“Like No Other Place on Earth” IAE 2012
6th Mar 2012
“Like No Other Place on Earth” IAE 2012
BusinessAssurance.com
The management systems community
----
Management Systems Blogs
LRQA Team Members Encounter Harsh Conditions during IAE 2012
5th Mar 2012
After a smooth two day trip across the Drake Passage from Argentina, the International Antarctic Expedition 2012 arrived on the Antarctic Peninsula
LRQA’s Richard Smith & E-idea Winner Stephen Mushin Set Sail from Ushuaia for IAE 2012
2nd Mar 2012
LRQA’s Richard Smith & E-idea Winner Stephen Mushin Set Sail from Ushuaia for IAE 2012
LRQA Americas addresses – Integrating a holistic approach to deliver a Food Safety Culture and Food Safety Management
27th Feb 2012
I believe that employees must not only be made aware of the big picture, but must also understand the vision and objectives of the organization and their responsibility vis-à-vis food safety. My experience has also shown that a well-thought-out management system to help achieve this objective is crucial.
LRQA Americas discusses – How training can drive a food safety culture
21st Feb 2012
Training plays a critical role in assuring food safety. We can take our cues from recent work done by the GFSI. With the objective to improve food safety systems across the globe, the GFSI developed a tool kit to help food suppliers meet GFSI recognised certification schemes.
LRQA Business Assurance looks at The Future of Food Safety Audits and Certification
20th Feb 2012 by Cor Groenveld
Manufacturers and retailers see the benefits of a harmonised approach and they are more and more willing to work together. This is essential because this is the only way to achieve harmonisation.
LRQA Business Assurance looks at The Future of Food Safety Audits and Certification
17th Feb 2012 by JChowdhury
I would like to talk about the trends in the food supply chain – mainly related to audits and certification. I think the organisations in the food supply chain are ready now to harmonise. Manufacturers and retailers see the benefits of a harmonised approach and they are more and more willing to work together. This [...]
News RoomVel Pillay discusses increasing interest in FSSC 22000 in South America
24th Nov 2011
INOFOOD is the largest international food safety conference in Chile, and the event is packed with organizations that operate across the food supply chain in South America and around the world.
Michael Ramdohr discusses increasing Chilean food exports and the importance of FSSC 22000 in South America
24th Nov 2011
LRQA Chile is pleased to sponsor this week’s INOFOOD 2011 International Food Safety Conference in Santiago, and proud to be the only certification body sponsoring and selected to speak at this extremely important event for the South American food supply chain.
LRQA Podcast Series: INOFOOD Chile 2011
24th Nov 2011
In this LRQA podcast series, Vel Pillay joins Michael Ramdohr, Business Manager for LRQA South America to discuss the INOFOOD event and the increasing interest in FSSC 22000 and PAS 223 across South America.
LRQA Addresses Asia Carbon Community Challenges
14th Nov 2011
Robert Hansor – Head of Climate Change and CSR – LRQA Asia
LRQA Food Forum Japan: ‘How to leverage the FSSC 22000 for supply chain audit?’
10th Oct 2011 by JChowdhury
Yoshihisa Onishi, Consultant at Japan FSMS Assessment and Registration Body (JFARB), discusses the purpose FSSC 22000 and how it can improve food safety. “In Japan, the spread of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) was promoted by establishment of the “Total Hygiene Controlled Manufacturing Process Approval System”. When ISO 22000 was issued in 2005, [...]
Ferma Blog 8: Independent Assessment & Certification – Improving Performance and Reducing Risk
30th Sep 2011
The last in a series of FERMA Risk Management blogs
Ferma Blog 7: How LRQA can help with risk engineering
29th Sep 2011
Seventh in a series of FERMA Risk Management blogs
Ferma Blog 6: How understanding a management system can help the insurance industry
28th Sep 2011
Sixth in a series of FERMA Risk Management blogs
Ferma Blog 5: Why Risk Managers should talk to LRQA
27th Sep 2011
Fifth in a series of FERMA Risk Management Forum blogs
Ferma Blog 4: Independent Assessment and Certification – Improving performance and reducing risk
26th Sep 2011
Fourth in a series of FERMA Risk Management Forum blogs
Ferma Blog 3: The link between management systems & risk
23rd Sep 2011
Third in a series of FERMA Risk Management Forum blogs
Ferma Blog 2: Linking Risk Managers, Brokers & Insurance to Drive Cost Savings & Mitigate Risks
22nd Sep 2011
Second in the series of FERMA Risk Management Forum blogs
Ferma Blog 1: Defining risk for the insurance & risk managing industry
21st Sep 2011
First in the series of FERMA Risk Management Forum blogs
Industry leaders discuss FSSC 22000 at LRQA Food Forum Sao Paulo –
2nd Sep 2011
The third blog from the LRQA Food Forum, Vel Pillay, Manager Food Safety Programs, LRQA Americas, discuss FSSC 22000.
