ISO 9001 + ISO 14001 + ISO 45001 IMS Template

What is an Integrated Management System?

An Integrated Management System is a set of tools and techniques that integrate and deploy multiple aspects of organizational performance to meet the requirements of multiple management system standards (e.g., ISO 9001 Quality Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, or ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management System.

Based upon defined internal and external issues, integrated management systems fulfil interested parties’ needs and requirements while ensuring compliance to your company's strategy with minimum risk.

Our integrated management systems are designed to be implemented and to function within current business practices and serves as an effective tool to help businesses grow and improve.

What is an Integrated Management System Manual?

The integrated management system manual is a top-level IMS document used to help familiarise your workers, customers, interested parties, or individuals with the processes and controls that have been implemented and to assure them that the integrity of your management system is maintained, and is focused on meeting its intended outcomes.

The integrated management system manual addresses the requirements of the standards in the form of the documentation produced such as procedures, work instructions, forms etc., further creating a general awareness amongst staff members, contributing to organizational knowledge.

What are the Three Aspects of Integrated Management Systems?

Integrated management systems comprise three levels of integration and maturity, and can be classed as:

1. Level 1 - Integrated documentation (Standardization)
2. Level 2 - Integrated core processes, policies, objectives and resources. Standardized across the business taking into account legal requirements and regulations
3. Level 3 - All in one management system e.g., an integrated management system (IMS)

What are the Benefits of Integrated Management System?

The primary goal is to achieve a set of consistent processes that provide a route for enhancing customer satisfaction, mitigating uncertainty and providing meaningful data for continual improvement activities.

The objectives of any integrated management system (IMS) are to efficiently combine all of an organization's management systems and processes into one complete framework that will:

• Meet all internal and external requirements with one set of policies, IMS objectives and documented procedures
• Allow auditing more than one system at a time to save money and resources
• Improve processes and efficiency by removing duplicated tasks
• Clearly define roles and assigned responsibilities while highlighting common IMS objectives
• Support standardization between multiple sites
• Make continual improvement more effective
• Provide a common documentation structure and ways of working when introducing new or modified activities

Why do we Need an Integrated Management System?

Understand why your organization is implementing an integrated management system. Is it because a client or the market requires you to register? Is it for internal benefits? Is the motivation coming from top management?

Whatever the reasons for implementation, keep them visible during the implementation project as this helps to retain commitment and to maintain focus on the end goal. An integrated management system becomes relevant to any organization when the company:

• Has two or more management systems in place with or without certification;

• Is certified to two or more external standards;

• Is considering introducing other external or internal requirements into the business.

How do you Implement an Integrated Management System?

Begin with the assumption that you are already doing most of what ISO requires, you probably are! Many people talk about the high cost of implementing management systems but this is a false assumption.

If you do it right and understand the standards, then implementation should not be a problem since 75% of your integrated management system is already in place.

Here are some initial review tasks to consider:

1. Identify applicable legal requirements and compliance obligations related to your operations
2. Compare actual performance with external standards, regulations, codes of practice and guidelines
3. Identify activities, products, services that cause environmental aspects and which pose legal and compliance risks
4. Identify hazardous activities, products, and materials that can create health and safety risks and applicable legal requirements
5. Review existing documented information, e.g., a test report, design review, management review reports, purchase orders, audit reports, etc.
6. Compare actual IMS processes with internal policies and documented procedures
7. Identify policies and procedures dealing with external contracts for services and suppliers
8. Review the results of previous, nonconformities, incidents, accidents and ‘near misses’
9. Gather the views of internal and external interested parties and begin consulting with them on a regular basis
10. Assess if/how other internal systems can help or interfere with integrated management system performance
11. Do a gap analysis comparing what is in place with what ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 require
12. Consider ‘benchmarking’ with other organizations’ integrated management systems

The integrated management systems include the processes and procedures required to achieve compliance to quality, environmental and health and safety requirements, as well as, highlight their interaction with other supporting IMS processes.

What is meant by A Quality Management System?

There are over 350 individual ISO 9001 requirement clauses that businesses can use to implement various quality management processes as a formal stepping-stone to begin to continually improve performance and achieve customer satisfaction.

What should be Included in an IMS Policy?

ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 now require an organization’s policies to be appropriate to both its purpose, internal context and external context.

This means that once your organization has determined its context and the relevant requirements of its interested parties, Top management must review the policies in light of that information.

Develop and implement an IMS policy that is consistent with your company’s codes of conduct and business practices. The policy should be signed by senior management and commit to:

1. Preventing all injuries, incidents that could cause harm and any process loss or quality impacts on products
2. Comply with compliance obligations and legal requirements
3. Managing safety and welfare risks
4. Promoting continual improvement
5. Adopting best practice
6. Creation of measurable and achievable targets for performance improvement
7. Providing resources to achieve targets
8. Communicating and consulting with all relevant interested parties regarding the IMS
9. Meeting customer requirements and achieve customer satisfaction

The IMS policy will be the foundation of your integrated management system and it should reflect the goals of your business. The policy and related IMS objectives will change as the business changes, but the underlying commitment to zero harm should not change.

