ISO 19443 – Nuclear energy quality management
The ISO 19443 standard sets quality management system requirements for organizations in the nuclear energy sector supply chain supplying products and services important to nuclear safety.
ISO 19443 standard defines the specific requirements of a quality management system for companies and organizations providing products and services to the civil nuclear sector. Nuclear safety is of the highest importance and must be safeguarded throughout the value chain. Certification to ISO 19443 enables companies to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable regulatory requirements. Moreover, it builds of customer orientation, continual improvement and involvement of relevant stakeholders.
What is ISO 19443
The standard is applicable to all companies in the civil nuclear energy sector supplying products and services important to nuclear safety (ITNS). This includes engineering, purchasing/supply and construction or maintenance services, manufacturers and technology suppliers, for example. Building on the ISO 9001 quality management system standard, ISO 19443 is the first internationally approved standard created by the industry to ensure quality control throughout its supply chain. It combines the best quality practices with the specific requirements of the nuclear industry.
The latest version is built on ISO’s High-Level Structure (HLS), the set of 10 clauses upon which all ISO standards are based. Ensuring the same look and feel of all management system standard, it enables greater integration with different system disciplines, such as environment, occupational health and safety, information security and others.
Benefits of becoming certified
Checking that your system works is vital. Certification to ISO 19443 by an independent third-party verifies how your management system is performing and demonstrates that you work to apply effective quality management principles within the organization. As a result, you:
- Demonstrate compliance and your commitment to a genuine nuclear safety culture.
- Gain a significant competitive advantage by meeting any management system certification business requirements from customers, suppliers and sub-contractors.
- Build trust in your management system’s performance internally and externally by applying effective quality management principles within the organization.
- Implement a structured approach to continually improving processes and knowing where to focus efforts.
- Simplify the evaluation and qualification of suppliers certified by the civil nuclear industry.
- Maintain compliance with legal requirements and ensure that regulatory requirements are met.
Getting started
To be certified, you first need to implement an effective quality management system complying with the standard’s requirements. DNV is an independent third-party certification body and can help you throughout the journey starting from relevant ISO 19443 training to self-assessments, gap analysis and certification services.
The ISO 19443 certification is valid for 3 years during which two surveillance audits must be carried out during the certification cycle to validate its maintenance.
Learn more about how to get started on the road to certification.
