Since ISO is an international organization and thousands of businesses operate under ISO certifications, it is nearly a requirement for a business to get at least 9001 quality certified to have a stake in any international market or develop business relationships with international clients. This is because having and keeping any ISO certification shows a dedication to whatever the certification is for. In the case of 9001, it shows a dedication to the manufacture of a quality good which is important if you want to sell your goods to other businesses. Even if you have an incredibly low price, it is still unlikely that you make any international sales if you do not have 9001 certification.
As for 14001, this certification or standard is related to environmental sustainability and protection. It is a certification that is becoming increasingly popular in recent years, and many businesses are making it a standard for all of their branches to achieve. I have personally worked at achieving ISO 14001 certification, but it is a long and arduous process, especially if a business does not have a strong environmental protection, or sustainability program in place. Some of the major parts of ISO 14001 that make it different from 9001 are that for ISO 14001, a team of people responsible for Environmental Health and Safety will usually lead and develop the program. In ISO 9001, quality engineers and operations manager-like professionals will develop that program. Every quarter, ISO 14001 significant aspects and impacts on sustainability must be audited and reviewed to ensure they are steadily approaching completion. In the long run, the goal of ISO 14001 is for businesses to end up giving back as much or more to the community and environment than they take away.
OHSAS 18001 is slightly different from the ISO standards but is still important. It is far less utilized formally at this point than either ISO 9001 or 14001 because there is no clear benefit for businesses interested in making sales or doing international business. However, just as ISO 14001 was slow to start, OHSAS 18001 could make a significant impact on the way businesses overseas in third world countries approach the issues revolving around employee health and safety. As you may know, third world countries have little to no safety concerns for their employees and serious injuries and death often occur from poor working conditions. In the US, and EU, it is highly unlikely that a business couldn't put together a formal OHSAS program and achieve certification due to the fact that OSHA and OSHA-like organizations require (by law) businesses to do many things that would fall under the OHSAS 18001 certification program.
The process of getting certified for any of the 3 of these aforementioned programs is very similar. There must be identified significant impacts to the business, environment, or safety of employees. Next, these impacts must be pursued by a team or individual on a specific time frame not to exceed 1 year. Then, the processes must be audited to ensure that what was suggested s actually being done, and the results of those audits are brought up in management reviews to keep upper management informed. Also, policy updates are required and other clerical work such as form retention policies must be abided by.
http://www.ohsas-18001-occupational-health-and-safety.com/
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso_9000.htm
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso14000.htm
