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What are the Risks of Not Maintaining ISO Compliance?
Achieving ISO certification is only the start.
At one assessment many years ago, the assessor turned to the company he had just “recommended for registration” and said, “The 100-yard dash is over… let the marathon begin.”
The whole ethos behind ISO it is that, regardless of the standard, the system is represents your “book of best practise” at your current place and time. As such, it should be a continually improving “book of best practise” changing and evolving as your company changes and improves.
[Note: clearly these days it needn’t be a “book”, but it does need to be documented].
So, failing to maintain compliance can cost you more than you think.
The risks
- Loss of certification
- Surveillance audits will uncover gaps and if these issues aren’t fixed, you can lose your certificate.
- Tender rejection
- Many contracts require valid ISO certification. Losing it means losing business.
- Legal and reputational damage
- Non-compliance with health, safety, environmental, information security or other standards can lead to reputational harm, fines and in the extreme, loss of liberty for anyone deemed culpable.
- Operational inefficiency
- ISO systems drive improvement. Ignoring them means missed opportunities and higher costs.
How to stay compliant
- Schedule internal audits regularly.
- Review processes and update documentation.
- Ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities.
- Train staff on the systems and any changes made.
- Prepare for surveillance audits well in advance.