Process-based auditing in 14001 - Seeking Reviews: Audit Schedule Content Feedback

[RoxaneB]

Well, ISO 14001:2004 is scheduled to come out later this year or, as Sindey pointed out, it would be called ISO 14001:2005. (ahhh...ISO humour) Naturally, it is being tweaked so that there is an even closer alignment to ISO 9001....which brings me to the process auditing.

Sure, the revised standard isn't out, but there is nothing in the current one forbidding me from taking this approach (and nothing in our own documented process on how to audit). So...away I go....

First things first....

I grabbed...excuse me....went online and found the electronic (aka the "latest and greatest") version of our Environment Department's process map. I then developed a matrix that has all of the elements along one axis and all of the tasks in the Environment Process Map along the other.

I've asked our Environmental Coordinator to complete the matrix, indicating which tasks and elements are related to each (in some cases there can be more than one).

When this is provided to me, I intend to schedule the audit (i.e., allocating time, determining who's asking questions [got some newbie auditors at my beck-and-call]), etc.), including, of course, time to go out on the floor and talk to the people who do the EMS.

Feedback appreciated...do I sound like I'm on the right track?

Ahhh...this is my 500th post....and I'm starting a new thread...feel like celebrating!

 

[Sam]

Well, ISO 14001:2004 is scheduled to come out later this year or, as Sindey pointed out, it would be called ISO 14001:2005. (ahhh...ISO humour) Naturally, it is being tweaked so that there is an even closer alignment to ISO 9001....which brings me to the process auditing.

Sure, the revised standard isn't out, but there is nothing in the current one forbidding me from taking this approach (and nothing in our own documented process on how to audit). So...away I go....

First things first....

I grabbed...excuse me....went online and found the electronic (aka the "latest and greatest") version of our Environment Department's process map. I then developed a matrix that has all of the elements along one axis and all of the tasks in the Environment Process Map along the other.

I've asked our Environmental Coordinator to complete the matrix, indicating which tasks and elements are related to each (in some cases there can be more than one).

When this is provided to me, I intend to schedule the audit (i.e., allocating time, determining who's asking questions [got some newbie auditors at my beck-and-call]), etc.), including, of course, time to go out on the floor and talk to the people who do the EMS.

Feedback appreciated...do I sound like I'm on the right track?

Ahhh...this is my 500th post....and I'm starting a new thread...feel like celebrating!

Looks good. Have thought about tying all of this in with your QMS audit?

 

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Feedback appreciated...do I sound like I'm on the right track?

I'll say you do. Good job, Rox, and thank's for sharing that file.

Ahhh...this is my 500th post....and I'm starting a new thread...feel like celebrating!

I can see no reason why not ... Hoorayyy....

/Claes

 

[RoxaneB]

Looks good. Have thought about tying all of this in with your QMS audit?

In a way. A few weeks after our EMS System Audit, I'll be starting on the BMS System Audit. Truth be told, I'm kind of using the EMS one as the guinea pig for the BMS audit.

My main concern is that I've asked our EMS Coordinator to fill in the matrix for me and, as an exercise in my own knowledge, I filled one in as well. What if they don't match. Granted, he is the EMR so he should be the more knowledgeable one....but I have this gut feeling he's going to be stretching in some places (I know I had to on mine). Cross that bridge when I get there...

I'll say you do. Good job, Rox, and thank's for sharing that file.

Thanks! My pleasure. For all the help and knowledge I gain from coming here, it's nice to give in return.

 

[sal881vw]

Congrats RC,
I'm certain you'll keep posting for the next 500......maybe a couple of 00?.A similar schedule/audit is performed by the Quality Rep in our sister company every month. One question I would like to ask is how often does your company perform fire drills.......?We perform such drills every 6 months.For that matter it would be very informative if others are willing to share such information.......

 

[RoxaneB]

Congrats RC,
I'm certain you'll keep posting for the next 500......maybe a couple of 00?.A similar schedule/audit is performed by the Quality Rep in our sister company every month. One question I would like to ask is how often does your company perform fire drills.......?We perform such drills every 6 months.For that matter it would be very informative if others are willing to share such information.......

As I mentioned in the chatroom earlier today, Sal, our dilemma isn't how often we perform fire drills...it's whether we should. This was something I posed during an EMS audit or two ago and resulted in the Evacuation process being revamped and schedules set up for testing.

