10 good things ISO 9001 standards can do for small business

•    help you compete on a level playing field with bigger enterprises
•    open up export markets for your products and services
•    help you discover best business practices
•    will drive efficiency in your business operations
•    add credibility and confidence for your customers
•    open new business opportunities and sales
•    give you the competitive edge
•    make your brand name internationally recognized
•    help your company grow
•    enable a common “language” to be used across an industry sector
ISOsafe make ISO 9001 simple for business owners and employers. Contact us today for a fast free quote on 1300 789 132

ISO 9001:2015—An Introduction

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised quality management system (QMS) standard. It comprises fundamental quality assurance practices that can be applied by any business. In the past ISO9001 has been hugely successful within the manufacturing sector, however, the latest iteration (version 5) has seen the standard heavily revised to appeal to businesses in all sectors.

Without a QMS, businesses have little chance of sustaining any improvements or innovations they might realise. ISO 9001:2015 helps organisations standardise operational functions from input, through to output whether a good or service is being delivered. With the inclusion of risk based thinking, it takes into consideration exogenous and isolated events that many businesses would not usually plan for.

The ISO 9001 standard leaves a great deal of discretion to the business in terms of how it will design its processes and procedures. This enables businesses to customize it to ensure individual success, instead of just blindly following a rigid set of rules.

If you are looking for better overall performance in your business, ISO 9001 is the key. Contact ISOsafe today at enquiries@isosafe.com.au to unlock your business’ true potential.

How to choose the right ISO 9001 consultant

To help you choose the right ISO 9001 consultant for your business, we’ve collated the top ten questions to ask at your next riders and runners meeting

✔ What is their experience in your particular industry? 

✔ What is their business experience beyond ISO 9001?

✔ What is their experience in other ISO standards?

✔ How many ISO 9001 implementation projects has the consultant finished successfully in the last two years?

✔ How many of their customers applied for certification, and how many were successfully ISO 9001 certified in their first attempt?

✔ What is their educational path in ISO 9001?

✔ Do they deliver ISO 9001 training?

✔ Can they show you examples of Quality Management System documentation that they have created for other customers?

✔ What is the total price of their services (make sure this includes everything: analysis, interviews, documentation development, training, transportation costs, etc.)?

✔ What are additional services that may become an added cost, from other providers?

Trust ISOsafe to provide your business with all the support and materials needed to gain ISO9001 accreditation. We work closely with Australia’s most recognisable names, including SAI Global, BSI, DNV GL, Lloyd's Register and Bureau Veritas Australia and New Zealand. To get a fast free quote call us today on 1300 789 132

Toll Transport handed down $1 Million in fines after death of stevedore

Earlier this month, Toll Transport Pty Ltd was convicted and fined $1 million over the death of an employee who was crushed to death while helping load the Tasmanian Achiever at Webb Dock in 2014. The shipping operator pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court to one charge under section 21 of the 2004 OHS Act in that it failed to maintain a safe system of work.

The court heard that the company operated a shipping service between Webb Dock in Port Melbourne and Burnie in Tasmania using two ships, the Tasmanian Achiever and the Victorian Alliance.

When loading and unloading ships Toll used a roll on, roll off procedure. This process involves shipping containers being placed onto low flat trailers called MAFIs which are capable of carrying up to 4 x 20 foot shipping containers. When fully loaded, a MAFI can weigh up to 90 tonnes. 

In this instance, a 42-year-old stevedore was working on the deck of the Tasmanian Achiever placing rubber mats for the MAFIs to rest on during transit. He was wearing a high visibility vest and using earplugs. As he worked, a MAFI was pushed up the ramp and positioned by a prime mover operated by a driver. However, the driver did not see the stevedore and ran over him, crushing him under the wheels.

The court heard that Toll had a number of procedures in place to ensure the safety of employees during the moving of MAFIs on to the ships. However, WorkSafe’s investigation found that these were inadequate.

In particular a key component of Tolls safety procedures identified that a fellow stevedore be positioned on the deck to assist with moving mats, directing the prime movers and watching for pedestrians. Evidently, there was no stevedore in said position at the time of the incident.

The injured worker had his left leg amputated by the MAFI and suffered other severe injuries. Colleagues used a forklift to lift the MAFI off him but he died at the scene. 

The $1 million fine is the largest ever handed down by a court in Victoria for a single offence under occupational health and safety laws. 

Don’t risk non-compliance. Contact ISOsafe today to avoid penalties and heavy court costs, call us on: 1300 789 132 or email us at: enquiries@isosafe.com.au.

What not to do when an OHS Inspector visits

A recent decision made by the Industrial Court acts as a strong deterrent to anyone using intimidating or improper behaviour to hinder SafeWork work health and safety (WHS) inspectors, whilst executing their regulatory duties.

The Industrial Court convicted a Gepps Cross based businessman under section 190 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA) for attempting to intimidate a SafeWork SA inspector, imposing a fine of $5 000 plus court costs.

On 4 June 2015 the business owner used offensive and aggressive behaviour towards a SafeWork SA inspector who was visiting his earthmoving equipment maintenance and service business premises in response to a reported complaint about a number of matters including unguarded plant, workplace overcrowding and a lack of work health and safety induction.

When considering the question of a conviction, Presiding Magistrate Lieschke stated that the inspector's position and role when visiting the defendant's business was comparable to that of a police officer, and the court should not afford any lesser level of disapproval of offensive behaviour towards a WHS inspector.

“She (the inspector) was acting as a public officer, conducting her duty to assist in maintaining compliance standards of workplace health and safety in furtherance of the public interest of avoiding, wherever reasonably practicable, personal injury to employees and others who may be impacted by a business's operations,” said Magistrate Lieschke.

“This is the very important context of the inspector's activities. Intimidating such a public officer performing this important work is not acceptable … by anybody,” Magistrate Lieschke said.
SafeWork SA confirms that the inspector was following procedure, and reminds business owners not to view work health safety compliance as an intrusion or something that can be opposed or dismissed.

“The inspector was investigating a complaint and protecting the identity of the complainant and should not have been the subject of aggressive or offensive behaviour,” said SafeWork SA Executive Director, Ms Marie Boland.

“Our inspectors play a very important role in ensuring the health and safety of workers; they are performing a significant public service, and in this case a number of Prohibition and Improvement Notices were subsequently issued to the business owner,” Ms Marie Boland said.

Anyone can report a matter of concern by calling SafeWork – staff, visitors, contractors and the general public. Don’t take the risk; the maximum penalty for this offence is a two-year term of imprisonment plus a $50 000 fine. Contact ISOsafe today to avoid penalties and heavy court costs, call us on: 1300 789 132 or email us at: enquiries@isosafe.com.au