Standpoints about integration of Policies & Manuals

[x-files]

Hi,

What are your standpoints about integration of Policies & Manuals, for companies that have established many standards (9001, 14001, 18001, 17025, 27001, 50001, ...)?

I've heard many disagreements about that so far.

Being a programmer, I dislike undue redundancy, but that's just mine observation... For now, I'm reading PAS 99:2006, and everything sounds reasonable.

Best Regards,
Vladimir Stefanovic

 

[Claes Gefvenberg]

I dislike redundancy too (when it comes to the written word, that is: In other cases it may be essential ): In our case policy as well as manual covers OHSAS 18001, ISO 9001, 14001 & 50001).

/Claes

 

[Moonlight17]

Hi We have 9001, 14001, 18001 & 27001 in an integrated system across seven sites. Works well here. 9001 was the first we gained back in 1995 and rest were easy enough to 'bolt' on.

 

[drgnrider]

I have integrated my Internal Audit procedure and am slowly doing so on the common documents... due to major changes at the Corporate level, that adversely effect us, this process is being delayed.

It was "suggested" by one CB auditor 'not to merge' and another informed me it was possible and probably a good idea. They also explained what it would mean for us since our 14001 is about two years behind our 9001.

Thanks for asking this, I was going to be asking in the near future on how best to go about merging my two systems.

 

[insect warfare]

I usually tend to view things like "redundancy" with "bureaucracy" as analagous, and for this very reason I support integrating management systems as much as necessary.

Brian

 

[JaneB]

It was "suggested" by one CB auditor 'not to merge'...and another informed me it was possible and probably a good idea.

I'd listen to the second one - that's sound advice.
The first one may have not been a good auditor and/ or was more interested in having your documents being easy for him to audit rather than focused on use ability for you. Duplication is unwise and takes far greater effort to maintain, not to mention being completely unintelligible (usually) to anyone who isn't steeped inthe various Standards. Do what's good for you.

 

[somashekar]

I'd listen to the second one - that's sound advice.
The first one may have not been a good auditor and/ or was more interested in having your documents being easy for him to audit rather than focused on use ability for you. Duplication is unwise and takes far greater effort to maintain, not to mention being completely unintelligible (usually) to anyone who isn't steeped inthe various Standards. Do what's good for you.

Integrating systems is easier said and mostly half done in many cases that I know of. True integration needs good maturity and ability to understand multidimensional objectives and act accordingly. Its about unity in diversity. Many a times people tend to think integration as only documents integration.
About policies, an all in one policy will perhaps be too long and miss the focus. Policy as I feel, must be specific and must help people to align the various stremes of management as they understand all the policies as applicable to one organization. The manual must be used to its best to help integrate the systems and detail how the interactions are planned to happen. A clear authority & responsibility establishment here in the manual can be very helpful.