is the online magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment by helping organizations improve quality, save money, reduce risk and be more sustainable. Features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems, standards, testing, healthcare and certification.
Viewpoint
Question: Are health and safety issues at risk of being lost in the current financial turmoil?When business isn't going well - whether it's due to a recession or simply because a company is going through a slow patch - there is a temptation to cut costs by cutting corners. Instead of treating an issue like product and consumer safety as vital to a organization's growth and reputation, it can become just another expense or regulatory requirement. Under those circumstances, organization's will do only what they are required to do by law and nothing more, in an effort to find savings wherever they can.
This can be a false economy as a strategy and can even go so far as to endanger the end user of your products or services. The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, The Chief Fire Officers' Association recommendations, Building Regulations and a range of other requirements makes safety and performance an issue that cannot be ignored. Any organization trying to cut corners for the sake of savings may find itself facing prosecution or business restrictions in the long run.
Making certain that your products or services are safe for your customers is of the greatest possible importance and is fundamental to success at any time, but particularly when customers are watching their expenditure.
In our experience at BSI, demonstrating product safety and reliability becomes even more important during an economic downturn, as customers became more demanding, not less. They expect better customer service as well as value for money and proof of quality. Smart businesses realize this and look for ways to demonstrate that their products are worth spending money on, as well as being safer and more reliable.
With three-quarters of the UK population stating that the Kitemark helps them to choose between products, now is the time for companies to emphasize this in their marketing. Kitemark has always stood for quality and trust, and customers appreciate this now more than ever.
Businesses also understand that they need to prove that their products or services have these characteristics. Instead of doing the very least possible, they can use certification as a way to stand out from the competition and keep pace with customer expectation.
If you are hoping to get through the lean times intact, using certification to prove that your products and services will deliver safety, reliability and good value for money should be at the top of the agenda, not an afterthought.
David Ford, managing director, BSI Product Services _________________________________________
"Many organizations are already fully committed to a properly integrated health and safety system and they know that good health and safety is good business. But in the coming months, the economic climate is going to test that commitment in some places and in others there is a much longer standing scepticism/reluctance to embrace proper health and safety, which we must tackle. Exemption from the law or from scrutiny by the regulator is not an option for any organization - a common sense fully integrated approach is not an option either but an imperative for everyone.
"In the difficult and uncertain months ahead I urge employers not to take their eyes off the ball. Good business management will be vital and good health and safety management is an integral part of that. Health and safety contributes positively to competitiveness and should not be sacrificed in times of financial pressure."
Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
Business Standards © 2010. 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.
Sapphire earns a standards hat-trick
Sapphire Energy Recovery, the waste processing and resource recovery business owned by Lafarge Cement, has achieved certification to three management systems standards (ISO 9001 Quality management, ISO 14001 Environmental management and BS OHSAS 18001 Health and safety management) from BSI. Sapphire is the UK's leading processor of used tyres, and sources and manages the logistics of a range of waste-derived fuels and raw materials for the cement industry.
Gerda, a leading developer and manufacturer of products for the security industry, has become the first company to be awarded the Kitemark for thief-resistant lock assemblies, in line with BS 10621:2007 Thief resistant dual-mode lock assembly.
A clear case for carbon neutrality
"Carbon neutral" sounds good on paper, but what does it really mean? Organizations are making claims about carbon neutrality for everything from products to travel, events, projects and buildings. The problem is that no one quite agrees what "carbon neutral" means or how far it extends.
UK film industry pioneers sustainability standard developed by BSI
The British film industry, in conjunction with BSI, is taking the lead in the global entertainment market with the announcement at the Cannes Film Festival of a new British Standard that will improve the industry's environmental, social and economic impact. For example, in London alone, screen production accounted for 125,000 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2009, 40% of which came from studios and 28% from TV and film production.
While there was a time when companies would never consider working alongside the competition, today's marketplace demands a more flexible approach. Collaboration is fast becoming par for the course. For example, large government contracts often require expertise that goes far beyond any one company's capacity to deliver. Forming a consortium brings together the right experience in the right place, and it can mean the difference between winning or losing a tender.
Question: Do companies need to verify their carbon footprint?
Unless a business is regulated by some form of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting and/or cap-and-trade regulation (as is the case for some 12,000 installations in Europe), rarely is there the need to either calculate or verify the accuracy of a carbon footprint.
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