FAQ | Blue Wolf Certifications

Why Do I Need ISO Certification?

ISO certifications help to confirm you meet internationally recognized benchmarks for business management. By meeting ISO standards, your company can successfully reduce costs, increase the quality of service through efficient productivity, safely, and maintain environmental sustainability. ISO certifications enable an organization to achieve better market exposure with global acceptance.

Is It Compulsory To Get ISO Certification?

No. Though there is no legal requirement for ISO certification, it is essential that your company plans and closely follows a business management system. To have your management system meet an internationally recognized standard is better yet. Moreover, in today’s market, both vendors and customers want to rely on ISO-certified companies. Therefore, if you want to better meet customer requirements, or to retain your existing customers, get ISO certified.

Which ISO Certification Do I Need For Quality Assurance?

ISO 9001:2015 is the most acknowledged standard for Quality Assurance and Quality Management. The aim of the standard is to provide you with a stable and established framework for meeting customer requirements and maintaining the quality of your service/product. There are numerous other industry specific quality management standards such as ISO 13485 Medical Device Management Systems and ISO 20000 for IT service management.

Which Certification Is For Information Security?

If you want the global standard for information security, get certified to ISO 27001. The standard enables your company to identify risks to information and take necessary actions to minimize threats. Customers want to ensure they are working with a company that can protect its information, what better way to do that than to get certified to ISO 27001?

How To Achieve Business continuity management?

Achieve business continuity management by getting certified to ISO 22301:2019. It is a standard that helps ensure business continuity, and thereby gives customers and vendors a high level of confidence that you will be able to continue to provide reliable service for years to come. Certification to ISO 22301 with an accredited certification body provides customers with confidence by providing 3rd party recognition of compliance to the standard.

Which ISO certification is for Anti-bribery management?

In these times where customers are increasingly socially conscious, and where honesty is the best policy (Well, we hope anyway), organizations will do well to implement the standard ISO 37001:2016 for anti-bribery. Customers will be more confident that you comply with this standard when you are certified by a body that is accredited to a signatory with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and meets the certification body standard ISO 17021.

Which ISO certification is for Food Safety Management System?

ISO 22000:2013 is the global standard for food safety management. We all know what happens to the reputation of a company that has a public food safety incident. Such incidents can end a company, let alone the emotional and financial impact of such an incident. Having the correct systems in place, even to manage the risk of employee sabotage, will be crucial to business survival. Obviously. Having a recognized system in place for food safety will help prevent such incidents and will provide customers, shareholders, and vendors confidence in your products and your company.

What is Risk Management?

Risk management is the process of detecting, managing, and eliminating risk factors so that disruptive and emergency situations can be avoided. Typically, a risk assessment is part of risk management. The basic considerations for any risk assessment is to:

Identify potential risks or opportunities
Assess the likelihood and consequences of that risk
If the risk is high, identify risk controls to eliminate or minimize the risk to an acceptable level.

ISO has created a blanket risk management guideline in ISO 31000. Because it is a guideline, you cannot technically be certified to it, however you can implement these guidelines. It will be a wise business decision.

How To Achieve Occupational Health and Safety?

To achieve Occupational Health & Safety, purchase ISO 45001, implement the standard into your organization, and if needed, get certified to show your commitment to Occupational Health & Safety. Most importantly you will have a system in place to help avoid injury, illness, and legal/financial penalties. ISO 45001 is the global standard that offers a robust system to implement occupational health and safety in your organization. In some cases, certification to ISO 45001 is a requirement of customers. But most importantly, brings confidence to your employees, safeguards them, and shows you value them. Occupational health and safety (OHS) brings greater peace of mind, certification to ISO 45001 enhances your likelihood of achieving OHS.

What is Environmental Management?

Environmental Management means operating in a way that limits your impact on the natural environment. Environmental management can include protection of land, flora, fauna, water bodies and air. Companies who do this. manage their resources, energy consumption and reduce waste. Done properly, environmental management is an important financial decision, meaning that many companies that implement environmental practices save money. Companies that implement environmental practices and get certification to ISO 14001 can also improve their reputation and income as an increasing number of organizations are becoming more environmentally conscious and prefer to work with ISO 14001 certified organizations. Compliance with the standard can also help reduce legal and financial risk.

