What Is CE Marking?

The CE Mark is a mandatory European marking for certain product groups to indicate conformity with the essential heath and safety requirements set out in European Directives. The letters ‘CE’ are an abbreviation of Conformity Europeans, French for European conformity. The CE Marking of products as “passport” which can allow a Manufacturer to freely circulate their products within the European market place.
The CE Mark declares that your product complies with the Essential Requirements of the applicable EU Directives.

CE Marking

Applicable requirements are set forth in various European Directives that replace individual country safety standards. The Directives apply to products manufactured within but also exported to the European Union.
The CE Mark is placed on a product as the manufacturer’s visual identifier that the product meets the requirements of relevant European Directives. It is mandatory for a wide range of products sold within or exported to the European market.
To facilitate free trade and ensure the safety of certain products, European countries have developed a series of standards, or Directives as they are called. Compliance is mandatory. It is a legal obligation on the part of the manufacturer or his agent. Penalties for failing to get CE-Marking for a product can be severe.
If you wish to sell your products within the European Union member states and the European Economic Area, the product in question must comply with the Directive(s). This also applies if you are a manufacturer who wants to export products into the European Member countries.
The Directives replace individual country standards as they relate principally to the safety of these products.

What products do the Directives cover?
The Directives apply to a wide range of products. The most notable products that likely need CE-marking are:

    * pressure equipment
    * machinery of almost any description
    * electrical and electronic equipment
    * medical devices and equipment
    * personal protective equipment
    * equipment for use in potentially explosive environments

There are certain exclusions, but if you manufacture any of the above types of equipment or products then one or more of the Directives almost certainly apply.


EU Directives
Directives apply to 99% of all industrial and domestic products sold in Europe; it is the distinctive CE mark that signifies compliance with the applicable Directives. Without the CE mark and the correct documentation, manufacturers and importers are at an immediate disadvantage when competing against compliant competitors.

Complying with Directives
The requirements of the Directives are to ensure that manufacturers have identified and addressed all aspects of design and manufacturing that could impact safety and the safe operations of the equipment.

The actions required to become compliant with the Directives vary according to which Directive(s) apply and the type or classification of the equipment as defined by the Directive(s). However, there are some general steps you should follow:

   1. Determine which, if any, EU Directives apply to your product(s),
   2. Determine the extent to which your product already complies with the essential requirements of the Directives.
   3. Choose conformity assessment routes. Depending on the nature of the equipment or product, you may be able to implement and declare compliance and affix the CE mark without assistance or service from an external company.

A Notified Body is an independent body appointed by an agency within one of the European countries, usually governmental, as being capable of performing the duties of a Notified Body as defined by the Directives.


Source:  ISOQualityKit.com

Benefits Of ISO 27001:2005 ISMS Certificate

ISO 27001:2005 (Information Security Management System). It is the standard, which specifies requirements for implementation, establishment, operation, monitoring, research, maintenance and improvement of documented Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). It specifies requirements for establishment of a safety control, adapted according to needs of an organization. The organization declares the assurance of information security management system requirements by certification according to BS 7799-2 / ISO 27001:2005.

ISO 27001 specifies the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model for continual quality improvement. The PDCA cycle helps "the organization to know how far and how well it has progressed" and "influences the time and cost estimates to achieve compliance." ISMS as "a systematic approach to managing sensitive company information so that it remains secure. ISMS encompasses people, processes, and IT systems."
Information security is achieved by applying a suitable set of controls (policies, processes, procedures, organizational structures, and software and hardware functions).
ISO 27001 is suited to any organization that manages assets - data, people, software and intellectual property. This includes government departments (or their critical suppliers such as mailing houses, or data warehouses), energy providers and utilities, banks, insurance companies and corporate across all sectors of the economy.

Benefits of Information Security ISO 27001:2005

" A valuable framework for resolving security issues.
" Enhancement of client confidence & perception of your organization.
" Enhancement of business partners confidence & perception of your organization.
" Provides confidence that you have managed risk in your own security implementation.
" Enhancement of security awareness within an organization.
" Assists in the development of best practice.
" Can often be a deciding differentiators between competing organizations

Source: http://www.globalmanagergroup.com
You can find more about ISO Documents here.

Principle Of ISO 9001:2008

ISO 9000 stands for International Organization of Standardization, created in 1947. It is a worldwide federation of “Member Bodies” with it's headquarter at Geneva, Switzerland. India is represented by BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). ISO is important because of its systemic orientation. The assumption is that quality can only be created if workers are motivated and have the right attitude.

ISO 9001:2008 (QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM) is widely recognized standard. This is a basic quality management system that can be implemented in industries of any type, any size, anywhere in the world. Registration to ISO 9001 Standard provides objective proof that a business has implemented an effective quality management system, and that it satisfies all of the requirements of the applicable standard. An external, impartial expert called a register or CB (Certification Body) conducts an on-site ISO audit to determine whether or not a company is in conformance to the standard. If they are found to be in conformance, they will be issued a certificate showing their address, scope of operations and the seals of the accreditation bodies that give the register its legitimacy.

The ISO 9001 standards are based on eight dynamic Quality Management System Principles.

• Customer Focus
• Leadership
• Involvement of People
• Process Approach
• System Approach
• Continual Improvement
• Factual Approach to Decision Making

Benefits of ISO 9001:2008

o Provides a systematic and visible approach for continual improvement in the performance.
o Edges over competitors who are not accredit.
o Increased customer confidence and international acceptance.
o Structure the operations of the organization to achieve desired results.
o Creates brand name of the organization.
o Helps to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization


You can read my business article here.

Health & Safety Management System (HSMS)

OHSAS 18001

The Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) specification 18001 and the accompanying guideline OHSAS 18002 have been developed in response to urgent customer demand for a recognizable occupational health and safety management system standard against which their management systems can be assessed and certified.

OHSAS 18001 is also compatible with the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system and ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system standards, in order to facilitate the integration of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems by organization The specification takes a structured approach to OH&S management. The emphasis is placed on practices being pro-active and preventive by the identification of hazards and the evaluation and control of work related risks. OHSAS 18001 can be used by organization of all sizes regardless of the nature of their activities or location. Organizations can now achieve third party certification for their Occupational Health and Safety management system.

OHSAS 18001 features include the following elements:
• OH&S policy
• Planning
• Implementation and Operation
• Checking and corrective action
• Management Review