containers Steel wire ropes Dentistry Metallic and other inorganic coatings Mechanical vibration, shock and condition monitoring Oil and gas burners Industrial trucks Round steel link chains, chain slings, components and accessories Vacuum technology Hydrometry Horology

Committee TC 115 TC 117 TC 118 TC 119 TC 120 TC 121 TC 122 TC 123 TC 126 TC 127 TC 129 TC 130 TC 131 TC 132 TC 133 TC 134 TC 135 TC 136 TC 137 TC 138 TC 142 TC 145

Title Pumps Fans Compressors and pneumatic tools, machines and equipment Powder metallurgy Leather Anaesthetic and respiratory equipment Packaging Plain bearings Tobacco and tobacco products Earth-moving machinery Aluminium ores - STANDBY Graphic technology Fluid power systems Ferroalloys Sizing systems and designations for clothes Fertilizers and soil conditioners Non-destructive testing Furniture Footwear sizing designations and marking systems Plastics pipes, fittings and valves for the transport of fluids Cleaning equipment for air and other gases Graphical symbols

Committee TC 146 TC 147 TC 148 TC 149 TC 150 TC 153 TC 154

Title Air quality Water quality Sewing machines Cycles Implants for surgery Valves Processes, data elements and documents in commerce, industry and administration

TC 155 TC 156 TC 157 TC 158 TC 159 TC 160 TC 161 TC 162 TC 163 TC 164 TC 165 TC 166 TC 167 TC 168

Nickel and nickel alloys Corrosion of metals and alloys Non-systemic contraceptives and STI barrier prophylactics Analysis of gases Ergonomics Glass in building Control and protective devices for gas and/or oil burners and appliances Doors and windows Thermal performance and energy use in the built environment Mechanical testing of metals Timber structures Ceramic ware, glassware and glass ceramic ware in contact with food Steel and aluminium structures Prosthetics and orthotics

Committee TC 170 TC 171 TC 172 TC 173 TC 174 TC 176 TC 178 TC 179 TC 180 TC 181 TC 182 TC 183 TC 184 TC 185 TC 186 TC 188 TC 189 TC 190 TC 191 TC 192 TC 193 TC 194

Title Surgical instruments Document management applications Optics and photonics Assistive products for persons with disability Jewellery Quality management and quality assurance Lifts, escalators and moving walks Masonry - STANDBY Solar energy Safety of toys Geotechnics Copper, lead, zinc and nickel ores and concentrates Automation systems and integration Safety devices for protection against excessive pressure Cutlery and table and decorative metal hollow-ware Small craft Ceramic tile Soil quality Animal (mammal) traps - STANDBY Gas turbines Natural gas Biological evaluation of medical devices

Committee TC 195 TC 197 TC 198 TC 199 TC 201 TC 202 TC 203 TC 204 TC 205 TC 206 TC 207 TC 208

Title Building construction machinery and equipment Hydrogen technologies Sterilization of health care products Safety of machinery Surface chemical analysis Microbeam analysis Technical energy systems Intelligent transport systems Building environment design Fine ceramics Environmental management Thermal turbines for industrial application (steam turbines, gas expansion turbines) - STANDBY

TC 209 TC 210 TC 211 TC 212 TC 213 TC 214 TC 215 TC 216 TC 217

Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments Quality management and corresponding general aspects for medical devices Geographic information/Geomatics Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems Dimensional and geometrical product specifications and verification Elevating work platforms Health informatics Footwear Cosmetics

Committee TC 218 TC 219 TC 220 TC 221 TC 222 TC 223 TC 224

Title Timber Floor coverings Cryogenic vessels Geosynthetics Personal financial planning - STANDBY Societal security Service activities relating to drinking water supply systems and wastewater systems - Quality criteria of the service and performance indicators

TC 225 TC 226 TC 227 TC 228 TC 229 TC 232 TC 234 TC 236 TC 238 TC 240 TC 241 TC 242 TC 243 TC 244

Market, opinion and social research Materials for the production of primary aluminium Springs Tourism and related services Nanotechnologies Learning services for non-formal education and training Fisheries and aquaculture Project Committee: Project Management Solid biofuels Project Committee: Product recall Road traffic safety management systems Energy Management Project Committee: Consumer product safety Industrial furnaces and associated processing equipment

