Story ID: 
FAA Safety Office Gets ISO 9001
By: AIN Staff
Caption: The FAA’s office of aviation safety has been recognized as the first federal agency to achieve certification to the International Organization for Standard
Word Count: 248
The FAA’s office of aviation safety has been recognized as the first federal agency to achieve certification to the International Organization for Standardization ISO 9001:2000 quality management standard of a single corporate management system that covers multiple services.The aviation safety organization began working toward ISO 9001: 2000 registration in 2001 and now operates under a quality management system that provides consistent, standardized processes that ensure continual improvement, value employee contributions and respond to changes in the industry.While many individual government offices have achieved registration, the FAA’s aviation safety employees have accomplished this across a complex and diverse line of businesses worldwide. According to the FAA, it is vital that the government’s aviation safety business is held to the same high standards as those it regulates.Under the leadership of associate administrator for aviation safety Nicholas Sabatini, the organization promotes aviation safety and oversees compliance with federal regulations as applied to airmen, manufacturers, repair and maintenance facilities, aviation schools, operators, aviation agencies, individuals and organizations.The agency comprises the Flight Standards Service; Aircraft Certification Service; Suspected Unapproved Parts Program and the Office of Quality, Integration and Executive Services. With a budget of $948 million, the organization employs 6,400 people in the FAA’s Washington headquarters, nine regional offices and more than 125 field offices throughout the world.ISO is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards, with a current portfolio of more than 16,200. The ISO 9000 series of standards targets quality management for engineers, manufacturers, regulators, consumers and end users.