A guide to ISO standards for small businesses

Small and large businesses alike can reduce costs, increase productivity, and access new markets with ISO International Standards. In this article, we look at how standards can support your small business. 

Due to their limited resources, small businesses must be more efficient and effective in everything they do (and compete against much larger organisations). In this article, we will discuss what ISO standards apply to small businesses and how they can benefit from following them.

You can discover more about our recommendations in detail on the Temple QMS website here.

SME’s can benefit from standards in the following ways:

• Ensure that your products are safe and reliable by building customer confidence

• Ensure compliance with regulations at a lower cost

• Streamline your business processes to reduce costs

• Access global markets

Which ISO standards are ideal to start with?

ISO 9001:

Any size organization can benefit from ISO 9001, which is an international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS).

With ISO 9001, you can continuously monitor and manage quality across your organization, identifying areas for improvement. It is recognized as the most widely adopted Quality Management System (QMS) in the world.

Become an ISO 9001 certified organization and join over one million organizations around the world who have improved their business through the use of this management system standard.

Benefits of ISO 9001:

• Continuously improve, streamline, and reduce costs

• Compete for more business and win more tenders

• Increase customer satisfaction

• Build a sustainable business and be more resilient

• Demonstrate strong corporate governance

• Work effectively with stakeholders and your supply chain

ISO 14001:

The ISO 14000 family provides practical tools for managing environmental responsibilities in businesses and organizations.

An environmental management system can be certified to ISO 14001 if it meets the criteria. This document lays out a framework for setting up an effective environmental management system in a company or organization.

This system can provide assurance to company management, employees, and external stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved, regardless of the type of organization or industry.

Benefits of 14001:

• Ensure your organization meets its compliance obligations

• Comply with the requirements of the supply chain

• Business risks can be reduced and protected

• Enhance environmental performance

• Optimize the use of resources

• Boost your competitiveness

• Reduction in waste and emissions

• Provide cost savings

ISO 45001:

Safety and health at work are the goals of ISO 45001, which aims to prevent injuries and ill-health at work.

You can drive business excellence by protecting and enhancing your most valuable asset, your people, with an effective occupational health and safety management system.

ISO 45001 crosses geographical, political, economic, commercial, and social boundaries. It sets a single standard for occupational health and safety management. As a result, if your organization operates or trades internationally, you can simplify your operations by working to a single standard.

Benefits of ISO 45001:

• Ensure the safety of employees

• Increase stakeholder confidence

• Boost productivity

• Cost-savings on insurance

• Ensure that management is involved and accountable

• Risk reduction

• Recognize opportunities

• Establish yourself as an industry leader

If you would like to speak to our friendly team at Temple QMS about which standards would be best for your business, get in touch today. We have multi-sector industry knowledge, working with companies large and small. You’ll find our trainers and consultants delighted to support you and your requirements, with the best possible advice. Call us today on +44 (0)121 779 3337.