Cor Groenveld links FSSC 22000 with Brazil’s food supply chain – LRQA Food Forum Brazil – Blog 2
1st Sep 2011
Blog by Cor Groenveld who is currently in Sao Paulo, Brazil, participate in 2 exiting events, LRQA Food Forum and a GFSI Focus Day Latin America.
Vel Pillay discusses GFSI and Food Safety Modernization Act impacts – LRQA Food Forum Brazil – Blog 1
31st Aug 2011
Vel Pillay discusses the paradigm shift in the way the food industry and government look at assessing food safety.
Carbon Disclosure Project – Blog 7
18th Aug 2011
The seventh in a series of blogs around the Carbon Disclosure Project…
Carbon Disclosure Project – Blog 6
17th Aug 2011
The sixth in a series of blogs around the Carbon Disclosure Project.
Carbon Disclosure Project – Blog 5
16th Aug 2011
The fifth in a series of blogs around the Carbon Disclosure Project…
Carbon Disclosure Project – Blog 4
15th Aug 2011
The fourth in a series of blogs around the Carbon Disclosure Project…
Carbon Disclosure Project – Blog 3
12th Aug 2011
The third in a series of blogs around the Carbon Disclosure Project……
Carbon Disclosure Project – Blog 2
11th Aug 2011
The second in a series of blogs around the Carbon Disclosure Project…
Carbon Disclosure Project – Blog 1
10th Aug 2011
The first of a series of blogs around the Carbon Disclosure Project…
Introducing Materiality & Levels of Assurance into the CDM Process
21st Jun 2011 by Madlen King
All verification work conducted elsewhere, outside of CDM and JI recognises that verification is not an absolute check.
LRQA’s Technical Expertise Shines at Carbon Expo
14th Jun 2011 by Jo Brophy
Now that the dust has settled, the LRQA Climate Change Technical Team Round Table gathered together to reflect on their collective three days
The Threat of DOE Liability
7th Jun 2011 by Madlen King
A key issue for CDM going forward is a move from the CDM Executive Board; they are planning to make the DOE’s liable for any over issuance of CDM credits that happens from any of the projects that they verify.
Round Table Discussion; Why It Isn’t Easy Being Green (Monitoring Reporting & Verification) – LRQA at Carbon Expo – June 3 2011;
3rd Jun 2011
Trading schemes have MRV rules, but the key is being able to demonstrate how green investments outside of those and outside of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are delivering…
Carbon Expo June 3 2011, Barcelona
3rd Jun 2011
A busy morning for LRQA at Carbon Expo with a keynote presentation from Madlen King, Global Head of Climate Change and Sustainability at LRQA who spoke to a packed auditorium on Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV)…
Monitoring, Reporting & Verification (MRV): It’s not easy being green
3rd Jun 2011 by Madlen King
How do green investments outside of international systems and the CDM show that they are delivering? Text from presentation given by Madlen King, Global Head of Climate Change and Sustainability LRQA, at Carbon Expo Barcelona, June 1-3 2011…
Carbon Expo Update – Day 2
2nd Jun 2011
One of the opening presentations of the morning saw Henry Derwent, President IETA expand on the issue of ‘Climate Finance’ …
LRQA’s Madlen King Sets the Scene on Day 1 of the Carbon Expo
2nd Jun 2011 by Madlen King
‘The’ carbon event of the carbon market calendar began today at the Fira de Barcelona conference hall in Barcelona….
The Future of CDM
31st May 2011
We do have serious uncertainty regarding the demand for the credits generated from CDM projects. We have the EU Scheme that has restricted the types of CDM credits so they’re going to be accepted in their scheme in the future and we have other countries that are working more in relation to bilateral schemes and moving away from what seems to be the UN scheme.
LRQA to participate at Carbon Expo – June 2011
12th May 2011
Carbon Expo serves as an annual international platform to share information, best practices, and know-how and provides a business networking opportunity within the context of emissions trading, carbon abatement solutions and new technologies.
DeAnn Sarver – live from NACW 2011: Day 2 “Carbon Market Determination”
19th Apr 2011
LRQA Americas climate change experts attended the ‘Navigating the American Carbon World’ conference in Hollywood, California.
Derek Markolf – live from NACW 2011: Day 1 “The Carbonator”
19th Apr 2011
LRQA Americas climate change experts attended the ‘Navigating the American Carbon World’ conference in Hollywood. In this blog post, LRQA’s Derek Markolf shareshis insight into Day One of the event.
Wabtec/LRQA IRIS certification case study
8th Nov 2010 by Alex Briggs
The Wabtec Corporation is a leading supplier of value-added, technology-based products and services for rail, transit and other global industries. Wabtec has about 50 manufacturing plants, service centers and sales offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America and about 5,000 employees.
In this podcast, Bruce Thomas, Wabtec’s Quality Manager, talked to us about IRIS certification, how LRQA Business Assurance helps Wabtec meet stakeholder expectations and the importance of a robust assessment process.
