ISO 14001:2015 Revision Is finally here

ISO 14001:2015
Environmental management systems -- Requirements with guidance for use

The latest revision has finally arrived. 

Quick overview :

ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance. ISO 14001:2015 is intended for use by an organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.

ISO 14001:2015 helps an organization achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provide value for the environment, the organization itself and interested parties. Consistent with the organization's environmental policy, the intended outcomes of an environmental management system include:

· enhancement of environmental performance;

· fulfilment of compliance obligations;

· achievement of environmental objectives.

ISO 14001:2015 is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type and nature, and applies to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services that the organization determines it can either control or influence considering a life cycle perspective. ISO 14001:2015 does not state specific environmental performance criteria.

ISO 14001:2015 can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve environmental management. Claims of conformity to ISO 14001:2015, however, are not acceptable unless all its requirements are incorporated into an organization's environmental management system and fulfilled without exclusion.

For more information, go to www.iso.org

DIS ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Requirements

This revision is due to be published later this year.

By 2018, the current ISO 9001:2008 version shall cease and all QMS shall be certified to the 2015 version. Check with your certification body for actual timeline. 

This 2015 version has been re-structured with new requirements & Clauses revised.

Here are the KEY Changes :

• Retained ISO9001:2008 requirements have been moved into Clause 8 (Operation)
• "Exclusion" is no longer in use. Organization shall review "Applicability" in their QMS & which requirements could not be applied (with justifications).  
• No specific requirement for a quality manual.
• No specific requirements for procedures.
• Maintain documented information could mean procedure, work instructions, method statement, documents, records, etc.
• No specific requirements for records.
• Retain documented information could mean records or evidence to demonstrate conformity or something has been carried out....
• No specific requirements to appoint a Management Representative (MR) as many responsibilities have now been moved to Top Management. But someone has to be the guardian / contact person to maintain Organizations' QMS.
• New concept : Context of Organization (internal & external factors)
• New concept : risk-based thinking (identify, monitor, measure, analyse, improve)
• Emphasize on Process Approach in QMS

Our BESH Recommended Actions for Organizations :

For Organizations who are already certified to ISO 9001:2008 :

• Understand the requirements in DIS ISO 9001:2015,
• Identify Context of Organization,
• Understand the needs & expectation of interested parties,
• Identify potential risks & opportunities in your processes, determine extend of controls,
• Engage Top Management & Key management staff to make them understand their added roles & responsibilities, authorities, etc.
• Document your business / operational processes as inter-connected process flow with Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) elements.
• There is no requirement to re-number your QMS documentations to be inline with the new standard's clause numbers. Identify gaps in your QMS & document how you would close these gaps (add actions, processes, etc).    
• Wait for the new standard to be published & review all your QMS documentation & processes. 
• Implement & monitor effectiveness of QMS.  

For Organizations who have implemented QMS but are not yet certified to ISO 9001 :

• Understand the requirements in DIS ISO 9001:2015,
• Identify gaps in your QMS & document how you would close these gaps (add actions, processes, etc). 
• Wait for the new standard to be published & review all your QMS documentation & processes before going for certification.   

For Organizations who have not embarked on the ISO 9001 journey :

• Understand the requirements in DIS ISO 9001:2015,
• Nominate management staff (Preferable managerial position) for training to understand the standard's requirements,
• Contact a reliable consultant to kick-start for your Organization.

Catching the BUGS - Workplace Safety & Health for Healthcare institutions & patients

When a worker falls sick, he/she goes to a GP clinic to see a doctor to get his/her illness fixed.

But whether or not he/she would contract other viruses and bugs at such visits depend very much on the clinic practices with respect to healthcare workers' safe practices and their handling / quarantine of patients at the clinic.

But with a tight labour market and high turn-over of clinic staff, how many GP clinics here have such practices in place as compared to hospitals ? 

As an employer and business owners, we have the responsibility to educate our employees and staff to be observant and take precautionary actions to prevent and infections contracted at such GP clinics.  

Know what are the recommended actions one could take ?
Need to do risk assessments at every clinic ?
Need to implement safe work procedures and train the clinical staff ?