How do I Prepare for an IMS Audit?

When auditing integrated management systems, the internal audit checklist will ensure your internal audits concisely compare your management system against the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.

Each internal audit question phrases the ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015 and 45001:2018 'shall' requirement as a question, in order to elicit either a 'yes' or 'no' response, that can be represented as an 'x' in the answer columns.

Enter the letter 'x' into either Column H, I or J, to express the answer to each internal audit question. The scoring formula assumes each requirement is conforms, until an 'x' is entered.

The error tracking cells will display a message if there is more than response entered in Columns H, I and J, per row. The cells also display whether a response has yet to be entered.

The process audit report replicates the turtle diagram (from the internal audit procedure) and requires the auditor review the inputs, risks, controls, activities, equipment, materials, personnel, and methods of measurement for each process. You can cross-refer the clause references in the process audit report to the internal audit checklist questions.

Audit reports must be generated and given to senior management. Corrective actions from audits should be managed using the management review and corrective action processes.

What is EMS Audit?

Internal audit results are critical inputs that help to assess the effectiveness of integrated management systems and their EMS processes. Your organization’s internal audits use risk-based thinking and the notion of continual improvement as the main drivers.

Internal audits are conducted at planned intervals to determine whether the management system conforms our organization’s planned arrangements and to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.

What is Auditing All About?

The integrated internal audit is conducted according to a documented internal auditing procedure and to ensure that timely corrective actions are implemented to correct any deficiencies found.

The Management Representative will often review the internal audit programme and the internal audit checklist to ensure the audit scope is comprehensive, the frequency is adequate, and the objectivity and impartiality of the internal audit team is maintained.

The status and importance of the processes, the results of previous internal audits, and customer complaints should be considered when determining the internal audit frequency,

The internal audits are conducted according to an established internal audit programme. An audit plan should be maintained to ensure that all aspects of the integrated management system are properly addressed and to define the internal audit criteria and scope.

The frequency and scope of the internal audit programme must take into consideration the significance of the process and results of previous internal audits.

The internal audit process itself should cover all facets of preparing for and conducting integrated audits based on a sound internal audit programme that includes the audit scope, audit criteria, audit schedule, audit performance, follow-up audits, corrective action, audit documentation, and management review inputs.

The results of the audits must be recorded and discussed with the personnel having responsibility in the area audited, prior to the audit report being submitted for review. The internal audits are complete when the implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions has been verified and recorded.

External audits are conducted by contracted external companies to objectively review the integrated management system and the effectiveness of its implementation. This is mandated based on the pre-defined requirements from the respective certification bodies or regulatory bodies.

How is an IMS Implemented in an Organization?

The implementation of a formal management system in any organization is best handled as a specific project that is led by someone with project management experience. Ideally, they should be a key member of the organization’s management team and have sufficient authority and trust of the personnel involved.

Your organization may already have in place a management system or parts of a system. If this is the case, you will want to determine how closely your system conforms to the requirements ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.

Use the gap analysis checklists to compare the requirements of the standards against your organization’s existing management system. Each question in the checklist refers to a requirement that must be met in order to comply with ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.

The first part of the gap analysis checklist is aligned to the clauses of standards. The gap analysis checklist also lists the findings and remedial actions that are required to close the identified gaps between the standards and the current management system of your organization.

The results of a gap analysis exercise will help to determine the differences, or gaps, between your existing management system and the requirements of the standards. Not only will this analysis identify the gaps, but it also should determine the size of the gaps.

These findings will lead to recommendations, project plans, and the identification of necessary resources for filling the gaps.

Why Should an Organization Consider IMS?

Integrating all elements of two or more management systems into a single auditable entity helps organizations to simplify and streamline the overall management of business processes and thus benefit the company in all economic environments

1. Meet all internal and external requirements with one set of policies and procedures, providing a common documentation information structure;

2. Integrated internal audits allow companies to audit more than one or more management systems at a time resulting in cost and resources savings.

3. Improve overall efficiency by minimizing document, test report and resource duplication.

4. Establish clearly defined roles and responsibilities highlighted through an integrated process approach using common integrated objectives.

5. Drive Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach making it easier to continually improve all areas of the management systems.

What are the 3 Major Standards in International Management Systems IMS?

• ISO 9001
• ISO 14001
• ISO 45001

The following standards provide a detailed description of the requirements, documented information and processes needed to implement the three major standards that are commonly integrated together to save money and resources, and to improve efficiency by removing duplicated operations.