Good quality improves business performance; bad quality damages it
26th Jun 2010
Here is another great article, business and product quality consultant Tom Gaskell, looks at how good quality improves business performance and bad quality damages it and is costly in so many ways. The article looks at how you can audit yourself and continuously improve the way your business runs…
Health & Safety and Environmental Compliance Climb the Corporate Agenda
24th Jun 2010 by Alex Briggs
Health & Safety Managers are increasingly seeing Environmental Management (EM) duties becoming a part of their role. The National Examination Board in Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH) carried out research on UK Health & Safety managers and found that over 40% of them now have EM included in their role profile. “We’ve seen a dramatic [...]
Trust and Transparency – the new consumer buzzwords?
26th Apr 2010 by Alex Briggs
The 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer is out, and the results show that consumers want independent verification of corporate claims.
Business Assurance Thought of the Day, IT Security, Corporate Reputation and ISO 27001
12th Apr 2010 by Alex Briggs
Organisations are making the link between the security of their online data and the potential risk to their corporate reputation. In a recent Websense study 98% of organisations indicated that they are under pressure from clients to protect data.
So what tools are out there to help them deal with it?
Catherine Francois, Director of Food Programmes, Consumer Goods Forum, Interview
26th Feb 2010 by Alex Briggs
On the final day of February, LRQA’s Food Month, we bring you an interview with Catherine Francois, Director Food Safety Programmes, Consumer Goods Forum. Catherine is one of the most influential figures in the world of food safety. This podcast features her thoughts on certification, the GFSI’s role in harmonising global food safety standards and the Global Food Safety Conference.
Words into Actions – moving from inspections to process based Assessments
18th Feb 2010
ISO 22000, PAS 220 and FSSC 22000 are changing the world of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) assessments.
Food Safety and Business Assurance
18th Feb 2010
“Recently, a food manufacturing client asked me why they needed a FSSC 22000 management system certification and Business Assurance from LRQA. The conversation was all about “what could a certified management system approach offer that a checklist approach could not?” Read the full blog!
TRUST comes by Food and leaves by Horse
12th Feb 2010
“A deliberate typo in relation to last week’s Global Food Safety Conference. Yet a relevant typo, as the issue is ‘who do you trust?’ I will explain later.”
Day Ten’s blogger is Ronald de Kok, LRQA.
Final thoughts from the Global Food Safety Conference
12th Feb 2010 by Alex Briggs
This podcast is an interview with Robert DuPuy. Robert is the Vice-President of Sales and Training for LRQA USA. Robert joined LRQA in 2007. Robert has brought a revolutionary approach to the certification industry, with his insight and extensive IT experience helping shape Business Assurance in the USA. On the final day of the Global Food Safety Conference in Washington, D.C., we talked to Robert about his take on the event and organisations in attendance.
GFSI, FSSC 22000 and Washington, D.C.
11th Feb 2010 by Cor Groenveld
Cor talks about his recent visit to the Global Food safety event in Washington and specifically talks about FSSC 22000, GFSI and more.
Applying ISO 9001 and ISO 9004
31st Jan 2010
This is the second blog revisiting my 9/11 Disaster Preparedness article in the February 2002 issue of Quality Progress.
Latest food scare raises call for traceability
26th Jan 2010 by Alex Briggs
The 1.25 million pound salami recall by Daniele Inc. and the associated outbreak have once again raised questions about traceability. This Food Safety News article highlights the seriousness of the issue.
Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Podcast Series, Episode 11 – Interview with Karin Sjolin-Frudd, IMO
18th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs
Episode 11 of the Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Podcast Series is an interview with Karin Sjolin-Frudd, one of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)’s leading environmental experts. Karin presented the results of an independent climate change and shipping study during the COP 15 conference in Copenhagen.
Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Blog, December 18, 2009 – NGO’s, Shipping and an organisation turns 250 years old
18th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs
Dr Anne-Marie Warris’ blog today is also an audio blog as she called us from outside of the Bella Centre last night to update us on the latest COP 15 happenings. The audio file is just above, and below is the transcript of her phone in. Just before this was uploaded, Anne-Marie called back to say,
The mood has definitely changed over the course of today, with optimism on both funding and the possibility of a deal being done creeping back into people’s thoughts.
Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Audio Blog, December 17, 2009 – Energy Efficiency and the Rebound Effect
17th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs
Today’s blog was phoned in by Sean Cuthbert, the Lloyd’s Register Energy’s leading climate change expert. The blog post is available as an audio file or as the transcript below.
Skeptics, Standards, and Peak “Everything” – Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Link of the Day, December 16th, 2009
16th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs
Today’s Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen COP 15 blog post is from Sean Cuthbert, one of our leading climate change experts. Sean attended an oil industry meeting at the COP 15 conference and here are his thoughts.
Skeptics, Standards, and Peak “Everything”
US Food Safety Bill passes Senate vote
20th Nov 2009 by Alex Briggs
The US Senate approved the Food Safety Bill yesterday, bringing the bill to its final hurdle. The House of Representatives is not likely to being debating the bill until next year, with their approval meaning the bill would effectively pass into law, as President Obama is a vocal proponent of the bill.