Which certificate is for environmental management?

ISO 14001 is the recognized standard for environmental management. It provides a solid framework that suggests the best methods/processes for minimizing your impact on the environment. Something that benefits us all.

Which ISO Certification Should I Get For Risk Management?

ISO 31000 helps you identify and implement a well-rounded risk management system for your business for any risk factor you identify e.g. reputation, environment, health and safety, business continuity, etc. The framework is designed for an organization to implement best risk management practice. ISO 31000 is however an ISO guideline, not a standard. While there is standard like terminology in the guideline, an organization therefore does not get certified to ISO 31000.

Are ISO Certification Services Expensive?

It depends on the type of certification you require, your industry and risk profile, shifts and number of locations. But most importantly, certification costs are based on the effective number of employees and subcontractor employees in your organization. In addition, certification bodies typically bundle their accreditation fees into your cost, and other fees. Certification bodies also have day rates that differ. Larger certification bodies tend to have higher day rates, but that’s not a rule. Most importantly, consider the value of certification and decide if there is a return on investment. The value of implementing an internationally recognized management system standard and receiving recognition for meeting the standard can have internal and financial benefits. All successful organizations have an effective management system, why not implement a global standard for management systems?

What Services Do Accredited ISO certification bodies offer?

There is a very limited set of services that can be offered by an accredited ISO certification body. Services can only include:
● Training, including lead auditor training
● Gap analysis or preaudits
● Certification audits.

Why Audits are so Important in ISO certification?

Other than ongoing surveillance, data collection and working within an organization, audits are really the best and most practical way to confirm compliance or noncompliance with an international management system standard.
One of the main benefits of a certification audit is the third party, independent nature of an external, trained, experienced, and empaneled auditor. Organizations can become too familiar, attached, conflicted, and therefore less able to objectively determine compliance to a standard.
We find audits are very beneficial when performed by a good auditor. Audits give a snapshot of compliance or noncompliance from an outsider’s view. Therefore, auditors are often in a better position to determine compliance to a standard and sometimes even identify ways to improve that will benefit the organization and ensure compliance.
The ongoing surveillance and management of the organization is best left up to senior management, managers and supervisors. Auditors can’t replace this. And auditors will not find every issue in an organization. But in its place, good and effective audits help an organization improve.
What are ISO management system audits? These audits are systematic checks of a company’s systems by viewing evidence or discussing compliance with interested parties to determine compliance or noncompliance with an agreed standard. Questioning is not the only way to determine compliance, and therefore auditors use multiple skills and techniques to determine compliance.
Auditors must be trained under a recognized scheme and have the necessary auditing experience before they can be effective and recognized. Auditors must also be independent of the customer they are auditing. This makes them more effective for the company.
Auditors will record evidence of compliance or noncompliance with the customers’ chosen standard to back up their findings and the decision to certify or not.

Client Testimonials

See what our clients have to say about Blue Wolf

It’s a very great experience. She (Tanya) helped me a lot and she explained a lot. If there is something that we might need to improve on, she will explain in a very detailed way. It’s a very smooth and very clear process. Definitely recommended.

Timothy Zeng

CEO, HQS Automotive.

Our experience has been that this process in working with the auditors has shown us more ways to improve internally than what we expected

Stacy Gestring

Founder, Art Advertising

One of the best business decisions I think we’ve made in the entire time we’ve been here in the company.

Gary Gestring

Founder, Art Advertising

When we first started the process of looking at the standard, we were afraid we would have to force our company into a new way of doing almost everything in doing our business. And we were very pleased to find out that the standard was meant to fit how we already were doing things. And Blue Wolf and Seth really helped us in the audit to not feel so intimidated by it, but to understand it, yes that the way we are doing it does fit the standard, and instead of just criticizing where we were coming short, he gave us advice and suggestions on how the standard is actually meant to be used, to improve how we are doing things, not to force us into a certain way of somebody else doing it.
Our experience has been that this process in working with the auditors has shown us more ways to improve internally than what we expected, and we would recommend going through this for anybody that’s considering it.

