Although QS-9000 does not define compliance, it does define non-compliance as a „process” that does not meet a quality system requirement. This makes the difference that a non-conformity is a „product or material” that does not meet the customer`s requirements or specifications. QS-9000 therefore uses both compliance (process) and conformity (product). However, ISO 9000 uses compliance as meeting process or product requirements. Compliance has generally been defined as what you are told to do, and in simple terms, this is true, but when it applies to our industry and the overall field of quality management, its definition is much more complex. One of the main features of compliance is the fundamental foundation of legality, a norm or requirement in which legal channels can follow its application or enforcement through judicial proceedings or authorities. This legal basis, of course, implies the second key feature of compliance, namely that it is a requirement or expectation that is applied outside of a person or organization. The complexity lies in who has the authority or right to impose such a legal expectation, a category that can encompass a wide range of situations and entities. A common example of the expectation of compliance is the generalization of occupational health and safety standards that prescribe the treatment of workers and the rights and obligations of employees, employers and the public with respect to workplace safety.
This standard is enforced by occupational health and safety officers employed by the government that drafts the standard, an organization capable of enforcing legal obligations under this Regulation against persons or businesses that do not comply with the Regulation. They may have a certificate of conformity issued to their suppliers to ensure that the safety of their products or parts of their product complies with the applicable regulations. Why is there confusion around this topic? When I decided to explore the difference between the two terms, I found a variety of conflicting reports and views on the subject, arguments, and disagreements, depending on the author`s point of view or the application of the term. In fact, in many cases, the sources would say that the terms are downright interchangeable and that the disagreement in the use of the term is actually due to the difference between Standard British English and Standard American English, as so many terms or spellings fall. By examining the origins of words and their applications in a variety of situations, I was able to distinguish the difference and come to a conclusion based on a clear caveat. „When someone tells you to meet the requirements of a standard or test method, compliance becomes compliance (i.e., your compliance is required for you to comply).” This very important distinction, and how it applies to the codes and standards I am familiar with, provides a clear difference that can be easily demonstrated and repeated. For example, ISO:9001 is a commonly applied international standard for the structure and application of a quality management program. This standard is a matter of compliance when viewed in solidarity, a widely recognized way of doing something that a company or organization will adhere to in order to improve its own processes and procedures and actually improve the company as a whole. However, when we apply this standard in the context of a compliance issue such as a customer contract. The compliance standard itself becomes a matter of compliance.
If we do not meet the standard, we will not respect the contract and could be punished by law, an external force implies this voluntary standard, making it an involuntary matter of compliance. Many companies face the repetition of similar situations in their industry where contractual requirements are the norm, a standard like ISO 9001 is constantly set in contractual legal agreements, which, in their eyes, makes ISO 9001 a matter of compliance. Many other organizations choose to adhere to the standard as a widely accepted guideline, making it a matter of compliance. A second example of this phenomenon would be the case of an owner-operator who manufactures or purchases a pressure pipe system. If the pressure pipe in question falls within the defined scope of the competent authority code, e.g. ASME B31.1, the production of this system in accordance with the requirements of the code is a matter of conformity. This standard is applied externally by the competent authority to a legal extent. If the same company manufactures a piping system that does not fall within the scope of the above code, but requires engineers and processors to use ASME B31.1 as a guideline for production, this code becomes a matter of compliance because it is voluntarily respected from the inside. ISO 9000:2000 Fundamentals and Vocabulary defines compliance as compliance with a requirement.
A note indicates that compliance is synonymous but outdated (meaning that the use of this term is considered obsolete). ISO 9000 defines non-compliance as non-compliance with a requirement. It does not define compliance. ISO/TS 16949:2002, which replaced QS 9000 in 2006, adopted the ISO 9000:2000 definitions of „conformity” and „non-conformity”. The use of „Non-Compliance” by QS-9000 has been discontinued. ISO 9000:2000 says that „compliance” is fundamentally synonymous with „compliance” but obsolete. In other words, obsolete. In short, following your procedures is compliance/compliance, not following is nonconformity/non-compliance.
Procedures that meet federal (external) requirements are compliant, procedures that do not meet these requirements are not. We provide our customers with quality performance, value, timeliness and technical compliance by adhering to the highest ISO compliance standards and certifications. While this distinction may seem trivial at first glance, it is important to note that there are fundamental differences in how these two processes work. Failure to comply with the law can result in penalties, while failure to meet a standard means that certification may not be granted or, if granted, may be suspended or withdrawn. Compliance is a voluntary act while compliance is imposed. A certificate of conformity and a certificate of conformity are not the same thing. So what`s the difference between compliance and compliance? Here is a brief definition of each: TL 9000 Release 3.0 refers to the ISO 9000:2000 definitions of conformity and non-compliance. The compliance definition in version 2.5 has been removed. In the previous version, conformity was defined as a confirmatory indication or assessment that a product complied with the requirements of the relevant specifications, contract or regulation; and the status of compliance with the requirements.