Episodios

  • #223 What Are The Benefits Of Outsourced ISO Support?

    #223 What Are The Benefits Of Outsourced ISO Support?
    Jul 15 2025
    ISO certification is more than just earning a certificate, and it requires continuous maintenance to both retain certification and drive effective improvements. Over the course of your 3-year certification cycle, you will need to ensure your Management System is regularly updated and reviewed so that it remains relevant to the way you’re currently working. That in addition to annual tasks such as internal auditing and management review, it can be a lot to keep on top of. Which is why some turn to external ISO Support. In this episode, Steph Churchman explains what ISO Support is, the challenges of managing ISO internally and the benefits of external support. You’ll learn · What is ISO Support? · What tasks can you outsource · Challenges of managing ISO internally · What are the benefits of ISO Support? Resources · Isologyhub · ISO Support Plan In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – Steph explains what is meant by ISO Support, explains the challenges with managing ISO internally and the benefits of engaging in external support. [02:20] What is ISO Support? ISO certification involves a 3-year cycle, where you will be subjected to an annual Surveillance audit by your certification body. On year 3, you will need to undertake a recertification audit, which will determine if you can keep your ISO certification. During that cycle, you will be required to complete annual tasks such as internal auditing, documentation updates and management review to ensure that your management system is effective in driving continual improvement. ISO Support is a service provided by an external party to help facilitate the management of these annual tasks, usually undertaken by a dedicated ISO consultancy. [03:40] What tasks can be outsourced? To learn about what tasks can be outsourced, check out a previous episode. [03:55] ISO Management Challenge #1: Internal auditors not being comfortable about auditing their peers - It may be the case that certain individuals do no get on, however if someone manages a key process or area of the business, they still need to be audited. There’s also the chance for auditors to be misunderstood, or have trouble getting the answers they need from auditees. Auditing requires the ability to effectively communicate and make yourself understood. It’s quite common for auditees to ask for further clarification on questions asked, so you need to be able to work with them so that they understand what you’re really asking. [04:45] ISO Management Challenge #2: Internal auditors not being particularly objective or impartial when auditing leadership – It can be hard to be impartial towards leadership, even if it is ultimately in their best interest! These dynamics can be habitual, but by not pointing out genuine issues or opportunities for improvement, you dimmish the purpose of the exercise. This also involves any leadership being receptive to feedback given. If this hasn’t been taken well in the past, it’s understandable for individuals to be hesitant doing so again, even if it’s a necessary part of the process. [05:35] ISO Management Challenge #3: Fed up with paying for training for a high turnover of internal auditors - Internal Auditing will require a qualification, which will cost money. It’s not a tremendous amount for these courses, but it would be an extra thing to budget for, and then there’s factoring the time to complete the course which takes away from that individuals other responsibilities. It can also be frustrating when your only Internal Auditor moves on and so you have to train another. Depending on the business, this could happen quite frequently and so ends up being a repetitive expense. You will also need to ensure any current auditors are competent to audit against any new ISO Standards that you may add along the way. [06:35] ISO Management Challenge #4: Managers not having time to update processes - Your Management system is likely owned by either just 1 individual or by a small team within the business. Those involved will already have their plates full with day-to-day operations, and anything ISO related is just another task to add onto that pile. In the eyes of many, they may seem unimportant in comparison, and will continually get shuffled down the priority list until it’s time for a Surveillance Audit. There will also be a certain amount of documentation to review and update on a regular basis. Even those with mature systems can experience trouble with duplicated processes, or confusion with old versions, and finding the time to sit and refresh all of that is often hard to accomplish. [07:30] ISO Management Challenge #5: Managers not aware of their legal, regulatory or ISO Standards requirements - As ISO Standards lay out best practice, they do require businesses to be aware of and adhere to relevant legislation and regulations. ...
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    21 m
  • #222 What Are The Benefits Of An Integrated Management System?

