Health & Safety » IMS International LLP Blog

SSIP Membership

Oct 252012

IMS International have recently become members of the Safety Systems In Procurement Scheme which is an umbrella organisation which aims to reduce the bureaucracy with maintaining Health and Safety Management Systems. Each member has a mutually recognisable health and safety scheme, thus reducing the need to apply for a number of different certifications.

As a requirement to be members of the scheme, IMS International were required to present their UKAS Accreditation Certificate for Health and Safety Management Schemes to prove that we have competent auditors and manage our clients in a certain manner.

If you would like to know more about the SSIP or OHSAS 18001 then please visit our main website or contact our Head Office on 01376 500068.

OHSAS 18001:2007 UKAS Accreditation

OHSAS 18001 No Responses »

Oct 142012

IMS International are pleased to announce that after a long drawn out process we have successfully achieved OHSAS 18001:2007 UKAS Accreditation.

Many clients already have OHSAS 18001 certificates unaccredited, if you would like to receive a quotation for this to become accredited then please contact the head office www.imsworld.org

If you would like to know more about OHSAS 18001 then please follow the link

One Step Closer to OHSAS 18001 Accreditation

News, OHSAS 18001 No Responses »

Jan 182012

IMS have successfully passed their office assessment from UKAS for OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety Management Systems Accreditation.

The next step in the process is to have a witnessed assessment on a willing and able client. We have a couple of new applications in the pipeline which may be suitable but if there are any current clients who do not mind having UKAS witness them being audited then please contact the office.

Thanks to everyone for their support during the process, had some valuable input from some colleagues and associates to IMS.

We will keep everyone posted on the progress

Benefits of UKAS Accredited Certification/Inspection Bodies

AS9100, CE Marking, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, Notified Body, OHSAS 18001, Reliance Technical Service, Testing No Responses »

Mar 212011

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the Sole Appointed National Accreditation Body within the United Kingdom.

On the 9th July 2008 the EU Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted the EU Regulation 765/08 on Accreditation and Market Surveillance.

With effect from the 1st January 2010, the EU Regulation established a legal framework for the provision of accreditation services across Europe. The Department for Business Innovation & Skills appointed the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) as the UK’s NAB.

UKAS are signatories to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the European Co-operation on Accreditation (EA) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC).

If you are responsible for ensuring your business is certified make sure the certification body you select is accredited by UKAS. UKAS Accreditation provides assurance in the market as UKAS accredited certification bodies operate to recognised standards. The accreditation process provides consumers with the confidence that the quality of the service they procure is of a consistently high standard.

Choosing a UKAS Accredited Certification and/or Inspection Body adds a number of benefits to your business which include:

de-risk your procurement by taking the guesswork out of choosing a certification body and by giving you the confidence that you will get the service that best fulfils your requirements;
win new business particularly since the use of accredited services is increasingly a stipulation of specifiers, most notably in the public sector;
facilitate access to international markets since UKAS accredited certificates are recognised throughout the world;
help you to identify best practice since your certification body is required to have appropriate knowledge of your business sector;
control costs with the help of knowledge transfer since accredited certification bodies can be a good source of impartial advice;
offer market differentiation and leadership by showing to others credible evidence of good practice;
demonstrate due diligence in the event of legal action;
reduce paperwork and increase efficiency by reducing the necessity to re-audit your business

IMS International LLP are accredited by UKAS (Certification Body number 078) for ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, AS9100 Rev B, AS9120 and ISO 9001:2008 TickIT.

Reliance Technical Service Ltd are accredited by UKAS (Inspection Body number 0430) for ISO 17020 inspections. Reliance are also a Notified Body (NB 2141) for the Safety of Toys for Europe.

Dongguan Testing Laboratory are accredted by CNAS (Testing Laboratory Number 3783) for the testing of toys to EN71 for the Safety of Toys.

For further information on the IMS group and the services we provide, visit our main website www.imsworld.org

First Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 Fine

Legislation, OHSAS 18001 No Responses »

Feb 182011

The first company to be convicted against The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 has been fined £385,000.

The company was fined after being convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court this week.

An employee died whilst taking a soil sample in a deep trench, whcih collapsed and killed him.

Evaluation of Compliance as part of ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001

ISO 14001, Legislation, OHSAS 18001 No Responses »

Oct 052010

Clause 4.5.2 within ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 is often a weakness within an organisations system and in most cases the process is not fully understood. The European Co-operation for Accreditation produced a guidance document (EA-07/4) on this subject which can be downloaded here (EA-7-04) but some of the detail is shown below.

While certification of an Environmental Management System against the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 or OHSAS 18001:2007 is not a guarantee of legal compliance, (neither is any other means of control, including government or other type of control and/or legal compliance inspections), it is a proven and efficient tool to achieve and maintain such legal compliance.

Accredited ISO 14001:2004 or OHSAS 18001:2007 certification should demonstrate that an independent third-party (Certification Body) has evaluated and confirmed that the organisation has a demonstrably effective EMS or H&S to ensure the fulfilment of its policy commitments including legal compliance.

Certification Body auditors are required to audit conformity of an EMS or H&S to the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 or OHSAS 18001:2007. They are not required to make a direct evaluation of legal compliance since this is the requirement for the organisation nor is the auditor required to conduct a compliance audit, which would be the role of the environmental regulator or an auditor/inspector contracted specifically for this purpose.

