Outstanding Results for Universal Networks

Congratulations to Universal Networks who flew through their triennial ISO9001 audit with LRQA. The auditor commented on their focus on continuous improvement and business strategy. No non-conformances were raised.

Ed Hing, Managing Director of Universal Networks said that he was “very pleased with the result. The combined efforts of the team, together with the guidance from SSFB, all contributed to the excellent report”.

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Simply safety

It’s not unusual to hear the words ‘I only employ a couple of people so I don’t really have to worry about health and safety do I?’. It’s a fact of life that all businesses, regardless of size, need to manage health and safety in the workplace. It doesn’t have to be onerous and there is plenty of free information available on the Internet. It really is about common sense.

Over the next few months we will look at the basic safety requirements for any business regardless of the size. This month we take a look at providing the right workplace facilities.

Welfare facilities

For your employees’ well being you need to provide:

  • toilets and hand basins, with soap and towels or a hand-dryer
  • drinking water
  • a place to store clothing (and somewhere to change if special clothing is worn for work)
  • somewhere to rest and eat meals

Health issues

To have a healthy working environment, make sure there is:

  • good ventilation – a supply of fresh, clean air drawn from outside or a ventilation system
  • a reasonable working temperature (usually at least 16°C, or 13°C for strenuous work, unless other laws require lower temperatures)
  • lighting suitable for the work being carried out
  • enough room space and suitable workstations and seating
  • a clean workplace with appropriate waste containers

Safety issues

To keep your workplace safe you must:

  • properly maintain your premises and work equipment
  • keep floors and traffic routes free from obstruction
  • have windows that can be opened and also cleaned safely
  • make sure that any transparent (e.g. glass) doors or walls are protected or made of safety material

Some work environments, e.g. construction; manufacturing, etc need greater controls. Click here to obtain the HSE’s copy of A Short Guide for Managers – Health, Safety and Welfare. If you would like some advice about how to ensure you are complying with the law drop us an email on info@ssfb.co.uk or call 0333 321 0131.

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The Customer is King

ISO9004:2009 is the guidance document for ISO9001. It explains the paragraphs of the standard in reasonably plain English and takes the implementation of the standard beyond compliance. It’s not only an important standard for anyone implementing the ISO9001 quality standard, it also provides some really useful guidance for anyone who just wants to look at their business with fresh eyes and improve performance.

The standard defines eight key quality management principles that are fundamental to the success of any business:

  • Customer focus
  • Leadership
  • Involvement of people
  • Process approach
  • System approach to management
  • Continual improvement
  • Decision making based on facts
  • Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Over the next few months we shall look at each of the principles and how they can be applied in any business and the key benefits

Principle 1 – Customer Focus

All businesses depend on their customers and need to understand current and future customer needs. They should meet customer requirements and strive to exceed their expectations.

Applying the principles of customer focus should lead to one or more of the following activities being carried out:

  • Researching and understanding customer needs and expectations.
  • Ensuring that the objectives of the organisation are linked to customer needs and expectations.
  • Communicating customer needs and expectations throughout the organisation.
  • Measuring customer satisfaction and acting on the results.
  • Systematically managing customer relationships.
  • Ensuring a balanced approach between satisfied customers and other interested parties (e.g. owners, employees, suppliers, financiers, local communities and society as a whole).

Key benefits:

  • Increased revenue and market share obtained through flexible and fast responses to market opportunities.
  • Increased effectiveness in the use of the organisations’ resources to enhance customer satisfaction.
  • Improved customer loyalty leading to repeat business.

To find out more about the principles of good quality management and how it can help your business drop us an email or call 0333 321 0131.

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