Getting to know ISO 19443: Quality Management Systems
ISO 19443: Quality Management Systems – Specific requirements for the application of ISO 9001:2015 by organisations in the supply chain of the nuclear energy sector supplying products and services important to nuclear safety (ITNS).
Nuclear safety is of paramount importance and must be safeguarded throughout the value chain, ISO 19443 requires organisations providing products and services to the nuclear sector to be able to demonstrate they have the Organisational Capability to do so.
Certification to ISO 19443 enables companies to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable regulatory requirements. Moreover, it builds of customer orientation, continual improvement and involvement of relevant stakeholders.
What is ISO 19443?
The standard is applicable to all in the nuclear sector supplying products and services important to nuclear safety (ITNS). This includes design, engineering, manufacture, purchasing, supply, construction, maintenance services, and technology suppliers.
Building on the ISO 9001, ISO 19443 is the first internationally approved standard created by the industry to ensure quality control throughout its supply chain. It combines the best quality practices with the specific requirements of the nuclear industry and is built on ISO’s High-Level Structure (HLS) - the set of 10 clauses upon which all ISO standards are based, ensuring the same look and feel. It enables greater integration across all system disciplines, such as environment, occupational health and safety, and information security as a minimum.
Benefits of becoming certified
Checking that your system works is critical, and Certification to ISO 19443 by an independent third-party verifies how your management system is performing and demonstrates that you work to apply effective quality management principles within the organisation. More importantly it identifies where gaps are, and how you can improve you existing processes to meet the codes and standards specific to your organisation.
As a result, you:
· Demonstrate compliance and your commitment to a genuine nuclear safety culture.
· Gain a significant competitive advantage by meeting any management system certification business requirements from customers, suppliers and sub-contractors.
· Build trust in your management system’s performance internally and externally by applying effective quality management principles within the organisation.
· Implement a structured approach to continually improving processes and knowing where to focus efforts.
· Simplify the evaluation and qualification of suppliers certified by the civil nuclear industry.
· Maintain compliance with legal requirements and ensure that regulatory requirements are met.
Find out more by about ISO 19443 Certification and Training opportunities by contacting us at uk-support@dnv.com.