Quality Management When we are accredited to the ISO 14001 standard, we shall have implemented and maintained an Environmental Management System (EMS) complying with this standard. There are many benefits that we would get from our EMS. We would have the tools and comprehensive framework to systematically evaluate, manage and minimize the environmental impacts of our activities. The environmental objectives and their measurement on progress or achievements will provide us with evidence for reporting externally, such as to District Boards or Action Groups. Energy and waste associated with our department would not be managed in isolation, they would be addressed in a holistic way of environmental management. The EMS would
Catch a through train for ISO 14001 With the recent achievement in our quality certification, we have so far arrived in the first destination, QMS, of our journey for quality, and there are more stops to go to enhance our management system. Many routes too! The Road Ahead in last Issue of the Newsletter already gave some hints. Let’s look more closely at the alternative routes. If we take TQM as the ultimate destination of our journey to enhance our management system, there are 3 alternative routes available to us:
Line 1
QMS
EMS
OH&S
FIMS
TQM
Line 2
QMS
EMS
PIMS
OH&S
FIMS
Line 3
QMS
PIMS
FIMS
TQM
TQM
then be integrated with QMS to give a more efficient way to enhance our management system. We would make use of the existing quality management structure, such as the Departmental Quality Management Committee, Office Quality Management Committees, Internal Audit Organization, and Working Groups to perform various management functions on quality and environmental issues effectively. These functions include implementing continual improvement plans, review of effectiveness of the management system, provision of resources, setting objectives and their achievement targets, evaluation of internal and external audit results and training effectiveness. Internal audits on quality could also be carried out at the same time as for environmental matters to minimize interruptions to normal operations. Similar arrangement could be made for external audits.
QMS is an ISO9001:2000 certificate that we had already achieved, while EMS refers to the ISO 14001 environmental management system. OH&S may be new to us, is the OHSAS 18001 standard for occupational health & safety. PIMS stands for partial integrated management system of quality and environment, i.e. a combined management system of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. FIMS refers to a fully integrated management system of quality, environment and occupational health & safety, and is a fully combined management system complying with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards. TQM is Total Quality Management. Line 3 to TQM is very obviously the shortest, and PIMS would be the next stop in our journey for perfecting our management system. When we arrive at the station PIMS, the first important thing we would get will be the ISO14001 certificate, which will then be combined with ISO 9001 QMS as the PIMS.
Gregory CHING Quality Management Unit
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