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At today’s press conference of Macedonian Chambers of Commerce (MCC) led by Mr. Mihajlo Evrosimovski, member of the Management Board of MCC, it was discussed about the need and importance of the introduction of international quality standards in each company and for all the benefits arising from their introduction.
With the process of globalization the importance of standardization of processes in organizations (public institutions and private companies) is more emphasized as a prerequisite for quality and excellence.
For the growing interest and importance of standards and the fact that the International Organization for Standardization – ISO, as a global network of national standards bodies from 164 countries from all regions of the world, has published over 19,000 international standards virtually all aspects of business and technology.
In Macedonia there is a notable trend of growing use of international standards, in both public and private sector, especially the basic international standard ISO 9001 as a system of quality management. Through its core principles of process approach, leadership, decision-making based on facts and continuous improvement of operations, the ISO 9001 is an important management tool for successful operation and management of overall quality.
Also, the growing awareness of environmental protection contributes to the implementation of the international standard ISO 14001 as the management system environment, both in public and in private companies.
“In September 2015, the ISO published the new versions of the international standards ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, by which the organizations that have introduced these standards are given the space of 3 years to switch to new versions, i.e. ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 14001: 2015. I would especially like to emphasize the application of International Management System Health and Safety – OHSAS 18001 (which is expected to move to ISO 45001: 2016), the demands are also the legal obligation of Macedonian institutions and companies. As one of the biggest advantages of introducing international standards in operation is the compliance with domestic and international regulations” said Evrosimovski.
Through proper application of the requirements of the standards companies receive legal certainty in regards to the observance of legal requirements in that area, which in turn results in additional advantages, namely:
– Reduce the costs of possible penalties for violations of legal requirements
– Easier obtaining authorizations and permits from local and state authorities
– Enhanced reputation and creating trust in the community
– Competitive advantage
Namely, this section presents specific laws and their relation to international standards:
– The requirements of the Environmental Law, Law on Waste Management and Law on e-waste management are contained in ISO 14001 as a management system environment
– Management System Health and Safety OHSAS 18001 fully satisfies the requirements of the same name – Law on Health and Safety at Work
– Standard ISO 27001 as system security management information, not only meets, almost exceeds the requirements of the Protection of Personal Data and the legal requirements in this area
– The requirements of ISO 50001 standard, as system energy management, fully meets all the requirements of new laws related to energy efficiency
– The system for managing food safety ISO 22000 meets and exceeds the requirements of the Food and Veterinary and legal requirements in this area.
Also, as a confirmation of the successful application of the requirements of the standards is obtained certification by independent accredited certification companies such as Lloyds Register, Bureau Veritas, SGS, TUV and other.
Besides the above international standards, there is interest of Macedonian companies and to some of the more specific standards to be applied depending on the area or activity such as:
ISO 20000-1: 2011 – Management System for information technology services
ISO 31000: 2009 – System for Risk Management
ISO 50001: 2011- System for Energy Management
IFS and BRC – Management System for the supply and trade in food chain
ISO 39001: 2012 – Management System for Traffic Safety
ISO 13486: 2016 – Management System for medical devices
ISO 17025: 2005 – Management System for testing and calibration laboratories
Each international standard in terms of specific requirements that deals actually offers a systematic approach to management and full compliance of the relevant legal requirements of the relevant field, and their introduction in operation, reflects the level of quality in companies.
May 11, 2016
