Quality, Health, Safety, Environment (QHSE) Management Systems

Quality, Health, Safety, Environment (QHSE) Management Systems

What Does QHSE Stand For?

QHSE is an acronym for Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment management. It is a specific type of management approach that any organization, regardless of industry, can use to enhance the quality of processes and products, ensure the health and safety of workers, and monitor environmental impact to promote sustainability. QHSE places an emphasis on communication, incremental improvement, and reducing occupational risks.

QHSE standards

QHSE management focuses on establishing and maintaining three main standards that are published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, and ISO 45001, Occupational Health and Safety.

Each of these three standards emphasize Kaizen, a mindset of continuous improvement that promotes a high quality work environment as well as high quality products for consumers. The PDCA cycle is a core aspect to Kaizen and guides people through planning, implementing, and analyzing new processes in the workplace. By continually improving and ensuring efficiency, the standards that are the guiding ideology for QHSE provide assurance to customers that the goods or services they’re investing in are of high quality.

Although QHSE’s core standards involve different management procedures, they are able to work together by using a High-Level Structure (HLS). Any business that has an existing ISO management system will find that it’s easy to integrate each standard; they have similar terms, definitions, and text that follow a common framework, and can be used to fill any gaps within a management system.

Principles of QHSE

In order to be effective, a QHSE management system needs consistent communication, a flexible work environment, and strategic implementation. Other foundational principles include:

  • The support and participation of top management
  • The implementation of QHSE policies company-wide; each employee (including contractors) is subject to the procedures
  • Establishing individual responsibility for continuous improvement, protecting the environment, and ensuring occupational safety
  • Prioritizing safety first as environmental accidents and injuries are eliminated
  • Highlighting the importance of maintaining records as well as the documentation and investigation of incidents

ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems

The first fundamental standard to QHSE management is ISO 9001, an international guideline that helps organizations maintain quality and improvement in their operations. This standard utilizes prevalent Lean manufacturing concepts such as Kaizen to ensure that a business is continually reducing defects and increasing efficiency. Companies that adhere to ISO 9001 are exemplary of a dedication to achieving a quality management system (QMS), the main objective of which is to secure consumer confidence in the company’s ability to provide high quality goods and services.

ISO 9001 applies to any organization, regardless of industry or size. So far, more than a million facilities globally have incorporated the standard successfully.

Benefits of ISO 9001

When companies seek to implement the concept of Kaizen into their business from the top down, ISO 9001 is often one of the resources they first turn to. The standard can help:

  • Standardize and organize processes
  • Improve the overall efficiency of a business
  • Encourage a company-wide culture of continuous improvement
  • Gain customer confidence and satisfaction

Implementing the quality management systems standard

Although risk has always been an important aspect to QMS, ISO 9001:2015, the most current version of this standard, weaves preventative action throughout its guidelines rather than regarding risk separately. ISO defines “risk” as anything that deviates from predicted objectives. ISO 9001—and QHSE management as whole—incorporates a risk-based approach to assure quality goods and services, improve customer confidence, and foster continuous improvement.

A risk-based approach adapts the PDCA cycle to determine existing or potential risks, develop a plan of action to address these, implement the plan, and then evaluate its effectiveness. Whether a plan succeeds or fails, the cycle begins at the first stage again: determining the correct course of action (or an improved course of action to achieve further success). This cycle ensures incremental improvement over time.

ISO 14001: Environmental Management Systems

ISO 14001 is used by QHSE management to regulate a company’s impact and responsibilities concerning the environment. It establishes specific criteria for effective environmental management systems. By implementing ISO 14001, a business can manage their responsibilities to enhance sustainability.

Adhering to the standard provides assurance to stakeholders and employees that the company’s environmental impact is being monitored and opportunities for improvement are being identified. While environmental performance is improved mainly through reducing waste and efficiently utilizing resources, there are other issues involved, including climate change mitigation, air pollution, sewage and water issues, and soil contamination.

