We should welcome your comments, constructive or otherwise (!) by e-mail, snail mail or even carrier pigeon.

Contents:

• Registrars
• Business Management?

• Waste
• Packaging
• Oil Storage Regs

• Regulations
• Reports
• Publications

Roundup:

It seems that the registration bodies who issue the certificates are keen to make the transition from ISO9001/2: 1994 to ISO9001: 2000 as painless as possible. So much so that we hear they are handing out new certificates based on plans to achieve the new standard rather than demonstrated results. Perhaps they have anticipated that companies might see the new standard as too difficult, and therefore might drop their registration entirely. It could therefore be cynically concluded that they are doing everything they can to retain their customers, who pay annual fees to maintain their registration.

Our view is that companies who get an ISO9001: 2000 certificate based on a barely modified quality management system are missing out on the opportunity to make their quality system really work for them. ISO9001: 2000 gives companies much greater freedom to structure their quality management system in a way that suits their business. Gone are the 20 clauses of ISO9001: 1994, each of which needed to be addressed by a written procedure. The new version of the standard emphasises "processes", which every business uses, perhaps without being aware of it.

If you feel that a quality management system is only there to satisfy auditors, and gets in the way of running your business, give us a call to discuss the fresh approach that ISO9001: 2000 makes possible. You may be surprised that you can throw out some of those old procedures!

Do you still measure quality in terms of customer complaints? Many companies we speak to think "quality must be OK because no one complains". But have you thought about the customer who soldiers on, without complaining, the customers who say nothing, but don't return, and the potential customers who don't buy because they think you cannot meet their needs. Successful businesses see a quality management system as the way they address all these issues. Quality is not just about the products you offer now, but the ones you might develop if you really understood the needs of your customers. It's about delivering that product consistently, so that the customer can rely on your product doing what he needs when he needs it, and at a price that he perceives as good value. Quality is also about continual improvement; looking for ways to do things better so that you can deliver sooner, make it cheaper, reduce wastage etc. And that's what business is about.

If we are talking your language, then contact QES Connect to see how we can work with you to make your business more successful.

HEALTH AND SAFETY (MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS) REGULATIONS

In a quiet period for new legislation, HSE have published proposals for amendments to ten important regulations. Some clarify issues raised by the European Commission for eight important regulations. Changes to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regs and the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regs will allow employees to claim against their employers for damages arising from breaches of the regs. HSE does not expect these changes will have a significant effect for most activities. We shall keep our customers posted as the changes become law.

TRANSPORT - ROAD TRAFFIC INCIDENTS

HSE's Work-Related Road Safety Task Group has recommended that Government and the Health and Safety Commission take measures to reduce at-work road traffic incidents. The key proposal is that existing health and safety law should be applied to on-the-road work activities and that employers should manage road risk in the same way as they manage other occupational health and safety risks. It states that much action to improve at-work road safety should be addressed by guidance. It also suggests a series of cost/benefit case studies to educate employers regarding the true cost to their businesses of at-work road accidents. This report is available from HSE Books (ISBN 0717622398) for £6.95

HEALTH AND SAFETY STATISTICS 2000/01

This is an annual report bringing together statistics on work-related ill health, work related injuries, dangerous occurrences, enforcement and gas safety.

Part 1: Statistics of workplace injury, gas safety, dangerous occurrences and enforcement action
Part 2: Occupational ill-health statistics

Part 1 of the report contains a detailed analysis by industry and by injury type. Data shows that 215 employees died in 2000/01 as a result of work-related injuries. 46 of these were working in manufacturing industries. A further 349,000 employees sustained major injuries or injuries resulting in 3 or more days away from work. Of these 45,000 incidents occurred in manufacturing industry and resulted in at least 135,000 lost work days, not to mention the pain and suffering endured by the employees or their families.

Part 2 of the report indicates the main causes of occupational ill health. Data is derived from a survey of the Labour Workforce that indicates a small reduction from the 2 million or so estimated cases reported in the 1995 survey. Although the report is complex, it is clear that the most commonly reported illness is musculo-skeletal disorder, followed by stress-related illness.

This report is available from HSE Books or can be downloaded as a .pdf file from the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/books.htm

MEASURING HEALTH & SAFETY PERFORMANCE

HSE has published this guide for those organisations that understand the principles of H&S management and wish to improve their existing approach to measuring H&S performance. The guide stays close to the HSG65 model for an H&S management system as might be expected. It successfully kills the myth that injury / illness statistics define performance and proposes monitoring and measuring for all the basic processes that enable good control of hazards and risks, including performance at senior and intermediate management levels. If you want to take your company beyond basic H&S Policy and risk assessment this might be useful guidance. You can find it at www.hse.gov.uk/opsunit/perfmeas.htm in .pdf format for downloading.

WORK-RELATED STRESS: A SHORT GUIDE

Published by HSE (INDG281 rev1) (ISBN 0717621375) in November, this leaflet is aimed at employers and managers in small firms, with less than 50 employees. It answers some common questions about work-related stress. It explains what it is and what managers can do about it. The leaflet also contains a table listing common stressors and gives sources of further advice.

Are you throwing profit away?

