Just been asked by my CEO
"It would be useful for either manufacturing or quality to lead the understanding of waste management, in the absence of a materials or facilities department – does anyone want to volunteer to be responsible for this aspect?"
Question to my fellow Covers is, how long to ISO14001 from initiation to certification? Will it be worth it for a site of 22 staff? We only assemble a small volume of medical devices. Does it absorb a significant amount of time?
Thank you all in advance.
Paul Flower

I think you have a series of questions here. Understanding waste streams does not necessarily mean 14K registration. 14K can help you identify and manage waste streams, but goes much farther. You need to find out which direction top management wants you to go. With 22 folks, you might be able to complete the 14K process in 3 months, given a couple hours of work a day.

There is also something else you might need to look at. Medical devices have certain rules that apply only to them. Also, if these devices have electronic components. Then research RoHS and WEEE rules.

RoHS and WEEE What do these stand for?

Sorry about that.

RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) Ensuring banned substances, no matter the quantity, do not make their way into your products. Even if you purchase commodity goods.
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) The proper disposal of electrical and electronic equipment.

These two directives are currently active in Europe. Because RoHS extends throughout the entire supply chain, it could very well affect non-European businesses. Both are starting to be pushed in the US, and may actually be in place in the near future (within 5 years).

No problem - I'm just trying to include some of the full 'names' here and there.

Just been asked by my CEO
"It would be useful for either manufacturing or quality to lead the understanding of waste management, in the absence of a materials or facilities department – does anyone want to volunteer to be responsible for this aspect?"
Question to my fellow Covers is, how long to ISO14001 from initiation to certification? Will it be worth it for a site of 22 staff? We only assemble a small volume of medical devices. Does it absorb a significant amount of time?
Thank you all in advance.
Paul Flower


If you already have an ISO 9001 based system in place, adding ISO 14001 is not so difficult. Most of the requirements are essentially the same. It can be easily added in 3 - 6 months, if you do not have a significant exposure to hazards.

Also, you don't have to go to certification right away. You can go part way, to compliance, and live it a while.

The main addition, is a thorough review of all aspects of your business, evaluating the environmental impact of each aspect. This should be done with involvement of the whole management team, and forms the hub of the ISO 14001 system.

Just been asked by my CEO
"It would be useful for either manufacturing or quality to lead the understanding of waste management, in the absence of a materials or facilities department – does anyone want to volunteer to be responsible for this aspect?"
Question to my fellow Covers is, how long to ISO14001 from initiation to certification? Will it be worth it for a site of 22 staff? We only assemble a small volume of medical devices. Does it absorb a significant amount of time?
Thank you all in advance.
Paul Flower

Interesting start to the thread. Firstly your boss may be "encouraging" quality to pick up the baton because of the "systems" link. If s/he is interested in waste it may be because of new UK legislation in dealing with Waste, the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005. Or as a couple of psoters have identified there may be an engineering input because of the RoHS (restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment) or WEEE directives and their impact on the UK waste regs.

There are many useful sources of information around. I would recommend: http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/Legislation.aspx?o=163391 for waste impacts as one source (assuming you are in electronics).

It is true you can achieve ISO 14001 certification in a short period of time. Bear in mind your certification body will probably want at least 3 months evidence of implementation. (This does not mean you need to have done everything for at least 3 months but at least the core of the system). Whether it is worth it depends on what you will get from it. It may even be worth it for keeping your CEO out of jail alone!

It may even be worth it for keeping your CEO out of jail alone!


Or not! ;)

Not sure I could condone this approach - mind you it has got me thinking about a couple of bosses I worked for who deserved to get sent down!

All
Just out of the meeting, CEO wants ISO14001 for the site, and I've been volunteered! Thanks for all your help and advice, I not worried about it as I know I have a big pool of friends I can ask for advice.
All the best, from a VERY wet Wales.
Paul Flower
(Just for information, we make ultra bright LED arrays for medical and commercial devices, and I may be involved with the FDA later!)

All
Just out of the meeting, CEO wants ISO14001 for the site, and I've been volunteered!
Thought so. Good luck with the project - I look forward to seeing a flood of posts on the Cove.

Just out of the meeting, CEO wants ISO14001 for the site, and I've been volunteered!

Volunteered? LMAO... :lol: I think most of us know that feeling. Anyway: Good luck, and please keep posting.

/Claes

Paul

I would recommend you join an organisation such as Arena Networks in Wales (arenanetworks.org) who can help with your implementation particularly with the legislation - which is a minefield.

Spanner

All
Just out of the meeting, CEO wants ISO14001 for the site, and I've been volunteered!

volunteered or volunTOLD? :D Don't you love it when the management tells you that you volunteered to do something without your consent. :bonk:

Good luck with your implementation and certification of ISO 14001.

For information about UK environmental legislation you can do a lot worse than refer to the Pollution Handbook published annually by the National Society for Clean Air (http://www.nsca.org.uk. It costs £47 but is a great guide and used by many third party auditors.

I use some of the historical data from the handbook in my awareness training.
Try these questions.

Q. In what year was the first legislation introduced in England concerning water pollution?
A 1388 Legislation was introduced banning the dumping of animal remains, dung and garbage into rivers and streams. The penalty for non-compliance being death!

Q. In what year was the first legislation introduced in England concerning air pollution?
A. 1273. The use of coal was prohibited in London because it was prejudicial to health.