Episode 8, LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series
14th Sep 2009 by Alex Briggs
In Episode 8 of the 10-part LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series, Harriet Lamb, Fairtrade Foundation, Alan Knight, AccountAbility and Solitaire Townsend, Futerra Communications share their thoughts on what it will take for organisations and government to rebuild consumer trust.
LRQA Food Safety Webinar Technical PART 12
25th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
Part 12 of the LRQA Food Safety Webinar is also from the technical presentation of Cor Groenveld. Here he talks about sections 6-8 of PAS 220:2008. the sections dedicated to Utilities, Waste Management and Equipment suitability.
Episode 7, LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series
24th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
In Episode 7 of the 10-part LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series, Sandy Sutherland, Head of Technical and Regulatory Affairs for Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) talks about trust, carbon footprinting and the “AccountAbility Gap.” The interview was conducted at the Launch of the What Assures Consumers in an Economic Downturn Report at the Lloyd’s Register HQ in London. The research is the latest in a series from AccountAbility, sponsored by the Co-operative and supported by LRQA.
LRQA Food Safety Webinar, PART 11, TECHNICAL
17th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
The latest part of the LRQA Food Safety Webinar to be uploaded is PART 11. Part 11 is also from Cor Groenveld’s PAS 220:2008 technical presentation. In this 3 minute segment, Cor talks about section 4 and 5 of the specification, including construction and premises outlay issues.
LRQA Business Assurance Quote of the Day, August 12, 2009 FOOD SAFETY
13th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
Third-party recognition is important for many of USDA’s audit-based programs. We understand the value of this step as we continue working to strengthen the integrity of the NOP and to build the organic community’s trust in the program.
USDA deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan on the importance of independent, third-party auditing.
Episode 6, Carbon Footprinting, LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series
11th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
In episode 6 of the 10-part LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series, carbon footprinting and “green issues” are discussed. Featured are Harriet Lamb, Fairtrade Foundation, Sandy Sutherland, LRQA and Solitaire Townsend, Futerra Communications.
LRQA Food Safety Webinar, PART 10, TECHNICAL
30th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
Part 10 is the second part of Cor Groenveld’s technical update webinar on PAS 220.
LRQA Food Safety Webinar, PART 9, TECHNICAL PRESENTATION
29th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
Following on from the first 8 parts of the Food Safety Issues and Standards Webinar, the second set of videos will be from the technical session of the webinar. Part 9 is the beginning of the technical webinar from Cor Groenveld, one of the world’s leading food safety experts.
Canadian Independent Review Board Highlights Need for Third Party Help
24th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
a href=”http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/669868″>This article in the Canadian Star talks about the recent listeria outbreak that caused the death of 22 people and cost the government over $3 million.
The independent commission has come back to the government with six key suggestions to improve the state of Food Safety in Canada.
Episode 5 LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series
23rd Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
In Episode 5 of the 10-part LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series, Dr Alan Knight, Head of Standards and Related Services at AccountAbility, one of the leading think tanks on corporate social responsibility and climate change issues, and Kate Ives, co-author of the What Assures Consumers in an Economic Downturn report and also from AccountAbility, talk about some of the key results from the latest What Assures Consumers research.
Business Assurance in an Economic Downturn – Robert DuPuy Podcast
22nd Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
The latest LRQA Business Assurance interview features Robert DuPuy, the Head of Sales and Training for Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance, Inc. (LRQA). In this interview, Robert talks about some of the key issues that organisations are facing during difficult economic times. He talks about management systems, the characteristics of a good management system and the importance of having accredited independent third party certification of management systems.
Death in Chocolate Vat brings Health and Safety to forefront in Food Industry
20th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
This Food Navigator article highlights the seriousness of health and safety for food manufacturers. With 3 deaths in the UK over the past few months, many firms in the Food sector are looking at OHSAS 18001 certification as a way to help them manage their risk and reduce health and safety incidents.
Socially responsible investment and its impact to your company
20th Jul 2009 by Richard Gunawan
Companies that fail to disclose their ESG performance will find it more difficult to obtain funds from institutional investors. Several pension funds, for example, consider climate change a key criterion and will exclude companies that cannot substantiate their environmental commitments.
The absence of a proper management system, policy and review will deter fund managers. Investors are more savvy in their selection of companies that prove a genuine commitment to sustainability issues.
Episode 4, INDEPENDENT ASSURANCE, LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series
14th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
In Episode 4 of the 10-part LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series, the importance of independent assurance in restoring consumer trust in organisations and government is highlighted. Featured are Harriet Lamb, Fairtrade Foundation, Helen McTaggart of the Co-operative, Alan Knight and Kate Ives, AccountAbility, Sandy Sutherland, LRQA and Solitaire Townsend, Futerra Communications.
LRQA Food Safety Webinar, Parts 5-8 Video Files
13th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
The recent LRQA Food Safety Webinar is now available in smaller segments, starting with the opening session, “Food Safety Issue and Standards” being broken down into 8 individual video files. This post contains 5-8. Click on any of the images below to view that section of the webinar. Here is also the link to sections 1-4 .