This was the headline for a publicity leaflet issued last October by Envirowise, the government-backed body giving advice to business on waste minimisation strategy and methods. They suggest that companies can move up to £1000 per employee to their bottom line simply by adopting a proactive approach to the subject.

What is your Company's contribution to the 78 M Tonnes of waste produced each year?

Places to look include the whole process from raw materials to finished product and everywhere in between, including energy.

The consultation offered by Envirowise is free. If you are based in the Ipswich area, you might be interested in the Suffolk Waste Club. This pilot project run by Envirowise for a consortium of District Councils in Suffolk and is based at Ransomes Euro Park. It offers a wide range of services including Self-help Workshops, Waste Minimisation Audits, Training, Action Plans, Limited Support, Club review meetings, Establishing Baseline, Monitoring Benefits, and Waste exchange.
The Envirowise Help line is 0800 585794 or you can find them on the web at www.envirowise.gov.uk.

Whether you join a group or decide to go it alone, QES Connect can help you to build a management system that ensures you look for improvements in those savings every year.

If your company has a turnover in excess of £2M and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging you should be registered with a compliance scheme or providing proof of compliance through submission of Packaging Recovery Notes for recovered or recycled materials.

A consultation exercise, completed last November suggests that targets for 2002 and beyond may be difficult to meet. This implies that the inspection regime may be on the look out for non-compliant organisations.
The paper can be viewed on www.environment-agency.gov.uk.

A Cambridge company was fined £5,000 plus costs in December 01 for failing to register and not providing evidence of compliance. Can you afford to ignore the warning?

"A third of all water pollution incidents involve oil"

This is a quote taken from the Environment Agency's Oilcare Web Page. They go on to say that one sixth of ALL pollution incidents in 2000 involved oil. The environmental damage is justification enough for the introduction of preventive legislation in the form of the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001.

When do the regulations come into effect?

• New oil stores will have to comply from 1st March 2002.
• Existing oil stores "at significant risk" will have to comply within two years, that is from 1st September 2003.
• All remaining existing oil stores must comply within four years, that is from 1st September 2005.

In general, an oil store will be considered to be at "significant risk" if it is located within 10 metres of a watercourse or 50 metres of a well or borehole.

Which types of oil are covered?

All types of oil, with the exception of waste oil, are covered by these regulations including petrol, diesel, vegetable, synthetic and mineral oil. Waste oil is already covered by the Waste Management Licensing Regulations. Should you be reviewing the oil storage arrangements for your site?

More information can be found on the agency web site at www.environment-agency.tv/oilcare/.

Let QES Connect help you to manage change. Our support package includes keeping our customers informed about changes to legislation and help with implementation when required. We can also carry out an environmental impact assessment for your site to help you manage your environmental performance more effectively.

We celebrated our first anniversary in December last. It was a quiet affair! We are pleased with what we have achieved so far. "And what was that?" I hear you say. Well, we have a well-defined product, a clearly identified market and a corporate image. As a bonus, we have some satisfied customers.

As we talk to companies and visit potential clients, we are amazed by the variety of attitudes to our subjects. They range from the highly professional (nice to see and good to talk to) to the totally dismissive ("Never had a problem, mate!"). Companies in the latter category are the most difficult to help.

Small wonder, then, that the level of injuries in the workplace continues at about the same rate, year on year, despite the efforts of the HSE and our fellow consultants. We hope that the "Revitalising Health and Safety" strategy, launched in June 2000, will reap dividends, but with halfway point targets of 15% reduction in lost workdays, 10% reduction in ill-health incidences and 5% reduction in fatalities and major injuries, all by 2003/4, something significant needs to happen, and soon, to reverse the trends.

So birthdays are for looking forward as well as back. We shall be here to play our part in the coming year, and this newsletter is the first step in developing our market. If you would like to tell us what you think of it, or wish to comment on any of the subjects raised, please write, call or e-mail us (addresses in contact page).

It's many years since the first body was spotted in the river. Some old-timers remember how spartan the facilities and procedures for that sort of thing used to be. Sometimes, they say, it would take hours to pull 10 people from the river, and then only a few would survive.

Though the number of victims in the river has greatly increased in recent years, the good folks of Downstream have responded admirably to the challenge. Their rescue system is clearly second to none; most people discovered in the swirling waters are reached within 20 minutes, many in less than 10. Only a small number drown each day before help arrives, a great improvement on the way it used to be.

The people of Downstream speak with pride about the flotilla of rescue boats ready for service at a moment's notice, the new hospital beside the river, the comprehensive plans for coordinating all the manpower involved, and the large number of highly trained and dedicated swimmers always ready to risk their lives to save victims from the raging currents. They agree that it costs a lot, but, say the Downstreamers, what else can decent people do except to provide whatever it takes when human lives are at stake?

A few people in Downstream have raised the question now and again, but most folks show little interest in what's happening Upstream. It seems there's so much to do to help those in the river that nobody has got time to check how all those bodies are getting there in the first place.

That's the way things are, sometimes.

Produced by QES Connect Ltd. Except where stated, the material included in the newsletter is taken from freely available public sources. It may be reproduced without permission for non-commercial purposes.