Integrated ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 IMS for Bituchem Group.
Bituchem Group emulsion tanker
The Bituchem Group is a privately owned business that has been manufacturing road and landscaping products since the mid-80s from their works in the heart of the Forest of Dean. The Bituchem Group has two business streams that manufacture and supply coloured road and pavement surfacing products and highway emulsions. The HSQE Department was introduced to the Bituchem Group through the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), which is now part of the government-sponsored Business Growth Service. Clients of the Bituchem Group include local authorities that, increasingly, expect suppliers to be certified to the ISO 9001 for quality management, ISO 14001 for environmental management & OHSAS 18001 for management of occupational health & safety. As Bituchem already had a mature ISO 9001 system, the company needed support to set up environmental and safety management systems. This led, over time, to development of an IMS (integrated management system).
The challenge
The group Technical Director had a good working relationship of long-standing with a consultant that had helped him to achieve ISO 9001 certification. It was important that the new IMS should adopt the format of the existing management systems and make use of existing procedures with as little modification as possible. It was also important that the quality consultant approved anything that might affect the way that quality management operated. Although small in terms of the number of people employed, the business was complex in environmental and safety terms because of the range of products and processes involved.
The solution
Our consultant worked closely with the Technical Director and quality consultant to understand how the quality management system functioned, and to map out the business processes involved in environmental and safety management. Following a review of legislation that applied to the business, management of permit-to-work systems, risk assessment, DSEAR and waste were strengthened. The IMS was initially certified with stand-alone manuals for ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 but, over time, this has been fully integrated under a single manual and stream-lined set of written procedures. The HSQE Department manages the company’s internal audit programme and is now working with the Bituchem Group on an IMS to satisfy the re-released quality & environmental standards ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 14001:2015.
What our client said
“Following an introduction by the Manufacturing Advisory Service, we appointed the HSQE Department Ltd to help us to put ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 in place and to integrate them with our existing ISO 9001 quality system. Our consultant translated the standards into plain language for us and fitted his visits in around our other business priorities, both of which made things very easy. The HSQE Department’s systematic approach meant that, as soon as we identified any gaps in our environmental and safety management practises we were able to fill them and move on, so that we were in very good shape by the time we went for certification. Our consultant added a lot of value during the process by using his practical operations experience to help us develop procedures for maintenance safety, permits to work, waste management & other important areas. We now view our consultant as one of the team and after a successful certification he is continuing to support us with environmental and safety guidance. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the HSQE Department to anyone who needs help with their ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or OHSAS 18001 management systems.”
DH – Technical Director.