Get the answers and recommendations from 2 doctors :

CATCHING THE BUGS : Preventing infections
Click here to read full article

Click here to view

SS 603:2014 Code of Practice for hazardous waste management

This Singapore standard replaces CP100:2004 with effect from 17 April 2015.

It was launched by The Singapore Chemical Industry Council Limited (SCIC) at Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre.







BESH Consultants Recommended Actions

1) Review and update management system documentations - Legal Register, SWP/Procedures, records, etc.

2) Communicate changes to relevant person(s),

3) Review and implement changes to waste container labelling.

4) Review TIW storage and disposal procedures to minimise storage at site.

5) Review audit frequency.


Main Changes (Highlites) 

3.3 Hazardous wastes
List of toxic industrial waste is defined by the Schedule of the Environmental Public Health (EPH)(Toxic Industrial Waste) Regulations.

5 Waste minimisation
...good management of hazardous waste is preventing wastes in the first place, followed by reduction, recycling, treatment & disposal, in that order.

6.3 Waste inventory, storage and treatment register
All hazardous waste generated in the facility should not be kept or used in the generator's premises unless there are on-site disposal facilities which are approved by NEA.

......should be disposed by TIWC (licensed collectors) as soon as possible and site storage should be minimised.

6.4 Risk Assessment
RA shall be conducted by the generator, carrier and TIWC.

6.4.3 Any person in the workplace who may be exposed to a risk during process of managing hazardous wastes shall be informed of the nature of risk involved and any measure or SWP implemented, prior to start work.

6.5 Waste container labelling
...should consist of information on waste type & pictogram(s) (red or black border) indicating main hazards. Other information - signal word and/or waste characteristics should be included where practicable.

8 Emergency Response
8.4 The emergency response plans and procedures should address......
(b) Mitigation of environmental impacts from the incident;

8.5 The generator, carrier and TIWC should conduct regular exercises of all or part of its emergency response plans and procedures to ensure that they are effective and their CERT is operationally ready at all times.

11 Auditing requirements
11.3 Frequency of audits
Sites should be audited at a frequency appropriate to their activity and risk, or as prescribed by local regulatory requirements. ((previously was once every 2 years or ...)

13 Managing special waste and unique situations
13.1 Special waste
NEA shall be consulted for....radioactive waste, bio-hazardous waste, disaster waste management, nano-materials and compressed hazardous gases.



Above standards costs S$31.00 at release of this post. 

PROBE Plus Forum 2015 Crane Safety

 



Forum Summary

 

From 1 Aug 2015, all new mobile cranes must be fitted with black boxes (just like aeroplanes) to record operation data for incident / accident investigations.

 

Existing mobile cranes must be fitted with such black boxes by 1 Aug 2018.

 

WSH Council will subsidise up to half the cost of installing a black box, capped at S$5000 for each crane. Funding is on a first-come-first serve basis.  

Human Factors in Safety - by Prof Chui Y.P (UniSIM)

 

Contributing factors to incidents / accidents due to :

1) Lack of situational awareness,

2) Distractions, inattention during performing tasks,

3) Perception / limitations,

4) Failure to ask "What If" questions.   

STEP (Slips, Trips Evaluation Programme) trial would be launched in 2015.

 

 

PROBE Plus Forum Speech & Highlites
Click here to view PROBE Plus Form 2015

 

 

 

 



Personal Data Protection Act 2012

For more information : http://www.pdpc.gov.sg

The Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal data by private organizations.

The PDPA contains 2 sets of requirements :

·       Personal data protection  (enforced on 2 July 2014),
·       Do Not Call (DNC) Registry (enforced on 2 Jan 2014)

The personal data protection requirements cover personal data stored in electronic and non-electronic forms.

Non-compliance Penalty

Do Not Call Provisions	Data Protection Provisions
·       Fine (S$10,000 max.) ·       Imprisonment (3 years max), ·       Or both	·       Fine (S$5,000 max.), ·       Financial penalty up to S$1 million,  ·       Imprisonment (12 months max), ·       Or both, ·       Civil suit (sue for damages)

 

Recommended Roadmap to Comply

·       Appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO),
·       Map out your personal data inventory,
·       Implement data protection processes,
·       Communicate policies & processes to employees & stakeholders,
·       Establish an internal audit policy & processes.