    #222 What Are The Benefits Of An Integrated Management System?
    Jul 2 2025
    ISO Standards are often a must have due to stakeholder requirements, whether that’s from your customers, investors or regulators. The need for multiple ISO certifications is also becoming more common, which can become a tricky task to juggle if you’re managing these as separate systems. The solution? An Integrated Management System. In this episode, Steph Churchman explains what an integrated management system is, how the Annex SL format facilitates integration and the benefits and challenges involved with an IMS. You’ll learn · What is an Integrated Management System? · Why consider an IMS? · What is the Annex SL format? · What are the benefits of an IMS? · What are the challenges of implementing an IMS? Resources · Isologyhub In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – Steph explains what an Integrated Management System is, how the Annex SL format makes this possible and dives into the benefits and challenges associated with an IMS. [02:20] What is an Integrated Management System? Often abbreviated to ‘IMS’, it simply refers to a management system based off certification to or alignment with multiple ISO Standards. For example, a company may be certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 but will only have 1 Management system rather than 3 sperate systems. [03:30] What is the Annex SL format? The Annex SL format was applied to most ISO Standards back in 2015. This format helped to create a consistent 10 clause structure which makes it simple to integrate multiple ISO Standards. Before this was introduced, not all Standard clauses aligned, making it difficult to audit against and combine with other Standards, even if they had similar requirements. [04:00] The Annex SL 10 Clause Structure explained:– · The first 3 clauses are explanatory clauses. These give you more context for the purpose of the standards, as well as providing a helpful glossary of terms and definitions that you’ll come across in the Standard. These clauses aren’t audited against · Clause 4 - Context of the Organisation: This is where you’ll be establishing your scope, your interested parties and looking at where your risks and opportunities are. It’s setting the foundation for your Management system. · Clause 5 Leadership: This is where you’ll need commitment from top management. They will need to be involved with tasks such as establishing key policies, assigning roles & responsibilities and communicating the Management System once you’re ready to launch it. · Clause 6 Planning: This is where you will look at the risks and opportunities raised during the context phase and plan what actions you’ll take to address them. This is in addition to setting your business objectives. · Clause 7 Support: This is where you will establish the resources you have available to create and facilitate the running of the Management system. This clause gives you guidance for considerations such as people, infrastructure, monitoring and measurement needs, competence of staff and key communication requirements. · Clause 8 Operation: This clause is where the main differences can be found between ISO Standards. It provides guidance on considerations for key processes and procedures relating to the Standard focus. ISO 9001 for example contains a rather chunky clause 8 as it details requirements for products and services, including the development and provision of them. While ISO 27001’s clause 8 focuses more on information security risk assessments and risk treatment plans. · Clause 9 Performance Evaluation: This is where you establish the who, what and when involved in the monitoring, measurement and evaluation of your management system. This is also where Internal Auditing requirements are detailed. · Clause 10 Continual Improvement: This is the driving force of all ISO Standards. In this last clause you’ll find requirements for Management review and non-conformity and corrective action. That’s simply about reviewing the effectiveness of the Management system and putting plans in place to correct any non-conformities raised, or act on any of those opportunities for improvement. [08:00] IMS Benefit #1: Cost Saving – ISO Implementation can get costly, especially if you’re investing in a consultancy to help you in addition to the certification body costs involved in the actual assessment. You can save money by implementing multiple standards at the same time. At Blackmores, we’re happy to help you implement multiple ISO’s at the same time. This saves on the time spent if you were to do them separately, as we typically combine elements of the selected standards in project days such as during a Gap analysis, document creation and internal audits. On the certification body side, you can save on assessment days by...
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    22 m
  • #221 Processes As A Tool For Simplicity And Structured Improvement