Committee TC 245 TC 247 TC 248 TC 249 TC 250 TC 251 TC 252 TC 253 TC 254 TC 255 TC 256 TC 257

Title Project Committee: Cross-border trade of second-hand goods Fraud countermeasures and controls Project committee: Sustainability criteria for bioenergy Traditional chinese medicine Project committee: Sustainability in event management Project committee: Asset management Project committee: Natural gas fuelling stations for vehicles Project committee: Treated wastewater re-use for irrigation Safety of amusement rides and amusement devices Biogas Pigments, dyestuffs and extenders General technical rules for determination of energy savings in renovation projects, industrial enterprises and regions

TC 258 TC 259 TC 260 TC 261 TC 262 TC 263 TC 264 TC 265 TC 266

Project, programme and portfolio management Project committee: Outsourcing Human resource management Additive manufacturing Risk management Coalbed methane (CBM) Fireworks Carbon dioxide capture, transportation, and geological storage Biomimetics

Committee TC 267 TC 268 TC 269 TC 270 PC 271 PC 272 PC 273 TC 274 CASCO CIE COPOLCO IIW IULTCS REMCO TMB VAMAS

Title Facilities management Sustainable development in communities Railway applications Plastic and rubber machines Compliance programs Forensic sciences Customer contact centres Light and lighting Committee on conformity assessment International Commission on Illumination Committee on consumer policy International Institute of Welding International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies Committee on reference materials Technical Management Board Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards

According to International Classification of Standards

ICS 01 03

Field Generalities. Terminology. Standardization. Documentation Services. Company organization, management and quality. Administration. Transport. Sociology

ICS 07 11 13 17 19

Field Mathematics. Natural Sciences Health care technology Environment. Health protection. Safety Metrology and measurement. Physical phenomena Testing Analytical chemistry, see 71.040 Mechanical systems and components for general use Fluid systems and components for general use Measurement of fluid flow, see 17.120 Manufacturing engineering Energy and heat transfer engineering Electrical engineering Electronics Telecommunications. Audio and video engineering Information technology. Office machines Image technology Precision mechanics. Jewellery Road vehicles engineering Railway engineering Shipbuilding and marine structures Aircraft and space vehicle engineering Materials handling equipment Packaging and distribution of goods

21 23

25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 43 45 47 49 53 55

ICS 59 61 65 67 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 91 93 95 97

Field Textile and leather technology Clothing industry Agriculture Food technology Chemical technology Mining and minerals Petroleum and related technologies Metallurgy Wood technology Glass and ceramics industries Rubber and plastic industries Paper technology Paint and colour industries Construction materials and building Civil engineering Military engineering Domestic and commercial equipment. Entertainment. Sports

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO has developed over 18,500 International Standards on several different subjects. ISO is a network of national standards institutes across 162 countries. There is one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. ISO acts as a bridge between the public and private sectors. While ISO is not a government organization, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries,

or are mandated by their government. Other members are from the private sector, organized by national partnerships of industry associations. ISO claims that their organization . enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society. Some of the most commonly used ISO standards are focused on quality management systems. These are covered by the ISO 9000 category of standards, which address what an organization does to meet its customers quality requirements and enhance customer satisfaction, adhere to regulatory requirements, and achieve overall continual improvement in pursuing these objectives. As an example of how popular this standard has become, ISO 9001:2008 has already been implemented by over a million organizations in 176 countries. Another popular group of ISO standards are the ISO 14000 group of standards, focused on Environmental Management. This standard focuses upon what an organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and to achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance. There is no doubt that our actions can have a significant impact on our fragile environment. These standards are now gaining popularity as consumers seek assurance that the companies with which they conduct business are acting in an environmentally responsible manner. These two examples are only the tip of the iceberg for ISO standards. The ISO organization is extremely productive in serving its global community about 1,100 new ISO standards are published every year!