We are proud to announce, that we have been successful in another two third party audits. At Pruce Newman our HSQE management system is heavily audited throughout the year. Towards the end of last year, we had two 3rd party audits within a month of each other.
3rd party audits can be a daunting process, with a person from outside your organisation looking deeply into how you manage your business with a fine-tooth comb. However, it makes the anxiety and nervousness over the few days’ worth it when the results are positive.
The first audit was an Achilles UVBD verify audit, which focused on our HSQE management system and corporate/social responsibility. We were delighted when we saw the report giving us a 96% score for our management system and a 98% score for the operational site visit.
In addition to this we also received really positive feedback on how we communicate HSQE information through our company intranet, putting in place environmental champions within the business and our 2 mental health and wellbeing campaigns (random acts of kindness and coping strategies for stress and anxiety).
What a great result! Okay, you immediately think, maybe this could have been a one off, maybe the auditor really liked us, or he liked the sandwiches that we provided on our lunch break. You would be forgiven for thinking this, but around four weeks later we had another 3rd party audit. This time the purpose of the audit was to assess the ongoing suitability of our HSQE management system in line with the ISO 45001, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, the audit was carried out by DNV. Now this is nothing new to us, we have been audited and certified to HSQE ISO standards for many years. However, we had a new auditor, a fresh pair of eyes. At first you may think, oh no a new auditor, we got along well with the last auditor for many years. What if the new guy finds loads of things wrong? After the initial worry, we then looked at this in a positive way. We thought it would be a good test for us and the management system, because we had the same auditor over many years maybe he may have rested on his laurels, and we may have stopped getting the real benefit from the audit process. Now this new auditor was keen as mustard, he was really digging deep into our documentation not just scratching the surface. Being thorough was an absolute understatement for how he attacked the audit process.
After another 2 days of detailed scrutiny, we were once again delighted when we saw the audit report and realised that we successfully completed the audit process without one single non-conformance. Again, it was also great to hear some positive feedback in the debrief, again the appointment of Environmental Champions was mentioned, new COSHH cabinets, new style HSQE information boards, HSQE info on the company intranet, reduction in CO2 emissions, introduction of Director HSQE tours, reduction in hand and finger injuries etc.
I suppose what we are trying to say is that consistency and striving for continual improvement is the key to HSQE success. We all hear about the negative side of safety, about serious injuries and about companies being heavily fined. Sometimes HSQE can get really bad press, so let’s all celebrate HSQE successes and don’t forget to give ourselves a pat on the back when we have done well. A great big thank you to everyone at Pruce Newman for playing your part and making the company you work for a success!
