Article is from
Electrical & Mechanical Contractor
February 2002, p. 47

Articles & Info

Joining forces

Is integration the solution for management of quality and environmental standards? Chris Ottaway looks at the issues.

Integrating procedures for quality and environmental issues is becoming more popular than using stand-alone systems. But what are the benefits of doing this?

With an integrated approach, written procedures address the quality and environmental issues in the same document and safety can also be included. For example, when a contract review is undertaken on a particular project, all quality checks could be documented at the same time as verifying the environmental issues, therefore saving time by combining the functions in a single meeting.

If a company is quality certified and is considering environmental management, this approach will enable it to simply enhance certain existing procedures with environmental additions, and add a specific environmental procedure.

If considering management systems for the first time, with careful planning a single system can be produced that complies with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 without duplication.

Documentation
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 require companies to undertake regular review meetings for either quality or environmental performance purposes. These management review meetings can be used to demonstrate the benefits of integrated systems.

Some companies which work to both standards have two meetings, complying with the standards independently of each other. This means that pretty much the same people meet twice to discuss quality and environmental performance and. two separate sets of minutes are produced and distributed.

If the management review meeting covered both issues, only one meeting would be needed, saving time and costs.

Another advantage of this approach is that it integrates the company's. management system components and avoids the containerised attitude to these systems that many companies have.

The purpose of a quality manual is to serve as a top-level management systems document, assisting in training awareness and marketing. This is also true of the environmental manual when complying with ISO 14001.

So, rather than having two top-level manuals, why not drop the terms quality and environmental and have a combined operations manual?

This document would demonstrate how the company complies to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 by using a common organisation chart and policy. The end of the document could consist of a matrix crossrelating company procedures with die two standards.

Safety could also be included, but as most companies prefer and are set up to keep this area separate, only quality and environmental issues will be considered here.

A typical electrical contractor's integrated management system could consist of the following:

• operations manual - the toplevel document showing how the company complies with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, this would replace the old style quality and environmental manuals;
• OP1 management control - this would cover integrated management reviews and audits, along with complaints and problem reporting;
• OP2 contract review and planning - this would be a combined procedure ensuring that all contracts are reviewed from a quality and environmental perspective. Project plans would need to include quality and environmental requirements;
• OP3 document - data control and records - a self-explanatory procedure covering both quality and environmental documents and records;
• OP4 design control - if the company has a design element, then the design procedure would need to focus on how it considers quality and environmental issues; especially at reviews and design hold points;
• OP5 purchasing - here it is ensured that all suppliers and subcontractors are assessed against quality and environmental objectives, and that purchasing is carried out in a controlled way, with due regard to environmental issues;
• OP6 operational control - here the contract/site control element (process and material control, inspection and test, plant and equipment) is addressed, identifying both quality and environmental checks to be completed throughout the process;
• OP7 environmental management - this is the ISO 14001 specific document and would cover areas such as: environmental aspects, register of environmental legislation and environmental emergencies;
• OP8 training - this would be a common procedure addressing both quality and environmental training.

Where the company is already quality certified, it is quite common to give the environmental management responsibility to the existing quality manager. If this is the case, then he or she will require specific training in ISO 14001. The amount of training needed will depend on the person's technical background and environmental qualifications.

If the company is embarking on management systems for the first time, with careful selection a quality and environmental manager can be found.

If consultants are to be used to assist in the development of the integrated system, films should make sure that they are carefully selected. It is advisable to only use consultants with both quality and environmental qualifications, and that have a professional environmental track record.

Although at this stage integrated certification may seem complicated, more and more certification bodies are getting involved in this approach. Integrated certification will certainly have cost benefits over making two stand-alone assessments, and future surveillance costs will also be reduced.

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Chris Ottaway manages the ECNs free management systems helpline for members (tel: 01277 363653). He is md of Ottaway & Associates.