Management system standards: The key integration issues

Abstract

This paper has identified five key issues and four major questions regarding the integration of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems and standards. These issues and questions were tested, using four distinct methods, in order to assess their relevance and to determine their importance. One of the major findings is that what organizations mean by integration depends to a great extent on what they want it to mean. However, if the culture and climate do not match their aims then the resulting integrated management system is likely to be no more than a merging of system documentation. The findings have also revealed two approaches to integration which reflect both the differences in culture and the needs of organizations. They are a merging of the documentation (the aligned approach), and implementation of an integrated management system (IMS) through a total quality approach.