ISO Standards (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what ISO quality control standards are and what they are for. Also, its history and which ones are the most important.

What are ISO standards?

ISO standards are a set of regulations and provisions of universal application, which aim to guarantee minimum quality conditions, delivery times and service levels in different types of companies and organizations.

These standards, the most recent version of which is the ISO 9000 family, are a set of quality control and quality management standards. They were developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO by its acronym in English: International Standardization Organization).

These standards are applicable to different types of organizations, and grant them a set of certifications if they meet the demand levels established in said standards. There are certification entities that define compliance or not with ISO standards, carry out audits to provide the corresponding certificate or make demands prior to its granting.

ISO standards were born together with the ISO in 1947 building on previous attempts at standardization such as the ISA and the UNSCC. Since then 19,500 ISO standards have been created to encompass virtually all aspects of manufacturing and technology, through a constant process of review and updates leading up to today.

What are ISO standards for?

Organizations that comply with the provisions of ISO standards will have a certification that guarantees them to their clients, granted by the entities that manage the normalization or standardization of processes worldwide.

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Have the ISO certificate is synonymous with minimum operational excellence for international standards in the area to which the organization is dedicated. On the other hand, ISO standards seek to create a minimum framework of demands and organizational endorsement through the creation of an ISO method that is valid internationally.

What are the most important ISO standards?

iso 22000 food — ISO 22000 standards regulate food quality.

Each ISO standard has to do with specific aspects and specific topics. The most used ISO standards in the world are:

ISO 9000 Dedicated to the standardization of production and through the application of a controlled method, ISO guarantees the quality of what is produced, also allowing the same criteria to be used in different countries to evaluate said quality.
ISO14000 It is aimed at environmental management and environmental care, that is, achieving production with the lowest possible ecological impact.
ISO18000 It is focused on the regulation of aspects of occupational safety and health systems for different areas of work, thus reducing accidents and putting the integrity of the worker first.
ISO 22000 It is a safety standard in food production, which guarantees its proper preservation and non-biological or chemical contamination. Following their standards, the consumer would have to receive the food they consume correctly.
ISO 31000 It is intended for the risk management system of organizations from a general perspective: it is impossible to detail how to manage each specific risk, as this depends largely on the particular organization, but it is possible to design global strategies for managing occupational risks.
ISO 28000 It is focused on the distribution chain of already manufactured products and standardizes the procedures for this, minimizing the risks of the transport chain.
ISO 26000 This standard establishes the minimum social responsibility standards essential for any form of company or productive organization.