SQT Blog

Congratulations to Antaris Consulting, our Quality, Environment, Health and Safety and Energy training partner, who recently won a consultancy contract in Saudi Arabia. Gerry Higgins Managing Director of Antaris said We are delighted with our recent appointment by the Ma’aden Phosphate Company in Saudi Arabia to implement an integrated Management System (Safety, Health, Quality, Environment & Energy) in their operations.

The Management System, which is to be completed within a challenging time frame, is to be showcased at the World Enviro-Management Conference 2012 in October of this year.

The system will be implemented at two sites: the mining facility at Jalamid and the processing plant at Ras Al Khair, from where the Diammonium Phosphate (DAM) produced is sold primarily into international markets. These projects form part of parent company Ma’aden’s commitment to develop the mineral wealth of Saudi Arabia and become a catalyst for downstream industries.

Quality Ireland emerged in early 2012 from an initiative at the Quality Management Standards Committee hosted by NSAI. Its members come from a variety of backgrounds. It has now set up a LinkedIn group – Quality Ireland.

According to Quality Ireland, their LinkedIn group is a powerful communication network for people who share their vision of “A better Ireland” and support their mission ‘To promote and foster a culture of quality in Ireland to make life better for individuals, communities, organisations and society in general”.

Membership of the Quality Ireland LinkedIn Group is available, on a moderated basis, to people of all backgrounds who would like to support their work.

Our colleagues in Sligo IT are organising a conference:

QUALITY IN IRELAND 2012
March 30th
Clarion Hotel, Sligo.

Quoting Bob Kennedy, the conference organiser:
It is time to recognise the contribution of the quality management profession to the development of a sustainable economy and society for all of us. This one day conference will stimulate a new debate on the great achievements of quality and the possibilities it offers for a better future. Nine speakers representing most sectors of the economy will lead this debate. I hope you can join us and share your own experiences and wisdom.

Details here

Best of luck with it Bob.

At the end of last year ISO published an updated edition of the ISO 19011 auditing standard which aims to help organisations to save money, time and resources by providing a uniform approach to multiple management system audits.

In today’s business environment, many organisations incorporate a number of management systems, such as quality, environmental, occupational health & safety and information security. As a result, these organisations want to harmonise and, where possible, combine the auditing of these systems.
Compared to the first edition of the standard published in 2002 which applied only to ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment), the scope of ISO 19011:2011, Guidelines for auditing management systems, has been expanded to reflect current thinking and the complexities of auditing multiple management system standards (MSS).

The new standard aims to help user organisations to optimise and facilitate the integration of their management systems and, in facilitating a single audit of its systems, will streamline the audit processes, reduce duplication of effort and decrease disruption of work units being audited.

Specific attention is given to the implementation of the audit programme. By fully applying these guidelines, the prerequisites are provided to make auditing a crucial tool for top management to achieve the objectives of the organisation and add-value.

ISO 19011:2011 provides guidance on the conduct of internal or external management system audits, as well as on the management of audit programmes. Intended users of this International Standard include auditors, audit team leaders, audit programme managers, organisations implementing management systems, and organisations needing to conduct audits of management systems for contractual or regulatory reasons.

Alister Dalrymple, Convenor of the team that updated the guidelines, described the benefits which the new standard is expected to bring to users and the improvements made compared to the 2002 edition it replaces:
ISO 19011:2011 has been revised to provide auditors, organisations implementing management systems and organisations needing to conduct audits of management systems an opportunity to re-assess their own practices and identify improvement opportunities.

Compared to the 2002 version, the standard adds the concept of risk and recognises more explicitly the competence of the audit team and individual auditors. Also, the use of technology in remote auditing is acknowledged, for example, conducting remote interviews and reviewing records remotely.”

Another improvement is the clarification of the relationship between ISO 19011:2011 and ISO/IEC 17021:2011, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems. While those involved in management system certification audits follow the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021:2011, they might also find the guidance in this International Standard useful.

This post has been adapted from information published on the International Organisation for Standardisation website

New FETAC management system standards have been developed.

