Best of the Best: Air Products once again proves its commitment to best practice in Safety, Health and Environment (SHE)
Air Products South Africa, a leading manufacturer and supplier of a wide range of industrial gases, puts health and safety issues firmly at the top of its agenda and is proud of its safety track record.
The company is ISO 9000 certified at all its facilities, with ongoing safety programmes which aim to integrate safety into all the company’s activities.
And once again, the company has gained recognition for its commitment to safety and health best practices, through the NOSA (National Occupation Safety Association) awards.
Sue Janse van Vuuren, Head of SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment and Quality) at Air Products explains why the annual NOSA awards hold value for the company and why they are an important part of its calendar:
“The NOSA programme is externally audited which helps us benchmark ourselves against other companies in South Africa,” she says. “Winning NOSA awards gives us confidence in the effectiveness of our internal environment health and safety programmes, and assures us that our systems are world class.”
The basis of the NOSA programme is the NOSA Integrated Five Star System Standard, which has been implemented by thousands of companies both in South Africa and around the world. The NOSA audit guidelines provide a thorough evaluation of the principles and practices that keep an organisation safe, healthy, and environmentally sustainable.
“The NOSA system is based on South African legislation, and SHE best practices, so it provides us with a measure of our compliance and a level of assurance.”
NOSA holds a number of awards functions each year. Janse van Vuuren explains the process:
“The NOSCAR awards are presented at the NOSCAR Banquet. This award is the ultimate symbol of excellence in occupational risk management. It recognises those companies, or divisions, which are the ‘best of the best’. Air Products was thrilled to receive NOSCAR awards for five of its facilities.
Then each region holds its own award function,” she continues, “where the Sector Industry Category (SIC) awards are given to reward the best NOSA integrated system to companies within each respective industry sector.
And finally, the NOSA International Awards are held at NOSHCON (NOSA’s annual conference), which was held during August 2011. Our highest achievement was our Head Office being awarded the Winner of the International Top 100 Award for World Class SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) Performance in the Commercial category,” she says.
The other categories in the Top 100 Awards are Manufacturing and Mining.
The International Top 100 Award is the highest NOSA accolade, and this was the second consecutive year that Air Products has received it.
At the regional SIC awards, held last year, Air Products won a number of first and second places, as well as awards for the Best Occupational Safety, Best Occupational Health and Best Environmental Management Programmes.
“Our Kempton Park facility was overall winner of the Sector E awards (Electricity, Gas and Water),” says Janse van Vuuren, “and this, along with their audit results, qualified them for their first NOSCAR.”
She recognises, however, that the company cannot afford to rest on its laurels. “In any certification system, it is one thing to achieve high standards but another to maintain them. This takes a lot of hard work and dedication from each and every employee at all levels and facilities within the organisation,” she says.
This is why employees find such recognition gratifying, and, as Janse van Vuuren says, it spurs the company on to future accolades. “We continually strive for improvement in our SHE systems and performance and are working to bring all our facilities up to the same level. We would like to continue to bring at least another facility up to NOSCAR standard each year,” she advises, adding that the company will also be working hard to maintain its Top 100 position for another year.
“It is also important to remember that SHE management is not all about awards but it is about providing and maintaining a safe workplace for our employees and preventing any harm to people and the environment,” Janse van Vuuren concludes.
Published on January 26, 2012 in Air Products News |
ISO Certification: How Do Companies Get It – And Why Do They Need it?
‘ISO- accredited’ is a phrase often bandied about in marketing blurb. But what is it, and why do companies need it?
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation), is a voluntary system for companies around the world gain accreditation according to certain standards which meet the requirements of business and the broader needs of society.
Although entirely voluntary, ISO certification is becoming increasingly prevalent in industry today. This is according to Abdul Shaik, Field Quality Manager at Air Products South Africa. He explains that there are several reasons behind this.
“There are a number of drivers for ISO accreditation, including organisational procedures and operational efficiencies, as well as customer requirements,” he says.
As one of the country’s leading manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of gas and gas products, Air Products gives top priority to health and safety issues and is proud of its track record.
Sue Jansen van Vuuren, Environmental Health and Safety, and Quality Manager at Air Products, explains the company’s standpoint: “For us, nothing is more important than safety – not production, not sales, not profits.”
She continues: “We regard the national legislation in terms of environmental health and safety as the very minimum standard. Over and above legislative compliance, we have very well-entrenched quality management systems in place, including ISO 9001, which we have had since 1992.”
ISO 9001, Shaik explains, is a baseline quality management certification, which the company has in place at all its sites countrywide. More recently, Air Products has achieved two further ISO accreditations: ISO 22 000, which is a food management system utilised mainly in the food industry and ISO 14 000, an environmental management system. “We comply to local legislation in terms of environmental safety,” says Shaik, “but it is important to us to reach over and above this by attaining ISO certification as well.”
He explains: “Being ISO compliant affects our operational efficiency by ensuring that we do not incur waste and that we operate according to carefully designed step-by-step procedures. This eliminates possible complaints, fewer failures and reworks, which in turn keeps production costs as low as possible.”
In addition, ISO certification has proved instrumental in providing the company with access to new markets.