LRQA Food Safety Webinar Parts 1-4 Video Files
9th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
The recent LRQA Food Safety Webinar is now available in smaller segments, starting with the opening session, “Food Safety Issue and Standards” being broken down into 8 individual video files. This post contains 1-4. Click on any
LRQA Food Safety Webinar now available
8th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
The July 1st Food Safety Webinar from LRQA is now available for listening, viewing and downloading.
The entire session is available as a recorded Webex here.
You can also view the webinar in parts with each of the sections being uploaded individually. The first sections will be uploaded tomorrow, covering all of the opening session, “Food Safety Issues and Standards.”
The real cost of health – occupational health and safety system
3rd Jul 2009 by Richard Gunawan
Most companies seem to focus on the measurable aspects of an occupational health and safety system (OHS). This means they rely on LTIs, incident reports, accident reports or other such tangible measures.
Companies may overlook the health of their employees and its impact on the organisation in this process. While the consequence of an injury is high – directors and management may be prosecuted for neglience in some countries like Australia and Singapore, health and wellbeing is equally important to the success of the organisation.
Business Assurance Links of the Day, June 24th 2009 – Social Media
24th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
Follow Business Assurance at our YouTube! page, on our Twitter page , on the video sharing site, Vimeo and another video sharing site, Veoh .
Business Assurance Thought of the Day, June 22, 2009 – Dubai and ISO 10002
22nd Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
Increasingly, organisations are communicating their third party certification as a competitive advantage and as proof of improved stakeholder engagement. The recent communications of two Dubai organisations is a case in point.
DP World and Dubai Customs are both promoting their recent ISO 10002 (Customer Complaints) certification. Both organisations were certified by LRQA.
Business Assurance Thought of the Day – Guardian Climate Change Summit Notes
16th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
Here is a collection of notes and thoughts from Guardian Climate Change Summit 2009 in London yesterday, most of which were posted yesterday on our www.twitter.com/lrqa page.
First session thoughts and notes
Quote from Gavin Neath, Senior VP Unilever “Organisations need to learn humility.For the past 30 years, environmental groups were right, businesses were wrong.”
Mars looking to work with PAS 2050 the carbon Footprinting for products, according to Fiona Dawson, Managing Director, Mars, UK
ISO 14001 and Stakeholder Credibility
16th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
ISO 14001, the environmental management systems standard, is increasingly being seen as a tool to help organisations engage with their stakeholders.
VWS has been working since 2006 with a project team drawn from all of the their divisions to implement ISO 14001 and achieve certification. This was awarded following a detailed audit of all five of VWS’s UK sites by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).
Management Systems in Not-for-Profit Sector
11th Jun 2009 by Richard Gunawan
Siingapore Zoo (part of WRS) is an example of a not-for-profit organisation in Asia that successfully deployed ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 to achieve its objectives.
Episode 1 LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series
9th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
The 10 part “Trust and Transparency” podcast series is here! Harriet Lamb of The Fairtrade Foundation starts the series with her insight on what it takes for organisations to rebuild consumer trust. She also talks about Fairtrade and how they have done during the current economic downturn. She also shares her thoughts on the What Assures Consumers in an Economic Downturn report, the latest in a series from AccountAbility, sponsored by the Co-operative and supported by LRQA.
www.businessassurance.com launches new Asia specific section
5th May 2009 by Alex Briggs
We now have 9 sections in total, with the Asia specific section joining Climate Change, Food, Supply Chain, CSR, Product Conformity, Risk, Management Systems and Business Continuity.
Business Assurance Thought of the Day, April 17, The Cost of Getting it Wrong
17th Apr 2009 by Alex Briggs
With Food Safety at the top of the agenda for governments, organisations and individuals, the risk to brands that get it wrong has never been greater. The costs of assuring the food supply chain have been seen by some as “too high” or “not necessary.” The example of the Plainview Peanut Company’s $14.6 million fine highlights once again the true costs of “getting it wrong.”
Business Assurance Thought and Link of of the Day, March 26, 2009: Business Continuity and Six Sigma
26th Mar 2009
“Business continuity, security and emergency management are all process-driven activities. As such, it makes sense to ensure that those processes are constantly being reviewed and improved. Six Sigma is a process that ought to be considered for these disciplines, as it deals with process improvement.”
Business Assurance Thought and Link of the Day, March 20, 2009: Management Systems
20th Mar 2009 by Alex Briggs
Business Assurance as a concept is growing as the world recession deepens. Organisations are increasingly looking for ways to “assure” their business. In the management systems industry, it is widely recognised that certification is a “safe haven” during difficult economic times. Research undertaken during the early 1990′s recession indicated that organisations that were ISO 9001 certified outperformed organisations that were not.
Obama says Safety of Food Supply “fundamental responsibility of Government”
17th Mar 2009 by Alex Briggs
Each year, about 76 million people in the United States are sickened by contaminated food, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and about 5,000 die, public health experts estimate.
US President Barack Obama has named a new FDA head and deputy, as well as outlined budgetary plans that will place Food Safety at the top of the agenda.
