At an event in Santry, Dublin on Wednesday 27th May, over 35 Irish companies from across the country received certification to world class standards from the NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland)
Barretstown, Iarnród Eireann, Glanbia, and Bon Secours Hospital were just some of those achieving the standards ‘badge’ in areas such as Medical Devices Quality Management, Environmental Management, Energy Management, Food Management, Occupational Health and Safety, and Excellence through People - one of the most popular standards in NSAI’s certification schemes.
Commenting on today’s certifications, Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash TD, stated:
“Standards are crucial in today’s fast-paced, competitive environment, where businesses are expected to continuously update and improve their products and services in line with market needs and customer demand. Standards give companies a competitive edge in national and international markets and can ensure Irish companies can be at the forefront of new opportunities as global markets return to stability. The commitment to standards made by businesses like these here this morning has the potential to contribute, not just to their own business and industry, but to the wider economy and the Government’s overall plan for job creation.”
Maurice Buckley, Chief Executive of NSAI, recognised the importance of investing in standards:
“These 36 companies – working in a variety of professions across the transport, construction, energy, food and drink, IT, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, security, and charity sectors – have invested in standards because they can see the return on investment. It’s very positive to see a number of these companies receiving certification to a second or third standard today. Certification to standards helps businesses to be innovative, allowing SMEs to compete with much larger companies, attract new customers, and access global markets both at home and abroad. In addition to this, standards in a business create greater staff satisfaction, pride in the organisation, and staff retention,” said Maurice Buckley, CEO, NSAI.
Other companies present at the event included Zehnacker Healthcare Ireland who were certified to the Quality Management standard (ISO 9001), and Medical Devices Quality Management Systems (ISO 13485). This standard assists companies in the highly regulated medical devices sector to sell their products on the European market and demonstrates to customers, and to the regulators, a professional approach as well as quality and excellence.
The standards awarded to companies this morning were:
- ISO 14001 - Environmental Management Systems
- OHSAS 18001 - Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems
- ETP - Excellence through People
- ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems
- ISO 13485- Medical Devices – Quality Management Systems
- ISO 22000– Food Management Systems
- ISO 50001 – Energy Management Systems
The NSAI’s library of standards is over 23,000. NSAI invites members of the business community and the general public to get involved in the development of standards by visiting Your Standards, Your Say on www.nsai.ie
