What is ISO Certification?
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certifications are steadily on the rise in Qatar. Certification is an effective tool that allows companies to add credibility to their organization. Certification shows the company is committed to their customers, employees, stakeholders, and the like by proving their services and/or products will meet certain quality standards, are safe, and reliable.
ISO is a non-governmental, internationally recognized organization. With over 163 members, its experts share knowledge and ideas that will help provide solutions to global issues like health, safety, and environmental challenges. For instance, ISO creates standards and documents that outline certain guidelines and specifications that should be followed to ensure products/services remain fit for their purpose.
Why is ISO Certification Important in Qatar?
Construction companies and companies in the oil and gas industry are particularly interested in gaining their ISO certifications, and for good reason. Oil and gas and construction are Qatar’s largest industries and bring in millions worth of revenue to the country. Qatar is responsible for exporting natural gas to many other countries and they represent around 13% of the world total. With such an in-demand and internationally recognized industry, proper certifications propel construction/oil and gas companies to the next level.
Additionally, safety, proper regulations, protocols, and quality standards are imperative in these industries. Health, safety, and environmental factors are now playing a huge role in Qatar’s industries. Recent developments, like the May 5, 2011 “HSE Legal Framework in the Oil & Gas Sector”, have taken positive steps forward in uniformly structuring Qatar’s safety and health protocols in these important fields.
Not only will certifications help maintain safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly work environments, but it will also help show how credible, trustworthy, a reliable a company is. It suggests a company strives to maintain the utmost quality in their organization and takes the above factors seriously. Therefore, companies that have ISO 9001 are also seeking more certifications like ISO 14001, ISO 20000, and more.
QCS (Qatar Construction Standard) 2014
Launching in May 2015, QCS has been updated for all medium and large projects that take place in Qatar. These projects must adhere to a specific set of guidelines that are aimed to protect workers and the environment. These updated guidelines include the following categories:
- Organization for occupational H&S
- Emergency response plan
- Earthquake emergency management plan
- Electrical
- Welfare, safety, and protection of workmen
- Labor accommodation
- Environmental manager
- CEMP
- ISO 14001:2004
More information can be found on these specific categories here.
We at Aegis Services are committed to helping an array of companies gain their ISO Certifications. We seek to keep the certification process, simple, hassle-free, and cost effective. If you are ready to apply for your company’s certification in any/all sections, please contact our team at +974-4466-2120 or reach us via email.