 

How BESH Consultants can assist you to comply

·       Assess your current “gaps” to comply,
·       Design & document compliance manual to your needs,
·       Train & brief your DPO on his / her responsibilities & implementation strategy,
·       Track implementation progress.  

 

Contact US TODAY.

 

ISO 14001:2015 EMS Emerging Changes

Source : ISO/TC 207/SC 1

© ISO/TC 207/SC 1 2 July 2014

Revision of ISO 14001 Environmental management systems
– Requirements with guidance for use

 

What are the emerging changes?

Strategic Environmental Management – There is an increased prominence of environmental management within the organization’s strategic planning processes. A new requirement to understand the organization’s context has been incorporated to identify and leverage opportunities for the benefit of both the organization and the environment. Particular focus is on issues or changing circumstances related to the needs and expectations of interested parties (including regulatory requirements) and local, regional or global environmental conditions that can affect, or be affected by, the organization. Once identified as a priority, actions to mitigate adverse risk or exploit beneficial opportunities are integrated in the operational planning of the environmental management system.

Leadership – To ensure the success of the system, a new clause has been added that assigns specific responsibilities for those in leadership roles to promote environmental management within the organization.

Protecting the environment – The expectation on organizations has been expanded to commit to proactive initiatives to protect the environment from harm and degradation, consistent with the context of the organization. The revised text does not define ‘protect the environment’ but it notes that it can include prevention of pollution, sustainable resource use, climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, etc.

Environmental performance – There is a shift in emphasis with regard to continual improvement, from improving the management system to improving environmental performance. Consistent with the organization’s policy commitments the organization would, as applicable, reduce emissions, effluents and waste to levels set by the organization.

Lifecycle thinking – In addition to the current requirement to manage environmental aspects associated with procured goods and service, organizations will need to extend its control and influence to the environmental impacts associated with product use and end-of-life treatment or disposal. This does not imply a requirement to do a life cycle assessment.

Communication – The development of a communications strategy with equal emphasis on external and internal communications has been added. This includes a requirement on communicating consistent and reliable information, and establishing mechanisms for persons working under the organization's control to make suggestions on improving the environmental management system. The decision to communicate externally is retained by the organization but the decision needs to take into account information reporting required by regulatory agencies and the expectations of other interested parties.

Documentation – Reflecting the evolution of computer and cloud based systems for running management systems, the revision incorporates the term ‘documented information’, instead of ‘documents’ and ‘records’. To align with ISO 9001, the organization will retain the flexibility to determine when ‘procedures’ are needed to ensure effective process control.

Will there be further changes?

In terms of the emerging changes in the DIS it is important to remember that the:

DIS provides a good indication of key concepts emerging in the revision but that proposed text still can and may change; revision is at DIS for ballot and comment stage.

 

How does ISO 14001 revision link with ISO 9001 revision?

There is close co-operation between the committee with responsibility for the revision of ISO 9001, ISO/TC 176/SC 2, and TC 207/SC 1. Both groups benefit from a regularly updated tabular comparison on how various elements of the Annex SL structure are being handled by the two

ISO 14001 EMS Revisions 2015

25 Feb 2015 Source : http://www.iso.org/iso/iso14001_revision

ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems Revision 2015

The revision of ISO 14001, one of ISO’s most widely used standards, is now open for public comment (DIS stage), with an updated version due by the end of 2015.

Why is ISO 14001 being revised?

All ISO standards are reviewed every five years to establish if a revision is required to keep it current and relevant for the marketplace. The future ISO 14001:2015 will respond to latest trends and ensure it is compatible with other management system standards such as ISO 9001.

What will be the main changes to the standard?

The new version will include a requirement to understand the organization’s context in order to better manage risk, with more emphasis made on leaders within organizations to promote environmental management. In addition there will be a shift towards improving environmental performance rather than improving the management system. A full information sheet can be viewed here.

Where are we in the revision process?

ISO 14001 is currently at the Draft International Stage (DIS), the fourth stage of a six stage process, whereby any anyone who is interested can submit feedback to the experts on the technical committee that is revising the standard.

How can I get involved?

Anyone with expertise or experience to offer can comment. Please submit all contributions and comments via your national member body.

What is the next step?

Once all comments have been considered and the draft is approved, it will move into the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) stage before publication.