They consist of a 15 credit, Level 6, Special Purpose award, Documented Management Systems which is made up of a mandatory minor, Characteristics of Management Systems, and one of the following minors:
Quality Management Systems
Environmental Management Systems
Health and Safety Management Systems

The draft standards are now up on the FETAC website for comment by interested parties. Here is a link to the page. Instructions as to how you can provide feedback are included.

If these standards are of interest to you/your company, now is the chance to contribute your feedback before the standards are published. Time is of the essence as the opportunity for feedback will only be about 10 days.

It is planned to develop further related standards in the future.

Our tutors in the area of Quality, Environment and Health and Safety are TMS Consultancy. TMS specialise in training and consultancy in these three core areas. TMS also however maintain registers of legislation on behalf of many Irish and UK companies. This internet based service assists organisation in understanding, interpreting and reacting to their legal requirements. It dramatically reduces the implementation costs associated with such systems and allows for organisation-wide involvement.

The TMS Register of Legislation service is the only ISO 9001 certified service of its kind in Ireland.

Here is the website of their register of legislation.

The benefits for an organisation include:

• ISO14001: 2004, OHSAS 18001, ILO-OSH 2001 and EMAS Regulation compliant.
• Expert interpretation of the organisation’s exposure/liability.
• Continuous updates on new/impending legislation.
• Any staff can access expert information anywhere they need it.
• Satisfies applicable legislative/regulatory conditions.
• Links the organisation to SIs, Acts, Regulations, Directives, Codes of Practice and additional guidance.

Organisations using this service from TMS  include:

• Analog Devices
• Alps Electric
• Avid Technology
• Banta Global Turnkey
• Cadbury Ireland
• Dell Inc.
• Element Six
• ESB
• ESBI
• Glanbia
• Guidant Ireland
• Hewlett Packard
• Kerry Ingredients
• Lotus Automation
• O2 Communications
• SMC Group
• Walsh Western

More information can be obtained by contacting TMS at 061 464666 or info@registeroflegislation

The old adage that ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it’, is so obvious and worthy of the Homer Simpson ‘Dah really’, that it is hard to believe that many of us don’t apply this basic principle or else we apply it incorrectly i.e., we measure the wrong things.

How many times have we heard our political masters pontificate on the ‘Millions of Euro we have invested in our Health Service?’  … that’s all fine and well but it doesn’t address the ‘So what’ of the investment – i.e., is it money well spent and for example have we seen an improvement in the following measurements?

• A substantial (versus the best European performance) reduction in the number of people on waiting lists, year on year
• A substantial (versus the best European performance) increase in the number of people successfully accessing our health services, year on year
• A substantial (versus the best European performance) reduction in the average time to successfully use our health services and also the variation around that average, again year on year

Accurate measurements and trustworthy data are the heartbeat of any successful improvement effort but instead of giving you the technical jargon how about the following commonsense …

This ditty is something I learned in my first job back in the mid-eighties from a wise old quality practitioner.

If you measure then you must record,

If you record then you must analyse,

If you analyse, then you must take action,

If you take action, you must follow-up to check for effectiveness,

If you follow-up, you must close-out!

It’s a bit like what Magnus Magnuson says – ‘I’ll start so I’ll finish’ – you have to close the loop otherwise it is just wasted time and resource.

With September coming and children returning to school and students starting or returning to college, many people begin to think of their own training needs. There has never been as much emphasis on upskilling for all of us.

Here in SQT we find a big increase in course bookings at this time of year. I just want to draw your attention to some of the longer courses commencing shortly. Here’s a quick list and I’ve inserted a link back to the course page, where further details can be found. I’ve included public courses of four days or more duration.