It is the organisation’s responsibility, and a function of the EMS or H&S, to ensure that the organisation periodically evaluates compliance with each and every applicable legal requirement & it is aware of its compliance status. An EMS or H&S certified as meeting the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 or OHSAS 18001:2007 is expected to be able to identify the organisation’s compliance status.

The IMS auditor should be able to determine whether the organisation has established the necessary procedures and evaluated their legal compliance in sufficient depth to demonstrate legal compliance.

An IMS Auditor will evaluate the effectiveness of the organisations evaluation through:

sampling the organisation’s determination of compliance with examples of specific legal compliance
looking for evidence of compliance such as reviewing the waste transfer documentation
reviewing the organisations evaluation process to ensure that the process has covered all legal requirements
verify the capability of the evaluation, this may be through the competencies of the personnel performing the evaluations

The responsibility for legal compliance stays with the organisation, therefore the evaluation process you perform is significant to the effectiveness of your EMS or H&S Systems.

The evaluation process is similar to an internal audit process but the organisation should pay specific attention to the legislative requirements and if they are being effectively met.

As an example; waste transfer notes are currently required to be retained for 2 years for non hazardous waste and 3 years for hazardous, you also need to ensure that the organisation taking the waste is licensed and take the waste to a licensed facility for that type of waste. To evaluate compliance to this an auditor could select a number of waste transfer notes for the different types of waste streams within the organisation, ensure that the records are available, the person taking/collecting the waste has a valid waste carriers license and there is a copy of the waste management license/environmental permit for the disposal site which is valid for the type of waste received. The evaluation notes/evidence should be able to clearly demonstrate that documents and records have been reviewed and are satisfactory for ensuring legal compliance.

There is not necessarily a right or wrong way of evaluating your legal compliance but the auditor should have confidence in the system that you have implemented.

The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010

Legislation, OHSAS 18001 No Responses »

Jun 192010

The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010 came into effect on the 27th April 2010

The purpose of the regulation is to protect workers against exposure to harmful artificial light, such as laser displays and includes sources of ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light. Too much exposure to certain light sources can be harmful to the eyes and the skin.

Examples of hazardous sources of very intense light that pose a ‘reasonably forseable’ risk of harming the yes and skin of workers and where control measures are needed include:

Metal working – welding (both arc and oxy-fuel) and plasma cutting – mainly eye damage;
Pharmaceutical and research – UV fluorescence and sterilisation systems – mainly skin burn;
Hot industries – furnaces – eye and skin damage;
Printing – UV curing of inks – mainly skin burn;
Motor vehicle repairs – UV curing of paints – mainly skin burn;
Medical and cosmetic treatments – laser surgery, blue light and UV therapies – eye and skin damage;
Research and education – all uses of Class 3B and Class 4 lasers – potentially permanent eye and skin damage;
Entertainment – high intensity lighting and lasers;

Less common hazardous sources can be associated with specialist activities – for example companies manufacturing or repairing equipment containing lasers which would otherwise be hidden.
Organisations already have duties under existing health and safety law to protect workers against these hazards, and the new AOR regulations restate the requirement for risk assessment, taking steps to eliminate or reduce risks, providing necessary training, and where appropriate, health surveillance.

Safe light sourcesinclude the vast majority used in the workplace such as:

All forms of ceiling-mounted lighting used in offices etc with diffusers over the bulb. This includes compact fluorescent floodlighting; ceiling-mounted tungsten halogen spotlights; and ceiling-mounted tungsten lamps
Compact fluorescent lamps and tungsten halogen lamps when situated at distances more than 60cm from the user
All forms of task lighting. This includes desk lamps, including tungsten task lighting
Photocopiers
Computer or similar display equipment, including personal digital assistants
Photographic flash-lamps
Gas-fired overhead heaters
Vehicle indicator, brake reversing and fog lamps

More intense sources could be a problem if they are stared at for long periods or if they are in very close proximity to workers. It is our natural instinct to look away from these before harm can occur and in addition, they are often used at a safe distance from workers. These measures continue to be acceptable and no special conditions are required. Examples include:

Ceiling-mounted fluorescent lighting without diffusers over the bulb
High-pressure mercury floodlighting
Desktop projectors
Interactive whiteboard presentation equipment
Vehicle headlights
Non-laser medical applications such as: theatre and task lighting; diagnostic lighting such as foetal transilluminators and X-ray viewing boxes
UV insect traps
Art and entertainment applications such as illuminating by spotlights, effect lights and flash-lamps
Any Class 1, 1M, 2, 2M & 3R laser devices where not used in combination with magnifying aids. Examples include laser printers; CD/DVD recorders; materials processing lasers; disconnected fibre-optic systems; bar code scanners; level and alignment devices in civil engineering and surveying; and laser pointers.

What should you already be doing?

If you have a hazardous light source you should have in place sensible control measures following the principles below:
Use an alternative, safer light source which can achieve the same result
Prevent access of the light source to the skin and eyes of workers by engineering controls eg screening, interlocks, clamping (rather than holding) work pieces
Organise work to reduce exposure of workers and others – restrict access to hazardous areas by non-essential staff (eg use dedicated room; screening/barriers; display warning signs), increase distance between staff and source (eg remote control, time delays)
Issue appropriate personal protective equipment – eg goggles and face shields
Provide information and training to employees
Have emergency arrangements in place
Completed a risk assessment.

For further information and guidance visit the hse website

Terry Westley of TW Associates