Beaumont Select’s Process and Marketing Manager commented:
Lawrence Clark was an absolute pleasure to work with. He provided comprehensive advice and delivered an excellent ISO9001 process and document framework to apply to our business systems. Beaumont Select achieved a successful implementation of ISO9001, on time and to budget through constructive advice and support from Lawrence.”

Origin
Work commenced in March 2010 on an ISO standard that was intended to simplify the implementation of multiple management system standards and any associated conformity assessment but it was not intended for certification purposes. In May 2011 ISO released ISO DGUIDE 83 for comment which is the culmination of this work but unlike the original proposal, this guide is intended only for standards writers and is not for use by standards users.

Drivers
The main driver for change came from standards users who were unhappy that among several management system standards, requirements having the same intent were expressed differently and this gave rise to auditors interpreting the requirements differently.

Alignment
Various attempts had been made to get better alignment between ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 but there was resistance to change structures in each. The review cycles were not synchronised so that there tended to be leapfrogging and rivalry between different technical committees.

Proliferation
There are a growing number of management system standards and thus the potential for this problem getting worse is increasing. Following the energy management system standard ISO 50001 the latest being proposed is one on bribery management!

Implementation
There will be a common structure and common text for main clauses with additional discipline specific clauses but common text cannot be undermined. The idea is that everywhere there is and xxx in the common text, the name of the discipline is inserted so for example, that xxx management system becomes quality management system. There will be common definitions and additional discipline specific definitions will be allowed. This will result in text and definitions being duplicated in every management system standard. The main clauses will be as follows:

1          Scope
2          Normative references
3          Terms and definitions
4          Context of the organisation
4.1       Understanding the organisation and its context
4.2       Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
4.3       XXX management system
5          Leadership
5.1       General
5.2       Management commitment
5.3       Policy
5.4       Organisational roles, responsibilities and authorities
6          Planning
6.1       Actions to address risks and opportunities
6.2       XXX objectives and plans to achieve them
7          Support
7.1       Resources
7.2       Competence
7.3       Awareness
7.4       Communication
7.5       Documented information
7.5.1    General
7.5.2    Create and update
7.5.3    Control of documented Information
8          Operation
8.1       Operational planning and control
9          Performance Evaluation
9.1       Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
9.2       Internal Audit
9.3       Management review
10        Improvement
10.1     Nonconformity and corrective action
10.2     Continual improvement
Terms and definitions

Implications
Eventually it will affect all existing management system assessment standards. Any new standard will be immediately familiar to the user with the emphasis on what is unique to the specific discipline. However it could significantly affect the future development ISO 9000 and any alignment there might be between ISO 9001 and ISO 9004.

Management systems.

Organisations looking for ISO 14001 certification are being warned that some bodies offering so-called accredited certification services in the UK have not been assessed by the national accreditation body, UKAS.

Under European legislation each member state must appoint a single, nationally recognised body to assess and assure the competence of organisations providing accredited certification in its territory.  This means that certification bodies operating in the UK must apply to UKAS to become accredited in accordance with the EU Regulation.

However, the Association of British Certification Bodies (ABCB) is warning that a number of ISO 14001 assessment bodies in the UK have been accredited by other organisations, potentially leading to companies unwittingly applying for certification that their customers may not recognise.  “We have identified that smaller companies in particular might not understand the difference between UKAS-accredited certification and other accredited certification”, Trevor Nash, chief executive of the ABCB, told the environmentalist.  “For some, particularly those operating in the public sector, it could mean the difference between having their certification recognised in a tender or not”.

Toby Robins, sustainable development director at green office supplies company Wiles Greenworld, agrees with Nash.  “There is a question when bodies aren’t UKAS-accredited as to whether the quality of audits meets the level you, as a customer, require”, he said.  “How can you have confidence that ISO 14001 is being applied correctly?”

The ABCB also argues that while certification bodies accredited by UKAS are evaluated against recognised international standards, it is not always clear how the independent accreditation bodies are assessing organisations.  It does however acknowledge that for some firms UKAS-accredited certification may not be necessary, but it warns that all firms should consider their options carefully before choosing a certification body.

This warning is equally applicable to all ISO certifications.
At Clark Quality we work only with major UKAS-accredited certification companies.  Contact us to obtain a fixed price quotation.

Jensen and his team took part in the Britcar 24 hour race at Silverstone on 1st – 2nd October.  Overcoming a number of significant mechanical problems, including a complete engine change, the team completed the race and finished in a very respectable 14th position out of 23 in their class.

