ISO Glossary: Key Terms Explained

Management system standards come with their own vocabulary, and much of it is used precisely rather than loosely. This glossary explains the terms you are most likely to meet across ISO 9001, 14001, 27001, 45001 and 50001.

A

Acceptable risk Risk that has been reduced to a level that can be tolerated by the organisation, having regard to its legal obligations.

Accident Any unplanned event that results in injury or ill health to people, or damage or loss to property, plant, materials or the environment, or a loss of a business opportunity.

C

Continual improvement Recurring process of enhancing the management system to achieve improvements in overall performance consistent with the organisation's policies.

Control measures Any safety protection systems, personal protective equipment, work methods, training, instructions, information and supervision employed to control risks and prevent accidents.

Corrective action Action to eliminate the root cause of a detected nonconformity and prevent it recurring.

E

Environment Surroundings in which an organisation operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelation.

Environmental aspect Element of an organisation's activities, products or services that can interact with the environment.

Environmental impact Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organisation's environmental aspects.

Environmental management system (EMS) Part of an organisation's management system used to develop and implement its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects.

Environmental performance Measurable results of an organisation's management of its environmental aspects.

Environmental policy Overall intentions and direction of an organisation related to its environmental performance, as formally expressed by top management.

H

Hazard Any material, activity or process with the potential to cause an accident.

Hazard identification Process of recognising that a hazard exists and defining its characteristics.

I

Ill health Identifiable adverse physical or mental condition arising from, or made worse by, a work activity or work-related situation.

Incident Any unplanned event that results in injury or ill health to people, or damage or loss to property, plant, information assets, materials or the environment, or a loss of a business opportunity.

Interested party Person or group concerned with, or affected by, the activities of an organisation.

Internal audit Systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively, to determine the extent to which the management system has been established and implemented, and its effectiveness.

ISO The International Organization for Standardization, a worldwide federation of national standards bodies.

ISO 9001 The world's most widely recognised standard for quality management.

ISO 13485 An internationally recognised standard for the competence and quality management system requirements relating to the manufacture of medical devices.

ISO 14001 The world's most widely recognised standard for environmental management systems.

ISO 17025 An internationally recognised standard for the competence and quality management system requirements relating to laboratories providing testing or calibration services.

ISO 27001 The leading international standard for information security management systems.

ISO 45001 The international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. It replaced OHSAS 18001, which was withdrawn in 2021.

ISO 50001 The international standard for energy management systems, aimed at improving energy performance. It can also provide a route to ESOS compliance.

N

Near miss Any event that could have resulted in an accident, or any set of conditions or circumstances with the potential to cause an accident.

Nonconformity Non-fulfilment of a requirement.

O

Objectives A set of process measures or defined actions set to support achievement of the organisation's policies and effective implementation of its management system.

Occupational health and safety (OH&S) Conditions and factors that affect, or could affect, the health of employees or other workers, including temporary workers and contractor personnel, visitors, or any other person in the workplace.

OH&S management system Part of an organisation's management system used to develop and implement its health and safety policy and manage its risks.

OH&S performance Measurable results of an organisation's management of its OH&S risks.

OH&S policy Overall intentions and direction of an organisation related to its OH&S performance, as formally expressed by top management.

P

Prevention of pollution Use of processes, practices, techniques, materials, products, services or energy to avoid, reduce or control the creation, emission or discharge of any type of pollutant or waste, in order to reduce adverse environmental impacts.

Preventive action Action to eliminate the root cause of a potential nonconformity and prevent it from occurring.

Procedure Specified way to carry out an activity or a process.

Q

Quality management system (QMS) Part of an organisation's management system designed to implement its quality policy and satisfy customer requirements.

R

Record Document stating results achieved, or providing evidence of activities performed.

Risk The likelihood of an accident or incident occurring, and its severity.

Risk assessment A systematic method for identifying hazards, assessing risks, identifying any control measures required and prioritising their implementation.

U

UKAS The United Kingdom Accreditation Service. The sole accreditation body recognised by the UK government to assess, against internationally recognised standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.

W

Workplace Any physical location in which work-related activities are performed under the control of the organisation.