Quality Management System (ISO 9001) and Environmental Quality Management System (ISO 14001): Towards an integrated model

Abstract

It is reported by reputed bodies of information that now-a-days integrating management systems are becoming a viable subject. The facilities that integrate the environmental management system (EMS) and quality management system (QMS) can comprehend benefits like decrease in audit costs, streamlined operations, proper decision-making, easy employee training and efficient use of resources. The other management systems like occupation health and safety management (OHSAS 18001) and other organizational activities can be similarly integrated. This is a fact that the drafters of ISO 14001 used ISO 9001:1994 as source document so there are many common elements in the two common models of ISO 9001 (QMS) and ISO 14001 (EMS). Both the standards in their current form are well-suited. To increase the compatibility further, the ISO committees accountable for the improvement and upholding of the aforesaid standards continue to examine possible opportunities. I. Quality in business: An introductory overview Quality is defined as fitness for purpose and in business; engineering and manufacturing quality has a sensible explanation as superiority of something. The understanding about quality varies from person to person as quality is perceptual, unconfirmed, and somewhat subjective in nature. The consumers mostly measure the quality of a commodity with the available options produced by the competitors in the market. The producers try to quantify quality by assessing degree to which the commodity was produced correctly. The quality measured by support personnel are based on the degree of reliability, maintainability or sustainability of the commodity. In other words, an item that has quality has the ability to perform satisfactorily and is fit for its intended purpose. In business context there are five aspects of quality:  Producing - providing something  Checking - confirming that something has been done correctly  Quality Control - controlling a process to ensure that the outcomes are predictable  Quality Management - directing an organization so that it optimizes its performance through analysis and improvement