Integrate for the future
How does an organization go about implementing an integrated management system (IMS) that meets the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001? Consultant Dr Teow Ek Lim and auditor Tracy Chooi implemented an IMS in a mechanical and electrical services organization and discovered that it is a complex task, but with meticulous planning it is well worth the effort
There are several advantages of having an IMS in an organization:
- it can help gain competitive advantage by increasing the organization's market share through cost savings and improved efficiency
- it can be used as a stepping stone to achieve national awards by having a more effective system with improved operational performance
- combining ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 means there is less documentation required as the standards are compatible. Organizations that are certified to ISO 9001 can fine-tune their documentation to be integrated with ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001
- an IMS helps to simplify training - a single system minimizes confusion
Implementing in action - a case study
An IMS was implemented in a medium-sized mechanical and electrical services organization located in Singapore. The organization provides design, project management and installation of electrical and mechanical engineering services, including supplying after-sales service to private and government sectors. The services are carried out in customer properties such as commercial buildings, industrial buildings, residential buildings, hotels, schools and factories.
All in the planning
Project planning was vitally important for the organization to gain certification to the three standards successfully in a reasonable time frame. A Gantt chart (a graphical representation of tasks against the progression of time) and a schedule for procedure writing and reviews can be used for planning a project like this. This allows management to coordinate and monitor the progress of implementation, including activities such as training and documentation.
A medium-sized organization with ISO 9001 may take about nine months to a year to complete the implementation of an IMS whereas an organization starting afresh may take up to one and a half years depending on the competence of employees. Below is an example of planning for the IMS for the mechanical and electrical services organization, which had ISO 9001:
Phase one, which is estimated to take one month, should involve:
- the establishment of a steering committee
- an awareness briefing for the workforce
- a gap analysis audit
Phase two (six and a half months) should involve:
- the establishment of an integrated manual
- the establishment of procedures (including integrated procedures, and individual procedures for the QMS, EMS and OH&S)
- the establishment of an integrated audit checklist
- implementation
Phase three (one and a half months) should involve:
- an internal audit
- a management review
- readiness for certification
Establishing an IMS committee
A committee was established to oversee the establishment, implementation and review of the IMS. The leader - known as the management representative - must have access to senior management and be able to provide it with regular progress reports for review.
Gap analysis audit
A systematic approach using gap analysis was required to identify what needed to be done. It began with the study and analysis of the organization's existing system.
ISO 9001
Performing a gap analysis audit on the current system with respect to the IMS showed the organization where its system was lacking. Some of the existing procedures of the organization's ISO 9001 QMS could be integrated with ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 due to their similar requirements, although minor differences were addressed. There are six procedures that can be integrated:
- management review
- document and data control
- internal audit
- training
- control of records
- communications
ISO 14001
An organization that does not have an EMS can make use of the QMS framework. The organization needs to identify environmental aspects, and those that have significant impacts are taken into account in establishing the objectives, targets and programme(s) for the EMS. The organization will also need to establish a list of environmental legislation applicable to the organization and establish an emergency response plan and team.
In addition to the six integrated procedures, procedures for the following clauses must be established:
- environmental aspects
- legal and other requirements
- objectives, targets and programme(s)
- operational control, which requires documented procedures
- emergency preparedness and response
- monitoring and measurement, which requires documented procedures
- non-conformity, corrective action and preventive action
Six of the procedures will be integrated with ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 procedures.
OHSAS 18001
An organization that has no health and safety (OH&S) management system can make use of the QMS framework to establish the system. Before establishing an OH&S policy and its objectives, the organization needs to perform a hazard and risk assessment and establish an OH&S management program. The organization will need to identify legislative and regulatory requirements that are applicable to the organization and establish an emergency response plan and team.
There is also a need to establish procedures for the following clauses:
- planning for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control
- legal and other requirements
- operational control, which requires documented procedures
- emergency preparedness and response
- performance measurement and monitoring
- accidents, incidents, non-conformances and corrective and preventive action
The organization will be able to integrate six of the procedures with QMS and EMS due to their similar requirements.
The integrated manual
An integrated manual is top-level documentation that shows a macro view of how the organization's system works. The case study organization's manual begins with a foreword from the management, along with an outline of its commitment and a notification of the management representative. The rest of the manual is structured as follows:
- IMS policy
- IMS objective (quality, environmental and OH&S objectives)
- Introduction to the organization (organization profile, products, customers, commonly used codes/standards/regulations)
- Organization structure (organization chart, typical site organization chart, IMS organization chart, emergency response team structure)
- IMS responsibilities and authorities (management representative's responsibilities authority, functional responsibilities and authorities of the management, resources, IMS planning)
- Management and administration of the IMS
The integrated audit checklist
An integrated checklist facilitates the process of performing an audit. As some of the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 are the same, the organization need not perform three separate audits to ensure the effectiveness of the system.
A completed integrated checklist can also serve as objective evidence and can be part of an audit report to show that all activities covered by the scope of the procedures or requirements of the standards are systematically verified.
Ready to start
After this groundwork, the implementation of the IMS should be initiated by top management. While establishing the integrated manual, the IMS steering committee should be created. The first task is to brief employees and provide necessary training to ensure employees understand their responsibilities towards the quality, environment, health and safety of themselves and co-workers. The employee should be given an overview of the IMS and relevant integrated procedures and made aware of their responsibilities.
All in the process
The process approach that is applied to the three standards is what makes integration possible. However, there are some differences in the management systems, eg the necessary fulfilment of legislation required by the EMS and OHSAS. Also, the identification of environmental aspects for ISO 14001 and hazard and risk for OHSAS 18001 need to be considered. The case study organization needed to separate procedures to address these requirements.
The IMS has been successful. The organization was able to fulfil all certification requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 in a third-party integrated management certification audit. The savings in cost and time were estimated to be 30 per cent less than the cost and time of implementing the three management systems separately.
About the authors
Dr T E Lim holds a BSc and PhD from Aston University and is currently
an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
He has written 12 books and has been a consultant in quality engineering
and management systems for 23 years.
Tracy Chooi has a degree in electronics and electrical engineering
from the UK. She is currently the operations director for IQCS Certification
which provides IRCA-approved QMS, ISO/TS 16949, EMS, OSHAS and FSMS
auditor/lead auditor training. She has written ten books and is a
qualified lead auditor. For further details contact e: tracy@iqcs.net
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