Abstract
This chapter describes a method to improve the process of creating standards for management systems (MSs). It is demonstrated that by using the method, the quality of these standards can be improved: standards for quality management, environmental management, and occupational health and safety (OHS) management can resemble each other closer and can be more compatible with company practice.
This chapter is the verbatim text of an article in EURAS Yearbook of Standardization, Vol. 2 (De Vries, 1999b), apart from some minor changes:
- some elucidation given already in previous chapters of this thesis has been deleted;
- some terms have been replaced by abbreviations commonly used in this thesis.
This chapter has been updated to April 1998. Developments since then are not dealt with. Apart from the literature mentioned, this chapter is based on personal observations and:
- telephone interviews with. H.J.P.M. van Hezik and G.I.J.M. Zwetsloot, researchers of the project;
- interviews with D. Hortensius, Mrs. A.M. de Jong, and P.M. de Vlaming, secretaries of the Dutch TCs on environmental, quality, and OHS management systems, respectively;
- (telephone) interviews with members of Dutch TCs in the field of management systems: R.T.C. de Grood, A. Waszink (quality), J.C. Stans (environment), and H. Bosch (occupational health and safety); — a telephone interview with an expert in value analysis: G. Gerritse.
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References
The present writer supervised this project. It was carried out by consultants of NEHEM Consulting Group and the Dutch Institute for Working Environment, NIA (Van Hezik & Zwetsloot, 1994).
Restrictions in replacing a standard by a new one due to the installed base of standards applications have been described by Farrell and Saloner (1986), Kindleberger (1983), and Liebowitz and Margolis (1990), see Section 12.2.
In retrospect, this was the case, starting with BS 7750, but also using other national standards.
For information on value analysis, Gelderloos (1992), 0llner (1974, pp. 74–85), and Ridge (1969) were used. The elements of value analysis related to costs have not been used in this case.
This first was done by Susanto (1988).
Schacht (1991, pp. 22–25) and Susanto (1988, pp. 32–38, 50–62) also use standards’ functions; see Sections 13.7 and 13.6.
Each party mentioned may have its own wishes concerning the contents of standards, possibly differing per MS area. The contents, however, are only of indirect interest to these parties.
In the research project these defimitions were taken from ISO 8402 (ISO, 1986), Tweede Kamer (1989), and Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid (1993), being the most commonly accepted definitions for the three management systems areas at that moment in the Netherlands.
The Deming circle is a tool for continuous improvements. It is a discipline for problem solving and learning from mistakes. The Deming circle includes 1) “Plan”: set objectives and agree on action; 2) “Do”: implement the action plan; 3) “Check” or “Study”: review actions and results; 4) “Act”: assure the process or take corrective action. To continue improvements, “Plan” follows again, etc.
The research report (Van Hezik & Zwetsloot, 1994) explains how this model fulfills all functions mentioned above plus the secondary functions that are not mentioned here in order to limit the length of this contribution.
Activities, products, services, and corresponding effects can be different in the areas quality, environment, and OHS. Such differences would appear at a 5th level of detail.
“Publicly available” is related to internal and external communication. Here differences between quality, environment and OHS apply. In quality management, internal communication is directed to the employees and external communication primarily to customers. In environmental management, internal communication concerns the employees; the company communicates externally with, among others, the government, people living in the neighbourhood, and customers. In the OHS area, communication is primary employee-oriented.
Quality: ISO 9001 (ISO, 1987); environment: BS 7750 (BSI, 1992), ISO/IEC/SAGE SG1 N55 (ISO/IECStrategicAdvisory Group on theEnvironment / Sub-Group 1 EnvironmentalManagementSystems, 1993), EMAS (EuropeanCommission, 1993); OHS: Pubikatieblad 190 (Ministerie van SocialeZaken enWerkgelegenheid /Arbeidsinspectie); see the frame in Section 10.2.
At least the Dutch expert in WG 11 did not link the research results with his input in WG 11.
Heida et al. (1997), for instance, offer such elucidation.
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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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de Vries, H.J. (1999). Possibilities for Better Management System Standards. In: Standardization: A Business Approach to the Role of National Standardization Organizations. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3042-5_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3042-5_10
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