“We get many requests from customers and prospective customers wanting to see our ISO certification,” Shaik says.
ISO, which is granted to South African companies through the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) applies to a company’s manufacturing or production facilities, which in turn provides guarantees regarding that facility’s output and product consistency.
“It is about engineering and managing procedures according to international best practice to ensure a consistent quality output, which meets customer expectations,” says Shaik.
The start up to achieving ISO certification involves a lot of time and effort, with particular emphasis on careful documentation.
“Primary processes have to be well-documented and recorded for later scrutiny, which is quite an involved process in itself,” Shaik explains. “Thereafter, it is important to train your people on approved procedures, according to ISO standards – and then there are various ‘checks and balances’, checking incoming bulk product and raw material, and outgoing product according to specifications.”
He emphasises the importance of keeping careful records of all activities, including training. “This is important for auditing purposes, as SABS routinely audits our systems.” Shaik says.
With regards to keeping compliant, Van Vuuren says: “Once we have achieved our ISO certification in the various areas, we conduct our own internal audits. But we realise that it’s not always possible to ensure compliance remotely, so we hold the people on the ground accountable for how they run their areas day-to-day. It is something that is an ongoing effort – we definitely do not rest on our laurels!”
She adds that the SABS/ISO audit is generic in nature, and that Air Products’ internal auditing is run according to very strict industry-specific standards, conducted by subject experts and specialists in the various fields of gas production.
Shaik concludes: “Being ISO compliant has become a way of life for Air Products: it makes good business sense, and, more importantly, ensures that we are able to consistently provide a quality output, according to world standards – something our customers have come to expect from Air Products.”
Published on January 17, 2012 in Air Products News |
ISO Certification: How Do Companies Get It – And Why Do They Need it?
‘ISO- accredited’ is a phrase often bandied about in marketing blurb. But what is it, and why do companies need it?
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation), is a voluntary system for companies around the world gain accreditation according to certain standards which meet the requirements of business and the broader needs of society.
Although entirely voluntary, ISO certification is becoming increasingly prevalent in industry today. This is according to Abdul Shaik, Field Quality Manager at Air Products South Africa. He explains that there are several reasons behind this.
“There are a number of drivers for ISO accreditation, including organisational procedures and operational efficiencies, as well as customer requirements,” he says.
As one of the country’s leading manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of gas and gas products, Air Products gives top priority to health and safety issues and is proud of its track record.
Sue Jansen van Vuuren, Environmental Health and Safety, and Quality Manager at Air Products, explains the company’s standpoint: “For us, nothing is more important than safety – not production, not sales, not profits.”
She continues: “We regard the national legislation in terms of environmental health and safety as the very minimum standard. Over and above legislative compliance, we have very well-entrenched quality management systems in place, including ISO 9001, which we have had since 1992.”
ISO 9001, Shaik explains, is a baseline quality management certification, which the company has in place at all its sites countrywide. More recently, Air Products has achieved two further ISO accreditations: ISO 22 000, which is a food management system utilised mainly in the food industry and ISO 14 000, an environmental management system. “We comply to local legislation in terms of environmental safety,” says Shaik, “but it is important to us to reach over and above this by attaining ISO certification as well.”
He explains: “Being ISO compliant affects our operational efficiency by ensuring that we do not incur waste and that we operate according to carefully designed step-by-step procedures. This eliminates possible complaints, fewer failures and reworks, which in turn keeps production costs as low as possible.”
In addition, ISO certification has proved instrumental in providing the company with access to new markets.
“We get many requests from customers and prospective customers wanting to see our ISO certification,” Shaik says.
ISO, which is granted to South African companies through the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) applies to a company’s manufacturing or production facilities, which in turn provides guarantees regarding that facility’s output and product consistency.
“It is about engineering and managing procedures according to international best practice to ensure a consistent quality output, which meets customer expectations,” says Shaik.
The start up to achieving ISO certification involves a lot of time and effort, with particular emphasis on careful documentation.
“Primary processes have to be well-documented and recorded for later scrutiny, which is quite an involved process in itself,” Shaik explains. “Thereafter, it is important to train your people on approved procedures, according to ISO standards – and then there are various ‘checks and balances’, checking incoming bulk product and raw material, and outgoing product according to specifications.”
He emphasises the importance of keeping careful records of all activities, including training. “This is important for auditing purposes, as SABS routinely audits our systems.” Shaik says.
With regards to keeping compliant, Van Vuuren says: “Once we have achieved our ISO certification in the various areas, we conduct our own internal audits. But we realise that it’s not always possible to ensure compliance remotely, so we hold the people on the ground accountable for how they run their areas day-to-day. It is something that is an ongoing effort – we definitely do not rest on our laurels!”
She adds that the SABS/ISO audit is generic in nature, and that Air Products’ internal auditing is run according to very strict industry-specific standards, conducted by subject experts and specialists in the various fields of gas production.
Shaik concludes: “Being ISO compliant has become a way of life for Air Products: it makes good business sense, and, more importantly, ensures that we are able to consistently provide a quality output, according to world standards – something our customers have come to expect from Air Products.”
Published on January 17, 2012 in Air Products News |