Development and Implementation of Management Systems
The Strong Competitive Pressure and the Role of Standards
The strong competitive pressure, driven by the need for suppliers to offer products and services with consistently maintained quality, has become a powerful tool for the adoption of standards from the EN ISO 9000 series (related to quality management systems), the EN ISO 14000 series (related to environmental management systems), as well as standards for occupational health and safety management EN ISO 45001, food safety ISO 22000, HACCP, and others.
The unity of standards, expressed in the concept and approach for building management systems across different fields, allows them to be used for the development of integrated management systems, which are widely adopted by many companies and organizations.
Social Significance of Standards
Standards play an important role in:
✔ Ensuring consumer protection;
✔ Workplace safety;
✔ Promoting social responsibility;
✔ Protecting public health and the environment.
Standards and Consumers
Products manufactured in accordance with a given standard provide security for consumers. Standards guarantee that products are safe and meet the minimum required quality levels.
The role of standards is particularly important in preventing the sale of products that could pose risks to life and health. Consumers rightfully expect to be protected through the enforcement of laws and standards.
Standards and Working Conditions
There are many different standards that offer solutions to potential problems related to workplace conditions and production processes.
Standards and the Environment
The impact of modern technologies on health, safety, and the environment makes standards a crucial tool for risk prevention.
In this field, three groups of standards are distinguished:
1️⃣ Mandatory environmental protection standards, imposed by legal regulations;
2️⃣ Standards used for monitoring and control activities;
3️⃣ Environmental management system standards.