Let’s turn our attention to the fourth sub-clause in ISO 9001 Clause 7.1 – Resources.
What does it mean, and how does it work with the rest of your certification?
Is it time to join the more than “one million companies and organisations in over 170 countries certified with ISO 9001:2015?*” (*International Organisation for Standardisation, December 2021)
We would say yes! Though we always caution – ISO 9001 might just be the most confusing document in business history!
That’s why this series of articles and accompanying free factsheets have been written. Their purpose is to:
- Cut through the jargon
- Debunk the myths
- Make smoother sailing of your journey to certification
So if you’re wondering about working towards ISO 9001 certification, we’d like to help get you there – taking the sting out of that dire warning!
Let’s get to it – here’s a look at ISO 9001 Clause 7.1.4 – Resources – Environment for the operation of processes.
What is ISO 9001 Clause 7.1.4?
Clause 7.1.4 is part of the section on ‘Resources’ within the standard. This addresses the environment of the workplace, with the intent of ensuring that you have determined and provided the necessary environment for the operation of your businesses processes.
Environmental conditions could be:
- how the work area is configured
- employee health and safety
- temperature and humidity
- noise
- lighting
- pest control
- cleanliness
The list could go on…
Each work environment will differ, depending on the product and/or service provided, and the inputs of interested parties should be considered.
For example, in an industrial kitchen, a regulatory authority will have established specific requirements for the cleanliness of the work environment in order to avoid contamination. And in other cases, such as an office, the environment might only need to address physical issues, such as temperature, lighting, hygiene, noise, airflow etc.
In both of these examples, the environment is focused on what is needed for the product or service the business produces and the processes that make this happen.
The standard simply requires you to determine the environmental conditions that you require, to provide and maintain these. It does not require you to maintain or retain documented evidence related to the environment, although I do suggest keeping these.
In some cases, human factors can be critical in the process, and as a result these should be considered. An example of this is avoiding high workloads and stress on employees to prevent burn-out or errors.
The notes section of clause 7.1.4 expands to include social and psychological factors.
Examples of this could include:
- the human factors required in, for example, a school environment that encourage learning
- allowing sufficient rest periods to prevent an accident
- a break room where employees can relax away from their desks.
It is up to the business to determine the environmental characteristics that affect the processes, products and services, and once these have been determined, they are suitably maintained and controlled.