When will the new version be published?

The revised ISO 14001 standard is due to be published by the end of 2015.

I am certified to ISO 14001:2004. What does this mean for me?

Organizations are granted a three-year transition period after the revision has been published to migrate their environmental management system to the new edition of the standard.

After this transition period, companies that opt for third party certification will have to seek certification to the new version of the standard. The former version, ISO 14001:2004, and any certification to it, will be out of date.

Do I have to be certified to the new standard?

No, certification is not compulsory.For further information about certification and other types of third party assessment, this see our page on conformity assessment.

 

How do I find out more?
The draft version of ISO 14001:2015 is now available for purchase. You can also contact your national member body for more information about how the revision is proceeding in your country. You can also view an information sheet on the technical committee's page.


 

ISO 9001 QMS DRAFT-Version Main Changes 2015

May 2014  Source : http://iso.org/iso9001_revision

ISO 9001 DRAFT - Copy Now available for public comments

ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems, one of the most widely used ISO standards, has now been made available as a Draft International Standard (DIS), a key milestone in its revision process.

The main changes in the new draft relate to its format and the increased importance on risk. These include:

·    the same high-level structure used by other management system standards which will help companies implementing more than one standard,

·  the identification of risk and risk control as requirements in the standard,
·  the requirement of top management to take a more active role in aligning quality
    policies with business needs, and
·   a number of changes in terminology.

Organizations certified to the current standard, ISO 9001:2008 will be given a three-year transition period after the new version has been published to migrate to the new edition of the standard.

In addition, the draft version can now be purchased, giving companies the opportunity to get a taste of the new standard before the final publication date.

ISO 9001 Quality Management System Requirements Revision 2015

Source :  http://www.iso.org/iso/iso9001_revision

ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems

Revision

ISO 9001, the world's leading quality management standard, is under revision, with an updated version due by the end of 2015.

Why is ISO 9001 being revised?

All ISO standards are reviewed every five years to establish if a revision is required to keep it current and relevant for the marketplace. The future ISO 9001:2015 will respond to the latest trends and be compatible with other management systems such as ISO 14001.

Where are we at in the revision process?

ISO 9001 is currently at the Final Draft International Stage (FDIS), the fifth stage of a six stage process, whereby the ISO subcommittee revising the standard will now go through all the comments received during the DIS vote in order to produce a final draft which will then be put forward to all ISO members for voting.

What is the next step?

Once all comments have been considered a final draft will be produced and put forward to ISO members for voting.

When will the new version be published?

ISO 9001:2015 is due to be published by the end of 2015.

What will be the main changes to the standard?

The new version will follow a new, higher level structure to make it easier to use in conjunction with other management system standards, with increased importance given to risk. More information about the changes can be found in the news area.

We are certified to ISO 9001:2008. What does this mean for us ?

Organisations are granted a three-year transition period after the revision has been published to migrate their quality management system to the new edition of the standard.

 

How do I find out more?

We recommend you contact your national member body for more information on how the FDIS is proceeding in your country.

You can also buy a copy of the current draft format from the ISO store.

More detailed information about the revision and ISO 9001 can be found on the Technical Committee page (members only).

Finally, keep checking this page as we will be posting regular updates between now and the standard's final publication.

 

 

 

 

 

Code of Practice : Risk Management (Second Revision 2015)



   

Published 05 Feb 2015

    

Download a copy here : Click here to view.

                                      

This second revision aims to assist companies to implement RM more effectively, by considering factors that influence RAs.

These include :

1. Employer's duties and roles,  
2. Human Resource Manager's roles, duties & responsibilities & participations in WS trainings, new hire orientation, WSH activities, etc.,
3. Employee's duty to report incident, accident, near misses, dangerous occurrence,
4. Human / Cultural factors considered in hazard identification, personal risk factors, employee's work ability, health risk factors, etc.,
5. Workplace or work-related factors : hazard activities in proximity, compatibility of work activities, non-routine works & situations, environmental conditions,
6. Risk Evaluation for health hazards (noise, chemicals, biological agents, ergonomics). Exposure assessments to be conducted in hazardous work environments.
7. Upstream risk controls in the hierarchy of control are emphasised for their relative importance in managing workplace risks.