Use ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems as a formal stepping-stone to begin to continually improve performance and enhance customer satisfaction. Formal ISO certification to ISO 9001:2015 follows after successful implementation of the following processes:

• Customer satisfaction
• Customer complaints and customer feedback
• Monitoring and measuring equipment
• Organizational knowledge
• Purchasing and procurement
• Management review
• Documented information
• External and internal issues

ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System standard gives the requirements for what an organization must do to manage the processes which aim to ensure the continued sustainability of the environment:

• External and internal issues
• Environmental aspects
• Compliance obligations
• Documented information
• Management review
• Emergency situations
• Internal communication
• External communication

Organizations use ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems comprise a hierarchal structure of processes and documentation to determine, plan and manage activities which will aim to ensure the Health and Safety of its people, visitors, contractors by implementing processes for:

• Hazard identification and risk assessment
• Emergency preparedness
• Emergency equipment
• Documented information
• Consultation and participation
• Legal requirements
• Internal communication
• External communication
• Management review

What is EMS and QMS?

Effective processes for acquiring customer feedback, resolving customer complaints, and determining levels of customer satisfaction are at the core of all ISO 9001:2015 based management systems.

You should begin by reviewing and updating your quality manual, existing documentation information, and undertaking a thorough gap analysis of your existing processes to determine the extent to which quality management systems meet the ISO 9001:2015 requirements.

The intended outcomes of the ISO 14001:2015 environmental management system standard include the enhancement of operational control and performance by managing harmful environmental aspects, planning for emergency situations, undertaking a management review, providing training and awareness, maintaining the fulfilment of compliance obligations and the achievement of each environmental goal and objective.

What is the ISO 14001 2015?

ISO 14001:2015 is the standard document that gives the requirements for an environmental management system (EMS) that allows organizations to identify and mitigate their environmental aspects. The 2015 version supersedes the 2004 version.

Certification to ISO 14001:2015 will help many organizations to achieve sustainability and demonstrate their environmental management system is effectively implemented, provides value to the organization's ability to protect the environment from emergency situations, and to satisfy the requirements of interested parties.

What is ISO 45001 Certified?

It means that an independent, external certification body has audited an organization's occupational health and safety management system and documentation, and verified that it conforms to the requirements specified in the ISO 45001 standard.

What is the Objective of the IMS?

The objective of the IMS (Integrated Management System) is to integrate all of an organization's management systems and elements into a single and more efficient framework that supports standardization.

An effectively implemented integrated management system aligns the policies with strategic and management system objectives, and provides the framework upon which to translate these objectives into functional targets.

The goal-oriented framework allows the goals established at the uppermost levels of the organization to flow down through the integrated management system to influence functional and personal objectives, and targets.

The scope and number of the objectives and targets must be realistic and achievable. Otherwise, the success and continued commitment from top management and employees will diminish.

Consider the factors below, as you begin to formulate your objectives:

1. Legal and compliance requirements
2. Significant environmental aspects (aspects directly related to significant impacts)
3. Significant OHS hazards (hazards directly related to risks)
4. Financial, operational, and business requirements
5. Views of interested parties

Targets must be quantified where practicable and the units that are used to quantify the targets are referred to as key performance indicators (KPIs). A KPI is defined as an expression that is used to provide information about management system performance. The following are some examples of KPIs:

1. The quantity of raw material or energy used
2. The amount waste produced
3. The number of incidents/accidents
4. The percentage of waste recycled
5. Investment in environmental protection

The following is an example of an objective with a specific of a target and a performance indicator:

1. Objective: reduce energy required in manufacturing processes;

2. Target: achieve 15 % reduction of energy usage by 2023;

3. Indicator: quantity of electricity per production unit (kilowatt/unit).

Organizations are required to establish and maintain one or more management improvement programmes for achieving their objectives. Objectives and targets must be communicated within the organization, by line management, to create awareness and a culture of working together to achieve these amongst the staff members.

The integrated management programme should be reviewed regularly to reflect changes in your organization’s objectives and targets. Track all new or modified operations, activities, and/or products in case the management programme needs to be amended to reflect these changes.

What are the Common Components of an Integrated Management System?

By putting quality, environmental, and health and safety issues at the forefront of everything your organization does, you can offer your employees a safer and healthier place to work, assess and reduce the impact of your products and services on the environment, and build positive, long-term relationships with customers, stakeholders and interested parties.

When integrating international standards such as ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 27001:2013, the following common features apply:

• Scope of the management system
• Policies and IMS objectives
• Documented information management
• Emergency preparedness/emergency situations
• Risk and opportunity management
• Internal audits, audit programme
• Management review
• Key performance indicators (KPI’s)
• Control of nonconformities and continual improvement

The integrated management system documentation organizes the requirements of these standards into elements that fit the way you work by introducing best practice techniques into your processes.