Our problem is that we are a 24 hour a day / 7 days a week operation with a continuous caster that must always be monitored. I have been told that the caster operators can not leave the control room. My proposal was that to help facilitate a mock radiation alarm, they could mock a shut-down process (under observation), and an extra crew could be brought in on overtime while the real crew evacuates to the meeting area. It was accepted but I have yet to see any plan to test this. Very disturbing.

Even more disturbing has been noticing things in the evacuation process. I asked one person what he would do in case he spotted a fire. His response? "Is it a big fire or a small fire? Cause if it's small, I'm doing nothing. If it's big, I guess I'd tell someone." One procedure says that the call goes out over the radio to evacuate the building. There are no radios in my area...just phones and a paging system...what happens if the wires are fried? "Small" situations like this also prompted a re-look at the emergency preparedness and response processes.

Audit is next week...should be interesting to see the progress.

 

[sal881vw]

As I mentioned in the chatroom earlier today, Sal, our dilemma isn't how often we perform fire drills...it's whether we should. This was something I posed during an EMS audit or two ago and resulted in the Evacuation process being revamped and schedules set up for testing.

Our problem is that we are a 24 hour a day / 7 days a week operation with a continuous caster that must always be monitored. I have been told that the caster operators can not leave the control room. My proposal was that to help facilitate a mock radiation alarm, they could mock a shut-down process (under observation), and an extra crew could be brought in on overtime while the real crew evacuates to the meeting area. It was accepted but I have yet to see any plan to test this. Very disturbing.

Even more disturbing has been noticing things in the evacuation process. I asked one person what he would do in case he spotted a fire. His response? "Is it a big fire or a small fire? Cause if it's small, I'm doing nothing. If it's big, I guess I'd tell someone." One procedure says that the call goes out over the radio to evacuate the building. There are no radios in my area...just phones and a paging system...what happens if the wires are fried? "Small" situations like this also prompted a re-look at the emergency preparedness and response processes.

Audit is next week...should be interesting to see the progress.

The evacuation drills we have performed are executed in app. 1 1/2 minutes. Our area is relatively small so one can easily shout fire and clang the fire alarm bell. We also get funny comments......best taken with a pinch of salt, in a real life situation I'm certain people will react differently. Like you said we also substitute the operators, creating the least of trouble to production. We intended to include mock casualties ( to get the First-Aiders involved ) in our next drill. The whole exercise has proved to be of a benefit in more ways than one.

 

[RoxaneB]

The evacuation drills we have performed are executed in app. 1 1/2 minutes. Our area is relatively small so one can easily shout fire and clang the fire alarm bell. We also get funny comments......best taken with a pinch of salt, in a real life situation I'm certain people will react differently. Like you said we also substitute the operators, creating the least of trouble to production. We intended to include mock casualties ( to get the First-Aiders involved ) in our next drill. The whole exercise has proved to be of a benefit in more ways than one.

On the plus side, and I'm sure Claes might be able to relate to this, we do mock drills of a radioactive source entering the property. It's a test of our first line of defense. They've performed admirably in all tests in the receiving area...nearby areas, on the other hand...people have to learn to stop running and screaming (even if in jest...it upsets other people).

We also do drills on spills response - as a member of the spills response team, we've done a few drills (some with warning, some without). We get better each time, but continue to hope we'll never have to use those skills.

 

[Claes Gefvenberg]

On the plus side, and I'm sure Claes might be able to relate to this, we do mock drills...

Yeah. We also liven up the audits every now and then with things like: That pipe behind you (Containing acid or something else unpleasent:mg: ) just broke... What do you do about it?

Some related threads:

Testing Emergency procedures in real life.
Clause 4.4.7 - Emergency Preparedness and Response
ISO 14001 - 4.4.7 - Emergency Preparedness - Periodically test emergency procedures


/Claes

 

[RoxaneB]

Yeah. We also liven up the audits every now and then with things like: That pipe behind you (Containing acid or something else unpleasent:mg: ) just broke... What do you do about it?

I did that last time...found out we have a few jokers here. Answers varied from:

• <turning around in mock horror> Oh my gosh, I do?!?! AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!
• Ah, let it leak, my shift's almost over.
• Who ya gonna call? Leak-busters!
• And so on...

As the system matures and they become more comfortable with the questions, the answers will become more serious.