This
article is for the benefit of those members who may have already obtained
quality registration for their companies or organizations, but are still
concerned with the diligence and consistency with which these principles are
applied. Professional experience
indicates that problems and issues are better managed through a planned and
continually improved system, rather than by means of random, ad-hoc solutions.
It
may be in the best interests of your company to expand its management system to
incorporate quality, environmental issues, and occupational health and safety.
Consider the following cases:
Case
1: An employee operates machinery without having first received the proper
training. The employee misuses the
machine, and seriously injures himself to the extent that an ambulance is
required to provide first aid and transport the employee to the hospital.
The employee returns to work without interruption, and the senior
management does not report the injury externally, thereby retaining its
favorable insurance premiums.
Case
2: In an effort to improve yield on materials, rejected parts are fabricated
into marketable products. The
combination of sub-standard materials and excessive machining creates a fire
hazard, requiring intervention from the fire department.
After the issue is fixed, the practice of fabricating sub-standard
materials beyond the recommended engineering tolerances continues.
Case
3: Shipping and handling practices are intended to maximize the amount of
products able to be transported. Physical
products are stacked beyond safe heights. Shipping
and receiving employees must manually lift the products six feet from the ground
on a continual basis, against their better judgment.
Case
4: After an extensive layoff, there are not enough certified forklift operators.
An untrained forklift operator drops a load of finished product from a
height of 30 feet.
Case
5: The finishing process exposes the products to extreme conditions of
temperature, air circulation, and humidity, and it involves the application of
chemical substances. The heat also
releases toxic emissions inherent in the product. Employees frequently enter the finishing area without proper
protective gear. The products are
transferred from the potentially toxic finishing area and are immediately packed
and prepared for shipment to customers.
Case
6: Employees are instructed to enter confined spaces where toxic substances are
present, without proper protective gear, in order to complete their daily tasks.
The confined spaces are not equipped with adequate ventilation,
illumination, or safety equipment.
Case
7: Key supervision staff arrive on their shift with evidence of substance abuse.
After a cursory review of the schedule and staff, they retreat to the
office to overcome their self-inflicted condition.
Case
8: A container which held a hazardous product and controlled substance is rinsed
to remove the residue. After
rinsing, the diluted substance is poured down the drain where it will interact
with the main sewage. Alternatively,
if a 45 gallon drum is cleaned, the diluted substance will be poured on the yard
and allowed to seep into the groundwater.
Case
9: A confrontational management style is used to lead the employees through fear
and intimidation. Verbal threats
and dramatic displays are demonstrated to force or coerce employees to be more
productive, diligent, and accurate, and to punish deficiencies vigorously.
Case
10: The company officers knowingly detach themselves from involvement or
comprehension of contentious quality, safety, or environmental issues, and
delegate the responsibility to a lower level supervisor who lacks the authority
or resources to influence or control activities.
These
are just ten of many examples where a company can reveal its deficiencies in the
management of Quality, Environmental, and Health and Safety issues.
These deficiencies are reflective of insufficient commitment by senior
executives to address the fundamental principles of sound management.
The implications for a company which commits these or similar cases is
severe: the company can face fines and restrictions, and the company officers
and directors can be punished through fines, penalties, or imprisonment.
There
are many examples of companies which have successfully integrated these issues
into a single management system. The
ASQ has the Energy and Environmental Division which specifically targets this
challenge. Interested members can
refer to the EED site at http://www.envnet.org/asq/eed/.
If
any of these cases suggested apply to your organization, or appear familiar to
you, I recommend that you seriously consider the adoption of a QEHS system.
Otherwise, the risks of such a workplace will exceed the potential
rewards of working in an unsafe environment.
Expansion
of Management Systems To Include Coverage of
February
23, 2000 Dan Zrymiak
copyright February 2000 by Dan Zrymiak and Management Science Institute