NASA Supply Chain Under Attack
6th Mar 2009 by Alex Briggs
If the general public wants an example that makes ISO 28000 relevant, they need look no further than NASA. In this Houston Chronicle article, the acting administrator of NASA told the US Congress yesterday that some of the cost overruns from the space agency stem from counterfeit parts inadvertently installed on space craft.
A new international standard for traceability
4th Mar 2009 by Cor Groenveld
ISO 22005 is the new international standard for traceability in the food and feed supply chain. Traceability is a must throughout the whole feed and food supply chain, in particular as a part of the emergency management process when quality or food safety problems with raw materials or finished products occur. When an organisation is able to rapidly trace back ingredients or finished products, risks and costs involved with quality and food safety defects will be reduced. The standard is part of the ISO 22000 family and it provides tools to implement an effective traceability system as part of a food safety / quality management system.
Using BS 25999 to reduce risk and lower compliance costs
27th Feb 2009
A recent research report, comprising of interviews conducted by IBM, with over 1200 chief financial officers from 79 countries, concluded the following points mentioned in the article.
The Economics of ISO 14001
13th Jan 2009 by Alex Briggs
BT Germany has just become the 5th BT country to be certified against the global environmental management system standard, ISO 14001, following a four-day external audit by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).
Jens Krause, BT Germany’s quality manager commented on the value of ISO 14001 certification, “As well as helping to retain business, we believe the improvements will save more than €900,000 each year, and cut our carbon footprint by 12 tonnes.”
ISO 9001:2008 in the blogosphere
16th Dec 2008 by Alex Briggs
The new ISO 9001:2008 update is slowly making its way into accepted business language. This recent blog post highlights some of the changes. For a more thorough update on what’s new in ISO 9001:2008 and what it means for you and your organisation, read this article.
Enhancing your organisation today while safeguarding it for tomorrow
17th Nov 2008
The current economic climate and business environment makes business continuity a critical issue. Ensuring the preparedness of an organisation can strengthen its long-term viability, reputation, and financial success.
Some key facts:
85% of US businessses are within the private sector and include transportation, banking, and utilities.
Businesses vulnerable to natural disasters, computer viruses/cyber attacks, terrorist attacks, and viral pandemics.
For example, if the Internet stopped, U.S. retailers could lose $450 million a day in e-commerce.1 If an influenza outbreak occurred, New York state’s losses alone are estimated to be $49 billion.
(source: “Dealing With Disasters At Home and Far Away” by Zosia Bielski, National Post, June 21, 2008).
Certification journey – five easy steps
Step 1:
Certification starts with an assessment of the company’s existing crisis management, business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency response plans.
Step 2:
A gap analysis is performed against a chosen standard, and will assess the organisional responses to overcome a range of disaster scenarios.
Step 3:
Identify key actions, assign responsibilities, and establish timings to address the identified gaps.
Step 4:
The organisation is now ready for formal certification once the process has been established.
Step 5:
The organisation can select the appropriate level of certification appropriate to its needs.
Three levels of certification levels
First-party certification: an internal self assessment and self declaration of certification.
Second-party certification:r eview by one with whom there is an arm’s length relationship, such as a customer, supplier, or parent organization.
Third-party certification: review by an • accredited third-party certifier. This is the most independent and objective form of certification.
Benefits of certification
Potential benefits of becoming “certification ready” include:
improve operational efficiency,
reduce liabilities,
boost stakeholder confidence.
TNT cites ISO 14001 as key to Environmental Performance
12th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs
TNT UK/Ireland and their use of ISO 14001 as the key to their overall environmental strategy was the focus of a Sustainable Business Magazine article in the October edition.
TNT uses management systems to underpin their business, currently holding four certifications in the UK/Ireland: ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) and Investors in People. TNT has reported significant competitive advantage from the achievement of verifiable environmental performance.
Neil Griffiths, director of health, safety and environment at TNT Express Services says: “In terms of business assurance, this is not just a tick in the box.”
ISO sends Social Responsibility Standard Draft to Committee
28th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released its Social Responsibility Standard to the committee stage, moving it one step closer to being an official ISO standard.
Nearly 400 experts and observers from around the world met at the ISO Social Responsibility Working Group, held September 1-5 in Santiago, Chile. There they agreed that sufficient progress had been made in developing the draft international standard on social responsibility for the “working draft” to be taken to “committee draft” level.
Clock Ticking on 9001 Users
25th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
ISO 9001:2008 is set to be published in the next few months. From the date of publish, current 9001:2000 certificate holders have 24 months to convert to the newer version. Companies whose three-year certificate cycle expires once 9001:2008 is published will only have the option of getting certified against the new version.
Steve Williams, Technical Manager, Certification at Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) stated, “ISO and the IAF have agreed an implementation plan to ensure a smooth migration of accredited certification to ISO 9001:2008. They have stated that ISO 9001:2008 does not contain any new requirements. ISO 9001:2008 only introduces clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 based on eight years of experience of implementing the standard. It also introduces changes intended to improve consistency with ISO14001:2004.”