Good luck with the project.

As always, the Elsmar Cove is a useful resource of real-life experiences (both good and bad)... and my facility is mulling over the implementation of ISO14001.

Thank you all for your valuable advice. So it's off on a seminar next week, I plan to implement quality system over the next three months, collect and act on the data, go for registration/assessment in August at our next 9001/13485 assessment.
Cheers,
Paul, from a bright and sunny Wales.

Seminar informative, but raised a related problem!
We produce items for our customers to incorporate into their design and build, we are making a key component of the system, customers sells to the end user. Question is, how are we affected by the "End of Life Directive"? Do we have to plan for our assemblies to be returned to us at EOL? Or does our customer (in Germany) have to dispose of our equipment?
Paul

The main requirement is on the OEM to put in place systems to retrieve and deal with product. They need to then decide what input they require from their suppliers to ensure they meet obligations under the directive.

Best not to ask the question as you then may be asked to provide support - financial or otherwise!

Afternoon
Latest update. Manual and procedures nearly finished, Green Dragon Wales visiting early December for our first audit. Recycling bins in place, waste management supplier found, and environmentally friendly coolant sorted. Off to to some energy audits now.
Paul

Glad to see it is going forward - any reason you are going for Green Dragon and not ISO 14001?

Paul
Simply a matter of economics at the moment, Green Dragon is free of charge up to level 2, and £75 per day after. The great plan is get level 2, talk to LRQA at our February ISO13485 audit, and then start building towards ISO14001 during 2006. Then combine both visits to reduce costs.
Paul

Paul
Simply a matter of economics at the moment, Green Dragon is free of charge up to level 2, and £75 per day after. The great plan is get level 2, talk to LRQA at our February ISO13485 audit, and then start building towards ISO14001 during 2006. Then combine both visits to reduce costs.
Paul
Why don't you just self-declare conformance to ISO 14001?

Tarheels4
Can you explain some more, this is a new one on me.
Paul

Paul
Simply a matter of economics at the moment, Green Dragon is free of charge up to level 2, and £75 per day after. The great plan is get level 2, talk to LRQA at our February ISO13485 audit, and then start building towards ISO14001 during 2006. Then combine both visits to reduce costs.
Paul
Free. Sounds like good value. You get input from the green dragon assessors as part of 14k implementation.

As for self declaration this is being duiscussed in the quality threads. you have to ask yourelves what benefit you would get from a) implementing the system and b) 3rd party registration. You need to go back to your CEO and ask if he / she wants registration.

Tarheels4
Can you explain some more, this is a new one on me.
Paul
Sure I can. Here be what it says in the scope section of ISO 14001:2004. You got a copy?

"This International Standard is applicable to any organization that wishes to
a) establish, implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system,
b) assure itself of conformity with its stated environmental policy,
c) demonstrate conformity with this International Standard by
1) making a self-determination and self-declaration, or
4) seeking certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization.
All the requirements in this International Standard"

That means your kingpin can sign his own certificate of registration.

Free. Sounds like good value. You get input from the green dragon assessors as part of 14k implementation.


Actually I think it is a marketing ploy by the registrar that made the thing up.

Actually I think it is a marketing ploy by the registrar that made the thing up.I confess to not knowing about the green dragon scheme - I am sure you will be happy to enlighten us with your take on the registrar and their "marketing ploy"

For information this is the home page of the site: http://greendragonems.com/english/index.asp

I confess to not knowing about the green dragon scheme - I am sure you will be happy to enlighten us with your take on the registrar and their "marketing ploy"

For information this is the home page of the site: http://greendragonems.com/english/index.asp

Sorry, actually, I was referring to this (bs8555) which is similar to Green Dragon. Possibly this is where BSI got the idea.

http://www.inin.cubaindustria.cu/bs8555%2010-04-03.pdf

Hmm, the Green Dragon approach seems to have been around a little longer than the BSI/British Standard. BSI just added another level. The marketing approach seems to be to coax small companies to use this BS standard and implement the various levels like Sunflower was saying and then if they ever want 3rd party registration BSI can be the registrar. You reckon?

http://greendragonems.com/english/index.asp
http://www.inin.cubaindustria.cu/bs8555%2010-04-03.pdf

The Green Dragon Scheme is to encourage small faciliites like ours to take a structured approach to environmental issues. It is provided by the Welsh Assembly, thus no registrars are involved. It provides guidance and a stepping stone to ISO14001. I like the idea of self certification, off on a mission to find out more.
Paul

On 28th March 2006, Enfis achieved the Green Dragon Environmental Standard Level 3. We are now one of only 36 companies here in Wales to do this. It is with all the help and advice learned from this forum :thanks: that has helped me pass the audit with one minor non-conformity, (more detail on the impact aspect register needed).

We are well on our way to ISO14001 as planned, with a target completion date of September, so there's still a lot more work for me to do.

Once again, thanks for all your help.

:agree1:

PS Rather fitting for post number 100!

Hi Paul,

congratulations :applause: and my best wishes for 14001.

Qmarc

Morning all
Just an update, we were finalists in the Sustainable Swansea awards, shortlisted from 15 applicants in our category. The company who won were finalists last year, and had some impressive schemes in place to re-use water. After some encouragement, we have now entered the Wales Sustainability Awards, and are working towards level 4 Green Dragon.
Paul

Congratulations! Best of luck!