ISO 41001 Facilities Management

For organizations looking to stand out in their respective sectors, it’s always good news when the International Organization for Standardization — or ISO — publishes a new set of standards. Unlike laws or regulations, ISO standards offer benchmarks for organizations that want to aim higher than the bare minimum legal requirements they must meet to do business in their field of choice.

So it’s exciting news that the ISO recently published ISO 41001:2018, which specifies the requirements for high-quality facility management — or FM. Where some standards apply to a specific industry, the ISO 41001 facilities management standard provides guidance to all organizations — both in the public and private sectors. In addition, it applies to organizations regardless of their size, location or industry.

How Facility Management Integrates People, Facilities And Processes

According to the International Facility Management Association, facility management uses many disciplines to help ensure the safety, comfort and efficiency of a purpose-built environment that includes the people, buildings, processes and technologies a business depends on to function properly. Because of this, FM is a booming industry. In recent years, it has experienced average annual growth of between six and eight percent — and its global market worth is expected to top $1.3 trillion by the end of 2018.

Clearly, with its ability to help businesses deliver great places to work that are also cost-effective and increasingly environmentally-friendly, FM is in the perfect position to be standardized by the ISO — the world’s largest and most experienced standardization body.

Why Is ISO 41001 Certification So Important For Business Success?

As a badge that can significantly add to a department’s, business's and brand’s success, ISO 41001 certification indicates to other businesses and clients that the certified organization is invested in the following factors:

• Overall environmental impact: FM-certified companies demonstrate that they care greatly about the impact their operations have on their local and regional environments.
• Financial responsibility: Since the costs associated with managing a facility typically form an organization’s second-highest expenditure, the efficiencies that FM supports demonstrate a business’s financial responsibility, as well as its commitment to eliminate wasteful practices.
• Facility efficiency: Certification is a clear sign that a business takes proper responsibility for the effective management of its assets to minimize the costs associated with their operation, while at the same time maximizing their use.
• Workspace compliance: By ensuring workspaces are healthy, safe and compliant, FM certification is a clear sign that an organization is committed to providing a quality working environment for its workers.

Work With NQA To Bring Your Business Operations To The Next Level

At NQA, we believe every business can operate more efficiently, sustainably and consistently. That's why we conduct all of our certification audits professionally and with no hidden fees. You can be assured of getting precisely the certification services you need in a transparent and timely manner.

ISO 41001 is an entirely new set of requirements, and we'd like to hear from anyone who's interested in meeting this facilities management standard. To learn more about the wide range of accredited certification, training and support services we can help your business achieve, please contact us today.

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