During 2008-2011 the campaign has had a number of key achievements:

Government Programme

UKAS has made significant progress raising the awareness of accreditation across Whitehall.  This has been achieved through many initiatives from senior level meetings, direct mailings of promotional literatures, inter and cross departmental workshops and presentations, as well as through press relations events.

Meetings, workshops and follow-up activities have taken place in a wide range of Government departments and agencies which have broadened the network of contacts, and positioned accreditation as a solution to either supporting or acting as an alternative to regulation. As a result of the campaign an increasing number of development proposals have been converted into accreditation schemes in support of Government policy.

Accreditation Matters, a periodic brochure aimed at policy advisors, is sent to civil servants via email distribution lists, as well as distributed through events and meetings, and to over 200 Editors of trade publications. Accreditation Matters is also placed on web-based Central Government Policy hub, the primary location of policy tools accessed by policy makers.

UKAS has regularly organised themed events to raise awareness of accreditation across Government. Think Tanks on ‘Risk, Responsibility and Regulation’, ‘Quality and Safety in Healthcare Provision’, and ‘Less Government – Better Outcomes’ have been well attended by senior officials, as well as enabling UKAS to generate new contacts. The annual AGM lunch has also broadened awareness and established new contacts. The annual reception at the House of Lords, hosted in collaboration with British Standards, provides policy makers across Government the opportunity to share ideas between departments. The receptions, themed ‘Innovation in the Public Sector’, ‘Standards – a Tool to combat the recession’ and ‘Delivering More for Less’, have attracted over 100 people representing 40 departments and agencies on each occasion.

UKAS has published several advertorials and articles in publications aimed at Policy makers on the key themes of Better Regulation and Innovation. Relationships have been made with the key publications in the sector, namely Civil Service World, and The New Statesman. This has provided UKAS with the opportunity to use political networking events, such as various receptions at the party conferences.

SME and Business Awareness

During the period, UKAS has made significant strides in raising awareness levels in the business community. This has been achieved though several routes, including through indirect channels such as business intermediary organisations, trade associations, partners, and industry networks, but also through direct engagement. UKAS has also benefited from greater support from the conformity assessment community.

Business Intermediaries

UKAS has developed closer relationships with a growing number of business intermediary organisations. Closer relationships have been forged with the CBI, FSB, the IoD, the British Chambers of Commerce, and the Trade Association Forum to act as communications channels to the small business community.

Promotional Materials

The new UKAS website was launched in 2009 to provide clear information for both accredited organisations, but also for users of accredited services. Between 2008-2011, UKAS published a number of materials aimed at promoting the use of accreditation and accredited conformity assessment bodies. These involved brochures aimed at specific sectors, such as organisations in the criminal justice system, retailers and housing associations with a requirement to safely manage asbestos, operators that produce stack emissions, commissioners of health and social care services, and organisations requiring third party inspection activities.

Sector Networks and Workshops

UKAS has actively sought the involvement of accredited organisations to participate in the awareness campaign, as this provides UKAS with direct access to users and potential users of accredited services. This period has seen a greater number of UKAS customers and stakeholders organising workshops and events. Presentations given by UKAS have re-enforced the value of using accredited services in specific sectors. For example, a series of seminars run by Accelerate, provided UKAS the opportunity to present to over 500 procurement managers in the UK automotive sector. In collaboration with CLM, a large electrical safety inspection company, UKAS presented at six regional workshops attended by over 400 facilities managers and contractors.

To counter low UKAS awareness levels among duty holders responsible for the safe management of asbestos, UKAS presented at a large number of events attended by retailers, housing associations, and local authorities. These have included events organised by AEC, Noble, Shield, Lucien and Eurosafe, as well as numerous regional events organised by ATAC, BOHS and HSE. UKAS has also collaborated with a number of accredited inspection bodies seeking to raise awareness of accreditation through a thought leadership website. An online survey has also been circulated through business intermediaries and trade unions to promote the benefits of accredited surveying organisations.

In advance of the UK nuclear new build programme, UKAS has developed contacts with DECC, Rolls Royce, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, and the Nuclear Industry Association, to promote a better understanding of accredited inspection and certification. Four expressions of interests have now been received from accredited inspection bodies for inspection of equipment for the new power stations, and so a development project has been established.

Over the last three years, UKAS has worked closely with the Forensic Science Regulator to support his vision of introducing quality standards for all providers. To communicate this vision, UKAS has exhibited and spoken at a number of events such as the Forensic Society, the ACPO conference, and the National Fingerprint conference, as well as published articles in sector publications including Jane’s Review. UKAS also organised three regional workshops which were attended by forensic representatives from over 75% of the national Police Authorities.

