WHS Management Systems Archives | Page 2 of 2 | GrowEQ: ISO systems, Process Improvement & Management

Work Related Deaths Hit an All Time Low

Australian workplaces have recorded the lowest number of fatalities in 11 years according to data released by Safe Work Australia in their annual report Work-related Traumatic Fatalities, Australia 2014. Is this due to the changes in WHS legislation? New Zealand seems to think so. They are about to enact very similar legislation. I guess only time will tell us but I hope the trend continues. In 2013, 191 workers died from injuries received at work. This is 16% lower than [...]

You’re Only as Safe as Your Contractors

You can have the best WHS management system in the world. You can have an incident investigation system that drills down to the root cause and takes the corrective actions required to prevent it happening again. You can have an executive management team that takes work, health and safety very seriously. You can have the best in-house training in the country. BUT, if your contractors don’t effectively manage the safety of their workers it could all be for nothing. One [...]

ISO Management Systems – 5 Questions Auditors Ask

I have quite a few clients due to be audited soon so I thought I’d write about the things auditors tend to ask. Of course no one can predict all their questions (they are human beings after all), but you can bet that the following 5 questions will be amongst them. 1. What is your policy? Quality/OHS/Environmental/Energy/Food Safety or a combination of them into one integrated policy. This is often one of the first questions asked during a certification audit. [...]

If You’ve Got ISO Objectives You Need Action Plans

A recent newsletter was about setting meaningful objectives and targets for ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, AS 4801 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. You know, the sort of objectives that help your business grow, reduce costs and even save lives. If you have objectives you need action plans. Action Plans are simple lists of all of the tasks that you need to finish to meet an objective. They differ from to-do Lists in [...]

Reduce Costs & Improve Performance

Many companies want ISO certification so they can tick a box on tender requests and thus increase their chances of being shortlisted for valuable tenders. This is one good reason but ISO systems can do so much more. When an ISO system is written with your business needs and goals in mind, when it is tailor made for your products, services and processes then it will reduce costs and improve performance too. In fact, it will be one of the [...]

Do I Need a Quality Management System?

The answer is . . . . it depends. It depends on your current business needs, where you want your business to be in the future, and how you want to use it. The way I see it, every business owner or manager wants to grow their business and reduce costs. Believe it or not, ISO 9001 can help you achieve just that. If you want your business to grow then ISO 9001 can help you to: Win lucrative tenders. [...]

Top 6 Tips: Choosing a Consultant

You know you need to implement a management system be it ISO 9001 for quality, ISO 14001 for the environment, AS 4801 for safety, ISO 50001 for energy, or a combination of these. You’ve decided that it’s too hard/time consuming/risky to do it yourself. You need a consultant. They have to be experienced, highly effective and hold a successful track record. It’s an important decision, one you can’t afford to get wrong. You need someone who’ll ensure project success. Someone [...]

Is Certification Worth It?

Is Certification Worth It? “To be or not to be that is the question” although I don’t think Hamlet had certification in mind when he said this. It is a decision to be taken on business grounds. Here are some of the reasons why organisations choose certification: By setting a clear goal, certification motivates staff and helps to gain their commitment. Certification improves processes and refines activities. There is nothing like certification for focusing one’s attention on this key requirement. [...]

Simple Rules on Purchasing

Simple Rules on Purchasing – Part I When it comes to purchasing goods and services for your business the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems standard is full of good common sense. Here is what it says – 7 Product Realisation 7.4 Purchasing 7.4.1 Purchasing Process The organization shall ensure that purchased product conforms to specified purchase requirements. The type and extent of control applied to the supplier and the purchased product shall be dependent upon the effect of the purchased [...]

What on Earth is Preventive Action?

If the preventive action clause in the management standards confuses you, join the club! Most people find this one confusing – “I record the problems (non conformances) AND I fix them (short term corrective actions) AND I address the root causes of problems (long term corrective actions). What more do they want?” All three of the most popular management systems - ISO 9001 Quality, AS4801 OHS, and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems have a preventive action clause. Here is the [...]

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