Black Belt – HETAC level 8, commencing 12th October Dublin

Green Belt – HETAC level 7, commencing 22nd September Dublin and 19th October in Cork

Green Belt – HETAC level 6, commencing 22nd September Dublin and 19th October in Cork

NEBOSH International Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, commencing 23rd September Dublin

NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, commencing 28th September Dublin

Certified Energy Management – AEE, commencing 21st September Dublin

Train the Trainer, National Register of Trainers – FETAC level 6, commencing 12th October Dublin and 16th November Limerick

Quality Management Systems Auditor/Lead Auditor – IRCA, commencing various dates in the Autumn in Dublin and Limerick

Lean Manufacturing Tools – FETAC level 5, commencing 14th September Dublin

IEMA Approved Foundation Course in Environmental Auditing (Ireland), commencing 11th October Dublin

IEMA Approved Advanced EMS Auditing Course (Ireland), commencing 22nd November Dublin

Occupational Health & Safety Management System Lead Auditor, commencing 8th November Dublin

Good luck to all.

A common question we get asked is “Should I attend the five day Quality Management Systems Auditor / Lead Auditor or the two day Internal Quality Auditor training course?”

The answer really depends on what level of involvement the individual will have in Quality Management Systems (QMS) auditing – the two day course is for internal auditors who would normally perform internal audits of part of the QMS in addition to their normal “everyday” role. The five day course is for individuals who will have a more detailed involvement in auditing and many will have full-time roles as QMS auditors either of vendors/suppliers or third party organizations, normally auditing the entire QMS.

The aim of the five day Quality Management Systems Auditor/Lead Auditor training course is to provide learners with the in-depth knowledge and skills required to perform external audits i.e. vendor (second party) and independent e.g., certification (third party) audits of Quality Management Systems against ISO 9001, in accordance with ISO 19011. The skills gained can also be used by internal auditors though usually these people will be from larger organizations and/or regulated industries. It is also very useful for those who themselves are audited by customers, or regulatory/certification bodies. Learners have also found it also very beneficial for those who wish to implement or manage Quality Management Systems in their own organizations to meet the requirements of ISO 9001.

The five day course assumes the learner has a good prior knowledge of the standard, though learners can develop their understanding immediately prior to and throughout the course.

The aim of the two day Internal Quality Auditor training course is to provide learners with a good understanding of the structure and purpose of ISO 9001 and the knowledge and skills to perform internal (first party) audits i.e., internal audits within their own organisation of their Quality Management Systems against ISO 9001, in accordance with ISO 19011. It is also useful if they are an auditee i.e., on the receiving end of internal or external audits and for learners who wish to update their organization’s approach to internal QMS auditing, making sure audits add-value and facilitate improvement.

Learners with no prior knowledge of ISO 9001 can be accommodated on the two day course.

On both courses, various exercises are carried out using role-plays, case studies and sample documentation. On In-House courses, the practical exercises can be carried out using the organisation’s own quality system and can be planned to finish with an internal QMS audit carried out by the learners themselves.

Both courses are IRCA certified and delivered by TMS Consultancy, an IRCA approved Training Organisation.

IRCA, the International Register of Certificated Auditors is the world’s original and largest international certification body for auditors of management systems. Learners on both courses are assessed against IRCA criteria. Continuous assessment is used on the two day Internal QMS Auditor course. The five day course is assessed by both continuous assessment and a written examination.

Learners who successfully complete these training courses can go on to be registered with IRCA as auditors provided they meet IRCA’s training, education, work and audit experience requirements for the relevant auditor grade.The requirements for IRCA registration of auditors are here.

I hope this post clarifies the differences between the two courses.

Toyota, the Japanese car manufacturer has certainly learnt that lesson.

One can’t but feel slightly sorry for the company as it faces one of the biggest crises of its 77-year history. The company has been forced to recall millions of cars worldwide after it was discovered that there was a potential issue with the accelerator pedal in a number of models.

My attention was drawn by Simply Zesty, an Online PR and Social Media company to a video on YouTube by Toyota’s Director in the UK, Jon Williams giving a message of reassurance to customers and outlining how Toyota will manage the recall of customer’s vehicles.

I don’t know what you think, but the video gave me confidence that Toyota is endeavouring to deal with this major quality problem in a very professional manner.

It is interesting how social media is being used to get Toyota’s message out in this crisis. Simple Zesty have included examples here of other companies (Eurostar and Dominos Pizza) using YouTube in dealing with Quality problems.