AFAQ-ETA

Bulletin 03/07: 12th October 2007

WHY DO WE HAVE SECTOR SPECIFIC INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS?

Is there really a need for sector specific standards? Aren’t the ISO 9000 series enough? Leading inspection experts argue that such specifications make auditing easier and that sector specific standards have dragged the industry from the dark ages. The professional view is that they finish what the ISO 9000 started.

When ISO 9001:2000 was launched, it was heralded as an all-encompassing set of standards, which could be applied to any kind of business. But what happens when an industry sector deals with specialised materials, complex processes or creates products for human consumption? The generic specifications of ISO 9001 can only go so far in creating a quality management system (QMS) that effectively addresses niche markets, such as the edible products sector.

The food ISO 22000 and automotive ISO/TS 16949 have all helped to bridge the gap in the ISO 9001’s ability to adequately address the particular issues of quality management that arise in these industries.

FOOD SECTOR

The ISO 22000 standard involves the following elements:

interactive communication

system management

prerequisite programmes

hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP)

principles

The standard applies to all organizations involved in food operations, from initial production, like fisheries and dairy farms, to final consumption, e.g. restaurants, as well as the suppliers of utensils, packaging and so on.

AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR

ISO/TS 16949 was developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) www.smmt.co.uk/home.cfm to advance the supply chain and certification process. As an indication of just how relevant the standard is, almost all major vehicle manufacturers are required to hold this specification certification to do business at all.

The standard supersedes existing US QS 9000, German VDA6.1, French EAQF and Italian ASQ automotive quality system standards. TS 16949 applies to all automotive supply businesses, be they multi-national corporations or small site operators. However, only sites where production or service parts are manufactured are required to adhere to it. Essentially, it specifies the quality system requirements for the design and development, production, installation and servicing of all automotive-related products.

NEW OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARD

Amid a swirl of interest, the new OHSAS 18001:2007 standard has finally been launched in the UK. AFAQ-ETA asks what impact this will have on auditors and finds out just how extensive the changes are.

For those keenly following the development of standards in occupational health and safety (OH&S), recent developments in the UK represent a significant step forward.

The UK has decided to adopt the new version of OHSAS 18001:2007 and to publish it as BS OHSAS 18001:2007. The UK version, denoted by the BS prefix, identifies those issues that need to be taken into account when using this specification in the UK.

Some of the key changes you’ll see in OHSAS 18001:2007 are:

	The importance of ‘health’ has now been given greater emphasis.
	OHSAS 18001 now refers to itself as a standard, not a specification, or document, as in the earlier edition. This reflects the increasing adoption of OHSAS 18001 as the basis for national standards on occupational health and safety management systems.
	The ‘plan-do-check-act’ model diagram is only given in the introduction, in its entirety, and not also as sectional diagrams at the start of each major clause.
	New definitions have been added, and existing definitions revised.
	Significant improvement in alignment with ISO 14001:2004 throughout the standard, and improved compatibility with ISO 9001.
	The term ‘tolerable risk’ has been replaced by the term ‘acceptable risk’.
	The term ‘accident’ is now included in the term ‘incident’.
	The definition of the term ‘hazard’ no longer refers to ‘damage to property or damage to the workplace environment’.
	It is now considered that such ‘damage’ is not directly related to occupational health and safety management, which is the purpose of this OHSAS standard, and that it is included in the field of asset management. Instead, the risk of such ‘damage’ having an effect on occupational health and safety should be identified through the organization's risk-assessment process, and be controlled through the application of appropriate risk controls.
	New requirements have been introduced for participation and consultation.
	New requirements have been introduced for the investigation of incidents.

NEWS FROM US!

AFAQ-ETA will be running the following courses in or near London early next year:

The 5 day IRCA registered ISO 9000:2000 Auditor/Lead Auditor Course
The 3 day OHSAS 18001:2007 Auditor/Lead Auditor Conversion Course NEW!
The 5 day IEMA ISO 14001 Foundation Course in Environmental Auditing
The 2 day ISO 9000:2000 Internal Auditor Course

Enquiries to Bill Fenton using bill.fenton@afaq-eta.com