Measuring your Supply Chain Performance
22nd Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
This Supply Chain Market article takes an in-depth look at supply chain performance, asking some of the tough questions. Supply Chain Assurance is all about ensuring that your supply chain is functioning at maximum capacity and efficiency. The role of management efficiency is highlighted here.
Auditors pay the price for Beijing Olympics
19th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
The tightening of visa restrictions around the recent Olympic Games in Beijing has had unintended consequences on the Quality Assurance industry, according to this Ethical Corp article.
Global brands producing in China have been unable to secure the auditors needed at Chinese factories to ensure that the quality of their products is right. A major fall out will be that people who have talked about moving production to other countries for some time are now actually having to do it to meet deadlines.
Even if (and there are no guarantees) things return to normal in September, it will be too late for these firms who need to get gear on boats in October for the holidays.
Now many are scrambling to find capacity in Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc., while any number of Chinese garment manufacturers (two thirds of whom operate on margins of less than 1.5% already) will go under.
A number of companies with production runs already underway are having to stall or delay work as they cannot get visas for their Quality Assurance (QA) staff to enter China.
Are Standards helping or hurting workers rights?
17th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
Two workers rights experts have held an insightful debate into Supply Chain standards and human rights for workers. Jeff Ballinger, academic, former union and NGO activist is clearly against standards as the end all solution for factory abuses, while Doug Cahn, consultant and formerly of Reebok, is in favour of standards and audits in bringing about change in supply chain factories around the globe.
This Ethical Corporation article features the full debate.
Compliance driving Global Supply Chains?
8th Jul 2008 by Alex Briggs
This Retail Bulletin article discusses the results of a recently published survey on supply chain issues. According to the 100 UK supply chain professionals surveyed, supply chain managers spend up to 52 days a year keeping abreast of, and complying with regulation and legislation relating to the supply chain.
The research found 84 per cent spend up to 52 days a year on compliance while 16 per cent claim even more time. More than half (58 per cent) claim to be either concerned or very concerned about operating in an increasingly regulated environment.
TAPA Supply Chain Standard
30th Nov 2007 by Alex Briggs
The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) is an association of security professionals and related business partners from various high technology manufacturing and transportation companies who have come together for the purpose of addressing the emerging security threats that are common to the relevant industries. The TAPA EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) brochure contains relevant information on the organisation, the TAPA FSR Standard and a list of the members and associate members.
Is your beer safe?
30th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs
Anheuser Busch has denied serious allegations by Greenpeace that their Budweiser beer contains traces of a genetically engineered strain of rice known as “Liberty Link”.
Liberty Link is a series of strains of GM rice from Bayer CropScience. Some of the strains are banned in a number of markets around the world for human consumption, but not in the US.
Due to Anheuser Busch’s position as the largest single purchaser of American rice, Greenpeace claims that the group had a responsibility to ensure it was fully aware of how it is sourcing ingredients.
Wal-Mart addresses climate change and supply chain
25th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
The key issues of risk management, supply chain and climate change have made their way to the top of media and corporate agendas recently.
A Wal-Mart and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) joint effort will measure the climate change effects across the Wal-Mart supply chain.
Supply Chain Risks, One Year Later
21st Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
A Forbes article on growing supply chain risks, published a year ago this week, stated:
The three most cited disruptions to their supply chains were the supply of raw materials, the performance of supply chain partners (specifically in delivery and quality) and volatile fuel prices.
Harmonisation of food standards: a step closer
20th Sep 2007 by Cor Groenveld
Will we ever have a “one size fits all” food safety management system? The Food Safety section editor, Cor Groenveld, provides an informative update on the initiatives that are all trying to bring some uniformity to the food industry. This blog post makes sense of a very complex situation.
Supply Chain Security
17th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
A recent study has shown that 90% of all global exports are transported by shipping. The DTZ study has raised the importance of supply chain security for ports. So, where is the threat to the security of the supply chain coming from? The research identified four key areas of threat with terrorism becoming increasingly important. This [...]
Supply Chains: Who’s to blame when it all goes wrong?
17th Sep 2007 by Gail Van Den Bos
China’s manufacturing sites come in for a lot of bad press… maybe deservedly, but they are part of a chain of responsibility that starts with the customer at one end of the chain. Quite a few questions need to be asked before identifying culprits who contribute to product failures.
The YouTube! ISO14001 video
11th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
For those of you who haven’t seen it, ISO has put a promotional video on YouTube! The video is an overview of the environmental management standard, ISO 14001, and has over 5,400 downloads so far!
Further, there are supply chain videos on YouTube!, including this promotional video from Cisco and Ford, as well as Food Safety videos, including this one on Food Safety and China.
Dow Chemical and Union Pacific Railroad Working on Supply Chain Security
7th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Dow and Union Pacific have joined together with emergency responders across California to improve and test their safety and security skills in chemical rail transportation.The exercises are taking place all over California, as part of a road show.”We take very seriously our obligation to responsibly manufacture and move our oducts,” said Henry Ward, director of transportation safety [...]
