How Covid-19 may affect your ISO management systems

The last eight months has seen unprecedented changes throughout working practices, many of which could have affected your management systems without you actually realising it, we go through the most popular systems and how they could have been affected:

ISO 9001 – Quality Management

Opportunities

Are you able to provide your service remotely?
Do you have financial stability compared to your competitors?
Could your sales increase due to the pandemic (disinfectant, face mask suppliers for example)

Risks

The risks to your business may have changed, have you thought about:

Economic recession

Clients not being able to pay
Reduced demand for your goods or services
Increased costs due to Covid-19 prevention measures
Information security risks due to remote working
Insufficient IT resources for employees working from home

ISO 14001 – Environmental Management

Opportunities

Reduced environmental impacts due to reductions in commuting and travel

Risks

Increased risks related to this environmental standard could be:

Increased use of disinfectants and chemicals
Your environmental investment suspended or delayed
Increased waste due to PPE or chemical packaging

ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety

Opportunities

Introducing home working to the business
Reducing seasonal flu sickness rates as employees follow improved hygiene routines

Risks

Employee health, reduced number of staff
Delayed response time from emergency services in the case of an accident
Increased handwashing could increase risk of skin conditions
Contractors may be difficult to organise such as legionella testing etc.

ISO 27001 – Information Security

Opportunities

Raise awareness to staff of cyber attacks and to stay vigilant
Increased awareness within the business of information security

Risks

With many employees working from home, are their systems protected against threats and vulnerabilities
Scam emails or apps related to Covid-19 in order to gain confidential security information
Ensure suppliers are protected and have suitable polices and procedures in place to manage risks

We’ve chosen the most popular ISO standards for our review. However, if you would like assistance with any other standard or need advice or guidance, please get in touch with us today on 0333 456 5000.