By Paul Scicchitano

Fueled by industry concerns over differing — and in some cases conflicting — expectations with respect to third-party certification for quality and environmental management standards, officials soon will unveil two documents aimed at creating a common understanding of the “expected outcomes” associated with such activities.

The two-page documents will be distributed broadly to help manage the expectations of auditors, purchasers and users of accredited third-party certification. More than one million facilities in some 150 countries and economies are estimated to hold certificates to the ISO 9001 standard on quality management systems and the ISO 14001 standard on environmental management systems, which were first published in 1987 and 1996 respectively.

“The intent is to promote a common focus throughout the entire conformity assessment chain in order to achieve these expected outcomes and thereby enhance the value and relevance of accredited certification,” states language that is repeated in both drafts.