Supply Chain problems linked directly to financial performance
7th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Supply Chain Digest, in their graphic of the week have proven a direct link between supply chain disruptions and a negative impact on a company’s stock prices. The importance of a company being able to effectively manage their supply chain, from beginning to end, has never been more relevant. Recent high-profile media cases, have highlighted the [...]
Thoughts from the Global Food Safety Summit, Prague
7th Sep 2007 by Cor Groenveld
I just got back from the Global Food Safety Summit 2007 in Prague. The event featured stakeholders from the food manufacturers, retail, food services and suppliers of food ingredients. It was a series of presentations, interactive sessions and individual meetings, all based around the issues of food safety in the supply chain. The attendees and [...]
Internal testing reveals latest Salmonella scare in US
3rd Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Fresh Metz, a California based “grower and shipper specializing in year-round custom-grown spinach” has voluntarily recalled 8,000 cases of its products after an internal test found traces of salmonella on some of their products. Coming on the back of new guidelines rolled out just five months ago, the latest recall of spinach has shocked the industry [...]
Deming says ‘adopt the new philosophy’
29th Mar 2007
Deming argues that managers must ‘adopt the new philosophy’ — in this case, his new philosophy — but the rationale is applicable whether or not we examine his approach.
His argument was thus: unless management adopt the reforms they put in place, they shouldn’t expect their workforce to do so; the same goes for management systems.
Investing in change
8th Mar 2007
Gareth Hughes, Climate Change Capital‘s head of corporate development, outlined today the growing opportunities for corporations in the capital markets if they can prove they have superior environmental performance.
Why continuous improvement is necessary
6th Mar 2007
The ASQ Quality in Education blog highlights a video by Karl Fisch and Scott Macleod, and shows why any commitment to quality must also include a commitment to continuous improvement .
ISO 9000 in Australia – a comparison of the 1994 and 2000 versions
30th Jan 2007
Research conducted by Monash University’s Australian Supply Chain Management Research Unit and supported by JAS-ANZ, the government appointed accreditation body for Australia and New Zealand, explores the transition from ISO 9000:1994 to ISO 9000:2000.
Is IRIS certification a good idea?
24th Jan 2007 by Simon Emeny
In June 2006 the “International Railway Industry Standard” was published. This standard is promoted by UNIFE but is primarily aimed at suppliers to the 4 major European train builders.
Viva Management Systems
24th Nov 2006 by David Lawson
I’ll be off to Barcelona at the weekend in time for LRQA’s Business Assurance Summit, “Setting the Agenda for Change”.
We’ve invited a small group of clients to come and share our latest thinking on management systems performance. It promises to be a very interesting gathering indeed.
Effective supply chain management
22nd Nov 2006 by Andrew Kakabadse
One of the most critical applications facing management systems, is their deployment across complex supply-chains, where the same ‘rules and processes’ will need to be adapted into different cultures and risk management frameworks.
EMS making an impact
4th Nov 2006
Results from a three-year European study into the benefits of environmental management systems demonstrate a link between certified systems and improved environmental performance
5840 standards fail to make the grade
6th Oct 2006 by Tim Kitchin
Vietnam has carried out a review of all of its 8000 quality standards, and discovered that just 27% meet the specification of their global equivalents.
Standards proving counterproductive
27th Sep 2006
According to a leading research analyst Bell Potter, reported in The Age, revisions to Accounting Standards have made it more difficult to analyse company performance.
BMS slashes WIP by 75%
19th Sep 2006 by Tim Kitchin
People-centric systems are the key to improved manufacturing performance, according to a survey from solution providers Invistics, profiled at in Pharma Technology.
Their recent research report highlights Bristol-Myers Squibb’s achievement in slashing cycle times by 80 per cent and Work-In-Progress (WIP) by 75 per cent.
What is Business Assurance?
LRQA’s Business Assurance helps you manage your systems and risks to improve and protect the current and future performance of your organisation.
The Business Assurance approach uses a consistent methodology for providing business driven assessments based around the organisation’s most significant risks.
Subscribe
Choose your preferred method below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe by email
Follow us on Twitter Join LRQA’s LinkedIn group
Subscribe to RSS Management Systems section only Subscribe to iTunes Management Systems podcasts only
Latest Management Systems updates
- Arabian Automobiles Company awarded ISO 14001 certification for its sales, service and parts operations - a first for automobile distributors in UAE 21st May 12
- ISO 27001 Certification achieved by Skyscape Cloud Services 17th May 12
- Bonn Climate Change Talks – Days 2 & 3 17th May 12
- BestCities score 10/10 as Berlin and Houston join alliance 16th May 12
- DDW Embraces Enviro Initiatives 15th May 12
Latest updates
- Countdown to Carbon Expo - IETA sees 2012 as an important and labour-intensive year 23rd May 12
- Bonn Climate Change Talks – end of week 1 22nd May 12
- Arabian Automobiles Company awarded ISO 14001 certification for its sales, service and parts operations - a first for automobile distributors in UAE 21st May 12
- Bonn Climate Change Talks – Day 4 18th May 12
- ISO 27001 Certification achieved by Skyscape Cloud Services 17th May 12