Articles and Presentations Library
Undertaking Integrated Management System Audits
The traditional environmental management system is undergoing a quiet revolution as it has become apparent that duplication of management system elements is unnecessary and leads to inefficiency. These days, businesses are establishing one streamlined management system that delivers all the HSEQ needs in one package. The benefits include the ease of maintenance of procedures and instructions, more awareness of procedures by groups of users and easier tracking of actions and communications. Another clear benefit is that auditors are on-site for one visit only and time is used more effectively, keeping down costs and any disruption caused by the audit itself.
However, for the auditor, the overall level of skill required to perform the HSE or HSEQ audit is increased, the knowledge base and technical capabilities are more demanding and the potential for bias towards the favoured standard may also be an issue to watch for.
Auditors conducting integrated internal audits require more training mainly because the requirement for careful planning and preparation is increased, as is the greater use of checklists and timetabling. Guidance through training and shadowing of integrated audits improves the confidence of the auditor and helps to address any concerns that would otherwise impede the whole process. Knowledge of one or even two standards may already be established, but most certification auditors who wish to become integrated auditors are undergoing a lengthy process of extension of knowledge and experience and this often involves studying Health & Safety courses (Certificate or Diploma), attending relevant lead auditor courses (IEMA-approved of course) and developing a track record in integrated audits.
In planning integrated audits, a spread of departments or areas should be visited and it is always advisable to identify the key business risks that are relevant to each area and for each standard. This provides a vital starting point for the audit because it is then possible to ask the auditee how the particular risk is controlled which in turn provides a lead into the procedures, communications and processes that are employed by the organisation. It is the task of the auditor to link the issues with the correct standard and the relevant element. For the auditor, it’s business as usual only three times more involved – a point that illustrates the value of a carefully constructed checklist and timetable.
One example of a recent integrated audit (quality and environmental) involved a check of monitoring equipment used to gather stack emission data. The absence of the equipment could be linked to the purchasing department which eventually identified a flaw approving the supplier as required by a particularly convoluted approval process. The linkage of issues through two or even three standards sometimes provides some very interesting audit trails which help the business to improve as a whole rather than in isolated business functions or areas.
John Marsden (FIEMA)
info@marsden-international.com
John is an independent management system auditor who works for a number of international certification bodies.
