THE Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) proudly announces its achievement of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 certification.
By meeting the extensive criteria for this standard, the company affirms its ability to consistently deliver an effective quality management system, and drive continuous improvements to products, services, and internal processes.
This makes the SLBS the first organization in the Caribbean to receive certification to the revised 9001:2015 standard.
The world’s most popular quality management system standard, ISO 9001:2015 helps businesses prove their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. The certification aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of a company’s system, including processes for improving the system and assuring compliance with various regulations.
Certification to ISO 9001 is a demonstration that the SLBS has met the most stringent of requirements of quality management principles within its operations. Remarkably, the scope of the SLBS’ certification is extensive, as it includes most processes across the organization.
The extensive audit of the SLBS was conducted in early March and the external audits were performed by the independent accredited registrar company, Perry Johnsons Registrars of the United States, leading to the qualification for certification, which was communicated to the SLBS on the recommendation of its lead auditor, Mr. Davenport, following the week of intensive scrutiny of the SLBS’ operations.
Achieving ISO 9001 certification highlights the SLBS’ own commitment to consistently measure quality by defining and documenting procedures to ensure the consistency of outputs and instituting corrective actions when required.
The implementation of the ISO 9001:2015 standard was a strategic decision for the organization to help improve its overall performance and provide a sound basis for sustainable development initiatives.
The potential benefits to the organization having implemented a quality management system includes the provision of products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements all the time and facilitating opportunities to continually improve to enhance customer satisfaction.
Director of the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards, Dr.Mkabi Walcott, who has been a champion for the implementation of the QMS at the SLBS, is immensely proud of the achievement, not just for her team, but for having spearheaded efforts over a number of years of leadership within the organization.
Dr. Walcott said, “When you think of the SLBS as an agent for good practice, what better demonstration of the value one derives from the use of standards, when SLBS itself submits to a regime which confirms its own continuous assessment and improvement.”
Dr. Walcott has also been full of praise for the commitment of the management team and the staff of the SLBS, who ensured that SLBS met the timelines for certification, despite the revision of the standard within just over one year.
A recognition ceremony to honour the achievement will be held tomorrow at SLBS’ offices in Bisee.