BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.
Fire conscious:
BS 9999
21 Oct 2008
Topics: Fire
With over 30,000 commercial fires handled by the fire service in the UK every year, the demand for a more fire-safety conscious approach to commercial buildings has been high for years.
At the same time, the introduction of the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act in April 2008 removed the biggest blocks to legal action against directors in the case of fires: the need to find a senior representative guilty of manslaughter in order to prosecute their company.
Perceived corporate negligence was often one of the key reasons for prosecution, which has made it more imperative for company directors to take fire safety into account in their places of business.
The publication of BS 9999 Code of practice for fire safety in the design, construction and use of buildings in September 2008 was developed to help safeguard the lives of commercial building occupants and fire-fighters, and by extension those using or working in buildings.
The standard covers the construction and use of buildings to maximize fire safety, including precautions and means of escape. It is applicable to new and existing buildings, especially when alterations to the structure of an existing building or to its use are being considered, and covers the entire life cycle of a building.
As part of the launch, a conference will be held in November 2008, to introduce the new standard and provide information on other guidance, as well as updates on legislation and where BS 9999 fits within this context.
For more information on standards: www.bsigroup.com/oct08firestandards
For more information on the conference: www.bsigroup.com/oct08fireconference
Business Standards © 2007. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with the British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
ABTA (The Association of British Travel Agents, representing over 5,500 travel agencies and 900 tour operations in the UK) has joined forces with BSI Management Systems UK to produce a guide on implementing an effective complaints handling process - Dealing With Complaints: Complaint Handling.
BSI has published a new SME guide to standardization, Good for Business: The small business guide to standards. It was created to introduce small businesses to British and international standards, and to showcase organizations benefiting from standardization.
Every year, organizations around the world experience some disruptions to their operations. The reasons can be innocent, from staff illness to weather conditions, but they can also be more severe, from industrial accidents to criminal activity. Whatever the disruption, organizations are under pressure to maintain business as usual. For most, this is helped by the implementation of a business continuity management system (BCMS).
As pressures mount for businesses to become more efficient, to do more with less and to keep an eye on the bottom line, managing resources effectively is proving more essential than ever. Resource prices have been particularly volatile over the past year and fuel and energy costs to businesses have seen more fluctuations than most.
Lockheed Martin UK - INSYS has achieved certification toBS OHSAS 18001 Occupational health and safety management systems. Certification was achieved following an independent assessment by BSI, against a set of challenging requirements. During a year-long effort, workplace hazards were identified and addressed; and operating procedures were reviewed and updated, with employees receiving tailored training on health and safety disciplines.
Question: Does business really need an integrated management systems standard?
Integrate or disintegrate - which would you choose? Some ten years ago the environmental standard, ISO 14001, was born and there are now over 100,000 organizations registered to it worldwide.
Have a standards-related question for BSI or a comment on the website? We'll find the right person to answer.
