Deciding between ISO or RIOS certification

What factors should I consider when choosing either RIOS or ISO for the additional EH&S and QMS certifications required by R2v3?

SERI’s calculations of audit time have shown that the biggest single driver of audit time are the ISO 14001 and 45001 management systems, with smaller facilities being disproportionately affected.  When deciding which EH&S certification (as required in CORE 3-Environmental Health and Safety Management System) or which Quality Management Certification (as required in Appendix C-Test and Repair and Appendix F-Brokering) makes sense for your facility, it may be worth contacting your certification body for a comparison of audit times and costs for ISO vs. RIOS.

RIOS offers a single certification that meets R2v3’s requirements for Environmental, Health & Safety, and Quality Certifications  vs. the multiple ISO or other certifications that would be required to meet R2v3 requirements for Environmental, Health & Safety, and Quality certifications. For many facilities, RIOS may be the more economical option.

Other considerations include ease of use.  Many find the RIOS Standard to be written in more user-friendly language, and it also comes with a detailed implementation guide with articles, templates, examples and other resources.  Customer requirements may also dictate which certification(s) you choose.  If a particular certification is required as a condition of doing business, that may be your deciding factor.

The bottom line:  Whichever option you choose will lay a sound foundation identifying and controlling environmental, health and safety risks, and ensuring quality.