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Staying in step: integrating our ISOs with PAS 99
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At Lignacite, we’re continually improving our processes to protect our workforce, maintain quality and reduce our impact on the environment. Maintaining management standards that meet the stringent requirements of ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO 45001 (occupational health & safety) is a key part of this commitment.
To help us do this even more effectively, we took the proactive step to integrate our management systems into one efficient framework. We are delighted to announce that this has now been approved by independent auditors to meet standard PAS 99.
What is PAS 99?
PAS 99 is the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) standard for integrated management systems. An integrated management system is one that aligns the requirements for different ISOs into one cohesive framework. This means that the individual standards within the framework won’t be separately assessed. Instead, the integrated system will be assessed as a whole.
For our framework to receive a PAS 99 certificate, it had to meet BSI’s strict requirements and be verified by an independent auditor.
How was PAS 99 achieved?
Streamlining our ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 systems into one framework was a complicated process, especially as these ISOs applied over two sites.
“The biggest challenge was breaking down the silos that each site had built over the years,” said Marvyn Candler, our SHEQ Manager. “We had to instil a ‘one business, two teams’ mentality. Now that this has been achieved, we’ve been able to work together more.”
The next crucial step was to align the ISOs, identify overlaps and keep track of what processes were in place. To manage this more easily, we moved to a SharePoint system for the integrated management framework. This was made as user friendly as possible to ease the transition.
“Switching to SharePoint has many benefits. It allows for more improved collaboration; several people can have the same file open and see what the other users are doing. We can also control access better and prevent unauthorised changes,” commented Marvyn.
Following this, all of the separate files, databases and spreadsheets from our Brandon and Nazeing sites had to be amalgamated into single, integrated files. This now means that we have one accident log, one approved suppliers’ database and one non-conformance register. “It gives us greater visibility across the business,” explained Marvyn. “This makes it much easier to carry out trend analysis across both sites and compare performance.”
After training our teams on the new system, we had Stage One and Stage Two assessments from BSI. Stage One confirmed that our new integrated management system meets the requirements of PAS 99 and that of the individual ISO standards. The second assessment went deeper and checked that we are actively carrying out our processes.
We successfully passed these assessments and then agreed on an integrated approach to our surveillance audits going forward. This will reduce the number of individual audits that need to be carried out, saving us both time and money.
“What we can expect going forwards is a much more streamlined surveillance process with fewer audit days and much less repetition,” said Marvyn.
What are the benefits of PAS 99 for Lignacite?
By achieving PAS 99 and implementing an integrated management system, we benefit from several key advantages:
- We now have just one set of policies and procedures for both of our sites.
- Common objectives are highlighted for efficiency.
- Roles and responsibilities are more clearly defined.
- Both of our sites now work more closely together.
- Systems have been updated and aligned across both sites.
- Opportunities for improvement are more easily identified.
- We can more effectively carry out our commitments to quality, health & safety and environmental responsibilities.
Commenting on the achievement, Marvyn said: “Developing the integrated management system and gaining the PAS 99 certification has taken a lot of time and involved a huge amount of work. I cannot emphasise enough just how much of an achievement this certification is and what it means for the business going forwards.”
In the future, our ISO 50001 for energy management will be assessed under PAS 99 too. Currently it is still being assessed separately, although its processes have already been integrated. We are also working on our ISO 27001 certification for information security management. Stay tuned!