Stacy Gestring

Founder, Art Advertising

After a lot of research and careful review of our options we chose to work with Blue Wolf, and we know now that we made the right decision. It’s been a great process, and I would recommend to anyone that is considering ISO 9001 to at least have a conversation with them. I don’t think you would regret it at all.
At the very beginning of this process, I think we can safely say we were very nervous about it and apprehensive about doing it. After our auditor Seth Shea arrived, we realized again what a great decision we made. He’s made this process way much easier than we thought it might be, not as scary. And the insight he’s given us, and the observations and suggestions has been one of the most… really one of the best business decisions I think we’ve made in the entire time we’ve been here in the company.

Gary Gestring

Founder, Art Advertising

Firstly, on behalf of Adam and myself, we would like to thank you both very much for providing us with the support and service during our ISO accreditation and certification process.

Your professional and knowledgeable approach and support has been very much appreciated.

Adam

Mechpro

The experience was overwhelmingly really good. I thought we were ready but there were some lightbulb moments. It was a logical process. The auditor was patient. We wanted the certification for areas of opportunity and we had many recommendations. I appreciated the audit. I haven’t heard anything negative out of the process to date. It’s been good.

Tracey Costin

Affordable Staff

I’ve never been involved in auditing before. Completely new. Was not sure what to expect. The process was seamless. There were some good recommendations. I was made to feel comfortable. The process worked quite well. I’m feeling more than ready for the next audit. There was so much going on at the time of the audit that I just wanted to go back to the audit, it was more relaxing.

Eva Judge

Affordable Staff

“One of the greatest things that initially sold me on BLUE WOLF was your approach towards partnering, understanding, and treating us with respect towards where we are at in compliance with the standard.“
“I was nervous about it until we spoke on the phone in the premeeting. Once you started talking about your approach and your process I was sold. But to see it in real life and to see it actually come true was even more (…)”
After his first day of the audit: “I’ve been through so many audits you can’t even count. Your approach is by far superior than any other audit I’ve ever been through. The contrast was night and day. I’ve got some younger people who don’t have quite the same experience as I do, and their ability to feel like they could be participatory, have value and be respected throughout the process was outstanding. I have not made a better choice in picking a company to work with us in an audit process prior to you. You’re going to be here every year if I can help it. And if ownership changes and they want to do something different, I’ll fight to keep this process going because it has so much value.”

Joseph Shushok

Imerys

I’ve never been a part of one of these. I have learned absolutely so much. It was a privilege to be a part of this. I don’t ever want to experience an audit a different way.

Jama Morrison

Imerys, Quality Manager

If everybody could have an audit experience like this, more and more people would actually consider an ISO certification. Because so many people hear so many things about it, stressful myths, and everyone has a bad auditor experience from somewhere else. If more people could experience an audit this way, they wouldn’t have any reason to fear ISO.

Milo Fruk

CHS Broadbent, National EMS Director

I’ve seen some really bad crap auditors. Even I learned a whole lot from what we just went through with Seth that I didn’t even understand about the standard before.

Nick Maes

Automated Wellhead. Operations manager

“Blue Wolf has been great with providing us with clarity and direction so that our team can focus on the important aspects of our quality and safety management systems. What seemed like a very intimidating process to achieve ISO accreditation was made simple by Blue Wolf and their team. Their knowledge and our processes have added value and elevated our quality and safety program to another level. Thank you, Seth Shea, and the Blue Wolf team for a wonderful ongoing experience.”

Cynthia Sayer

Safety Administrator, Clark Bros, Inc.

“Streamlined. Easy to communicate, easy to talk to. Relaxed, didn’t feel pressured. Recommended for future ISO projects.”

Andrew Stewart

Inks Production Engineer, NovaCentrix

“We completed our audit today with 1 minor non-conformance and 2 observations. I would highly recommend Blue Wolf certifications to anyone else your company is working with. Our auditor Seth was so personable, made the audit process as relaxed and comfortable as possible, made our staff feel comfortable talking to him, and he was very thorough in his findings. He makes you feel like you are working together, which is HUGE and really rare in a company/auditor relationship.”

Kerry Ashby

Senior Director, PEO/HR + Payroll Operations, Choice Employer Solutions, Inc.