This framework allows you work the way you do whilst remaining consistent with your organization's evolving objectives and becoming compliant with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.

Once implemented, an integrated management system helps businesses better develop their own policy, establish appropriate objectives and targets, implement hazard identification and assessment processes to achieve policy commitments and take the required action to address risks and improve performance.

How many Elements are in the Integrated Management Framework?

There are usually 10 main clause elements, while the methodology for the development of the integrated management system should focus on the use of the plan, do, check and act (PDCA) cycle to implement the required process approach that delivers management system objectives, stakeholder requirements and customer satisfaction.

1. Introduction
2. References
3. Definitions
4. Organizational context (strategic direction, needs and expectations, scope);
5. Leadership, commitment and worker participation (policies, roles and responsibilities)
6. Planning (identifying significant risks, emergency situations, objectives)
7. Support (training, awareness and competence, resources, document control)
8. Operation (design and development, purchasing, customer requirements, emergency equipment, emergency situations)
9. Performance evaluation (customer satisfaction, management review, internal audits)
10. Improvement (nonconformities, incidents, corrective action)

What is an IMS Manual?

The integrated management system manual provides a detailed description of the structure and interactions of your integrated management system, delineates authorities, inter relationships and responsibilities of personnel who operate within the boundaries of your organization’s integrated management system (IMS), whilst providing reference to the procedures, process maps, documented information, and the IMS processes and activities that comprise it.

The integrated manual is the only IMS document that is generally available to external parties. Although ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 do not require a formal integrated management system manual, many organizations have decided to retain and update their integrated manual, as their employees, customers, suppliers, interested parties and other stakeholders perceive it to add value to their operations.

What are the 7 Principles of Quality Management?

The intent of the ISO 9000:2015 quality management principles is to provide a foundation to continually improve performance. Subsequent processes of the integrated management system will demonstrate commitment to the following quality principles:

1. Customer focus - is about how you meet customer and regulatory requirements, assessing customer satisfaction, obtaining customer feedback and exceeding their expectations by the quality of your products and services
2. Leadership - is about establishing strategic direction and operational purpose by understanding the organization's internal and external context
3. Engagement of people - is about providing sufficient training, appropriate education, retaining organizational knowledge, competence, and empowerment to improve quality
4. Process approach - is about the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle and the sequence and interaction of inputs, activities and outputs
5. Continual improvement - is about innovation, identifying customer needs, opportunities from customer feedback, root-cause analysis, and ability to react to change to ensure continual improvement
6. Evidence‐based decision making - is about analyzing process data, undertaking management review, risk assessments, understanding environmental aspects, levels of customer satisfaction, process performance, and risk-based thinking
7. Relationship management - is about maintaining relationships with relevant interested parties and providers in the supply chain

Why is ISO 45001 Needed?

Implementation, assessment and certification to ISO 45001:2018 will help organizations to undertake effective hazard identification and OHS hazard assessment and demonstrate to interested parties that their processes are effective at mitigating the effects health and safety hazards and discharging compliance obligations.

What is the difference between 18001 and 45001?

ISO 45001:2018 is the standard document that gives the requirements for an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) and supersedes OHSAS 18001:2007. The requirements of ISO 45001 differ somewhat from OHSAS 18001.

There is now a greater emphasis on internal communication, worker participation and consultation relating to hazard identification, risk assessment and OHS hazard assessment.

Similarly, external communications relevant to interested parties might include information on emergency preparedness planning and community liaison initiatives in order to discharge compliance obligations.

Is ISO 18001 still valid?

OHSAS 18001:2007 was superseded by ISO 45001 in March 2018. Organizations operating an existing OHSAS 18001 health and safety management system had a three-year transition period, ending March 2021, to adapt their health and safety management system to the new requirements of ISO 45001.

What is the ISO 9001:2015?

Certification by independent external auditors to the ISO 9001:2015 standard will help any organization to achieve customer satisfaction and demonstrate that the quality management system is effective, and provides value for our organization and its interested parties.

What is BS EN ISO 9001?

ISO 9001:2015 is quality management system framework that allows organizations to document and improve their operational practices in order to better satisfy the needs and expectations of customers, stakeholders and interested parties.

Formal ISO certification to international standard ISO 9001:2015 follows after successful QMS implementation, operation and certification body assessment.

Why is ISO 9000 Important?

ISO 9000 is a family of quality management standards. ISO 9001:2015 specifies requirements, while ISO 9000:2015 sets out and clarifies the fundamental terms and definitions for successful quality management.

Updated: 23rd March 2022
Author: Richard Keen

Richard Keen

Richard is our Compliance Director, responsible for content & product development.
But most importantly he is ISO's biggest fanboy and a true evangelist of the standards.
Learn more about Richard