Events and Exhibitions

In addition to events or exhibitions organised by business intermediaries or accredited organisations, UKAS has exhibited or spoken at many sector events. These have included stack emissions, waste water, IT security, trading standards, healthcare, off shore inspection, microbiology, food, and laboratory testing. Presentations have also been given at a number of KTN events.

Public Relations

The media and press remains a key channel for raising awareness of accreditation. UKAS continue to benefit from the services of an external PR agency, which has developed strong relationships with target publications. Over the past three years, UKAS has published over 350 articles, releases, and advertorials in the trade press. It has also provided one-to-one briefings with 8 publications ranging from the Grocer to the British Medical Journal.

This year, UKAS featured in Radio 4’s In Business. The programme, which focused on the origins and importance of standards, included an interview with Paul Stennett, UKAS Chief Executive.

Engaging with Specifiers

UKAS has made progress raising awareness levels of accreditation to Local Authorities. A brochure aimed specifically at procurers in Local Authorities has been widely distributed in electronic format.

UKAS has continued to tap into existing best practice networks. For example, a national network consisting of representatives from across local government was established for staff involved in environmental management. UKAS presented to regional networks in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, East and West Midlands, South West, the South East and London, enabling UKAS to reach representatives from all 400 authorities in England.

“We’ve seen a dramatic change in the role of health and safety managers over the last ten years, said NEBOSH Chief Executive, Teresa Budworth. “Environmental management has become a key part of the job, and a demand for knowledge of quality and compliance management is emerging too. The role of management systems within organisations is growing as well, with many organisations now using their management systems to increase efficiency and effectiveness on top of meeting their regulatory and customer requirements.

“We are a small recruitment company and it was important for us to get ISO9001 accreditation to help with getting on Preferred Supplier lists. However, we had no time and little experience in the area. Luckily we found Lawrence and he took control of everything with minimal input from us. We are now pleased to be awaiting our certificate.”

Clark Quality consultants worked with Novatech directors and managers to develop and prepare their quality and environmental management system.  Certifications to ISO9001 and ISO14001 were achieved at the first assessment with SGS in June 2011.

Novatech Operations Director commented:
“Well done Clark Quality. I would like to thanks you and your team for your hard work and support in helping us achieve ISO 9001 and ISO14001 accreditation in such a short time. An added bonus was the way this process did not affect the efficient running of our business. I would gladly reccommend your company to all businesses wishing to achieve ISO accreditation. Thank you, Steve Longmore Operations Director Novatech Ltd.”

Many ISO International Standards support the objectives of World Environment Day, held every year on 5 June by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which itself participates in developing ISO standards, notably the ISO 14000 family for environmental management.

WED celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action. The theme of WED 2011 is “FORESTS: NATURE AT YOUR SERVICE”.

The development by ISO of the ISO 14000 family was one of the concrete results following on from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992, translating into action ISO’s commitment to support the objective of sustainable development discussed at the first Earth Summit.

In essence, the ISO 14000 family provides a framework for organizations large and small, in manufacturing and services, in public and private sectors, in industrialized, developing and transition economies, to:

• Minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by their activities
• Meet regulatory requirements
• Achieve continual improvement of their environmental performance
• Improve business performance through more efficient use of resources.

At end of December 2009, 13 years after publication of the first edition of ISO 14001, which gives the requirements for environmental management systems, the standard was being implemented by users in 159 countries and economies. These include both public and private sector organizations, large and small, in manufacturing and services, in developed and developing economies.

In addition to ISO 14001, the ISO 14000 family includes 22 other standards addressing specific challenges such as life cycle analysis, environmental labelling and greenhouse gases.

The ISO 14064:2006 and ISO 14065:2007 standards provide an internationally agreed framework for measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and verifying claims made about them so that “a tonne of carbon is always a tonne of carbon”. They support programmes to reduce GHG emissions and also emissions trading programmes. Beyond their welcome by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, they are now being implemented on a day-to-day basis by users as varied as a New Zealand printer, a Norwegian shipping company, an Indian construction company and the Spanish organization that is one of the world’s largest transport infrastructure providers (see online bonus articles).

The ISO 14000 family is the most visible part of ISO’s work for the environment. In addition, however, ISO it offers a wide-ranging portfolio of standardized sampling, testing and analytical methods to deal with specific environmental challenges. It has developed more than 650 International Standards for the monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water, soil and nuclear radiation.

These standards are tools for providing business and government with scientifically valid data on the environmental effects of economic activity. They may also be used as the technical basis for environmental regulations. Other environment-related work by ISO includes standards for designing buildings, or retrofitting existing ones, for improved energy efficiency.

Contact Clark Quality for help and advice with your environmental management system and ISO14001 certification.