Type A and Type B Management System Standards (MSS)
What is the difference between Type A and Type B management system standards?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published numerous standards related to management systems. For auditors, consultants, or professionals working with management systems, it is important to understand which is the purpose for each specific standards, which standards are suitable for audit and certification and which are only intended to offer guidance.
ISO classifies its management system standards into Type A and Type B.
Type A Management System Standards
Type A management system standards contain requirements, making them applicable for audits and certification. For example, ISO 9001 is a Type A management system standard. Other examples include ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO/IEC 27001. Organizations can implement the requirements of a Type A management system standard and seek certification to demonstrate compliance.
Type B Management System Standards
Type B management system standards generally provide guidelines and supporting information. These standards are typically intended to support the implementation of a Type A standard. For instance, ISO/IEC 27002 is a Type B standard that offers guidelines for implementing security controls within an Information Security Management System (ISMS) as outlined in ISO/IEC 27001.
Similarly, ISO 45003 is a Type B standard that provides guidelines for psychological health and safety at work. It can be very useful to address psychosocial risks within an Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) management system according to ISO 45001.
An organization cannot be certified against a Type B management system standard because these standards do not have requirements that can be assessed for compliance through an audit. For example, certification to ISO 37002, which offers guidelines for a whistleblowing management system, is not available for organizations. However, individuals can demonstrate their knowledge of the whistleblowing management guidelines in ISO 37002 and obtain a certification as proof of their expertise.
In some cases, Type A standards may include both requirements and guidelines. An example of such Type A standard is ISO 14001 – Environmental management systems. Requirements with guidance for use.
For a regularly updated list of ISO management system standards, you can visit the ISO website here.