Benefits of ISO 14001

When a company successfully integrates an environmental management system into their overall management framework, benefits include:

  • Protection of the environment
  • Reduced consumption of raw materials and energy
  • An improvement to the organization’s reputation
  • Increasing the engagement of both leadership and employees
  • Achieving a competitive advantage through reduced cost and improved efficiency

Implementing the environmental management systems standard

Like other ISO management systems, 14001 focuses on continually improving an organization’s approach to environmental concerns. It highlights the importance of considering environmental management as a core aspect to the business’s overall strategic planning process, rather than regarding it separately. It requires high input from leadership, a strong commitment to proactive initiatives, and encouraging better environmental performance all along the supply chain.

ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety

As the last central standard for QHSE management, ISO 45001 is the world’s first international standard that addresses health and safety in the workplace. It aims to reduce the occurrence of occupational injuries, fatalities, and illnesses by providing a specific framework for organizations to follow to improve their compliance. Intended for the top management of a business, it mitigates the adverse effects on the conditions of employees to support a safe and healthy workplace.

Although based on earlier standards such as OHSAS 18001, ISO 45001 is a completely distinct standard and was recently introduced in 2018. The intention of creating this unique standard was to officially replace OHSAS 18001. It also represents a significant shift in viewing health and safety management: health and safety is no longer regarded as a stand-alone business element, but instead viewed as a core aspect to maintaining a high quality and sustainable organization. ISO 45001 includes guidelines for incorporating the oversight of health and safety into business management overall.

Benefits of ISO 45001

When ISO 45001 is properly implemented, businesses experience a wide variety of benefits, including:

  • Addressing and controlling occupational health and safety risks
  • Ensuring compliance with current legislation
  • Establishing a reputation as a safe place to work
  • Improving employee morale
  • Ensuring continuous improvement as the health and safety context changes

Implementing the occupational health and safety standard

Incorporating ISO 45001 into your business begins with conducting a risk assessment to determine health and safety risks that your employees face on a daily basis. This includes long term impacts and applicable regulations enforced by agencies such as OSHA. The ISO standard helps businesses establish a formal health and safety policy, implement this policy, and monitor activities in order to develop a successful and compliant safety program. Together with ISO 9001 and 14001, this standard helps organizations become a high quality, safe, and sustainable place for employees to work at and for stakeholders to invest in.

How Facility Marking Can Improve QHSE

Achieving all the objectives of QHSE management requires extensive communication. This includes documenting incidents, establishing written procedures and policies, and recording results. On top of paperwork, employees—from the top management on down—may need continual reminders to practice sustainability and safety as they aim for high quality.

Kaizen posters that encourage continuous improvement are a helpful reminder, as well as safety signs and labels that emphasize an organization’s procedures and prompt workers to practice safety standards such as donning the proper PPE and taking preventative action to address potential hazards. Floor marking tape indicates storage areas and marks pathways so facilities are much more efficient to navigate. By investing in facility marking supplies, companies can enhance their QHSE management programs and ensure that their business sustains quality, safety, and sustainability for the future.


Additional QHSE facts:

  • QHSE stands for Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment. It represents an integrated approach to managing an organization’s processes and activities related to quality assurance, occupational health and safety (OHS), and environmental management. Source: https://www.compliancequest.com/qhse-management-system/
  • QHSE is guided by international standards such as ISO 9001 for quality management, ISO 45001 for health and safety management, and ISO 14001 for environmental management. These standards help organizations establish, implement, and improve their QHSE systems. Source: https://www.agilitysystem.net/insight/the-complete-guide-to-qhse-management-systems/
  • QHSE has many benefits for organizations, such as improving customer satisfaction, reducing operational costs, enhancing employee well-being, preventing accidents and injuries, complying with legal and regulatory requirements, and minimizing environmental impact. Source: https://aplanet.org/resources/qhse/
  • QHSE requires a strategic approach to implementation, involving top management commitment, stakeholder engagement, risk assessment, process optimization, performance measurement, and continuous improvement. Source: https://safetyculture.com/topics/qhse/
  • QHSE is not only a technical or operational issue, but also a cultural and ethical one. It reflects the values and principles of an organization and its responsibility towards its customers, employees, and the society. Source: https://aplanet.org/resources/qhse/
 
 
 
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