    #221 Processes As A Tool For Simplicity And Structured Improvement
    Jun 25 2025
    The process approach is recommended by all Management System Standards, and effective implementation is key to drive continual improvement. Processes outline the basic steps needed to complete a task or achieve a certain outcome, and serve to keep things running smoothly and consistently. For those new to ISO Standards, it can be quite daunting to understand what this means in practice. In this episode Ian Battersby explains what a process is in the context of Management systems, how to map processes and the different ways you can visualise a process for communications. You’ll learn · What is a Process? · Why are processes needed in Management Systems? · Why should you document your processes? · How do you map a process? · How can you display a process? Resources · Isologyhub · ISO 9004 In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – Ian explains the importance of processes in Management systems, how you can effectively map processes and how you can visualise them for further communication. [03:00] Why are processes so important for Management Systems? As ISO 9004 (Quality management - Quality of an organization - Guidance to achieve sustained success) states:- “Organisations deliver value through activities connected within a network of processes. Processes often cross boundaries of functions within the organisation. Consistent and predictable results are achieved more effectively and efficiently when the network of It processes functions as a coherent system.” It doesn’t propose a type of process. All organisations are different. But what it does say is that they should be viewed as a system rather than in isolation. It’s a key principle of Quality Management and of business, allowing an organisation to manage and control the way it delivers its activities, with predictable results. [05:30] What is a process? Put simply, a process is a set of activities which achieve a specific outcome. Or, to put it another way, it’s a series of detailed steps describing how to do a job. [05:40] We should you document your processes?: · To show how to repeat tasks consistently, getting the same result every time · It guides people in how to do their jobs · To allow you to measure that outcomes are as expected · To provide for a structured approach to improvement · To help mobilise new contracts, products services of a similar type which supports business growth. [08:15] How to map a process – There are many different ways you could do this, but a popular method is with process map or process flow. A process map is a series of boxes on a page or screen. Each box represents an activity. The activities are then linked in a sequential order, using arrows. As an example, let’s say you have a process which repeats a task until you get the right outcome. The first box would be ‘Start job’, this then points to the next box called ‘Perform task’. In turn this points to a third box, which is a question, ‘Did it achieve the desired outcome?’. This would lead to two options: yes and no. So. there are two arrows out this time. If no, we need to learn from it (another box). When we learn from it, we point back to ‘Perform task’. If yes we end the job, which would be another box. Using a diagram such as this, it makes it a lot easier to visualise and follow a process. Many processes will likely be more complicated than this example, but the principle remains the same. [11:40] Keep things simple – Ian’s had experiences of companies that insist on bloated process maps that contains hundreds of boxes and arrows that end up making the whole diagram very difficult to follow. This defeats the purpose of process mapping. If you have a lot of complicated processes, it’s better to break these down into manageable chunks. [12:30] Process overview: If you’re struggling to start, you may want to consider a process overview. This focuses on the main steps on how you run your organisation, so this could be marketing, sales, production and delivery services. From there you can look at each area and focus on the more detailed activities which can be mapped and linked to each other. The ones dealing with the process overview include subject matter experts, departmental heads, functional leads, Senior Management ect… They will help shape the process mapping to ensure the overall delivery is in-line with the organisations’ direction. [14:00] A collaborative task: Process mapping shouldn’t be done by one person. One person is hardly going to know how each and every aspect of your organisation works. Don’t just leave it to your Quality Manager. Leaving this task to someone who’s not fully involved in the part of the organisation where the process originates will only end in disaster. They will ...
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    27 m
  • #220 EcoVadis – Platform Your Passport To Winning Sustainable Contracts

    #220 EcoVadis – Platform Your Passport To Winning Sustainable Contracts
    Jun 18 2025
    We’re past the point of simply saying you’re committed to sustainability, it’s time for tangible and verified action. This is what many are calling for in response to the recent rise in Greenwashing and subsequent erosion of trust from consumers and other stakeholders regarding any green claims. As a result, a number of voluntary disclosure schemes have been created to help benchmark and verify organisation’s claims, should they choose to participate. One example being the focus of today’s episode: EcoVadis. In this episode Mel Blackmore continues with our voluntary disclosure’s series, discussing the ESG rating scheme EcoVadis, what is required to earn a Platinum rating and provides some tips on how to get that Platinum rating. You’ll learn · What is EcoVadis? · What are the requirements to achieve a Platinum rating? · Top tips for earning an Platinum rating for EcoVadis · What are the advantages of earning a Platinum rating? · What are the disadvantages of getting involved with EcoVadis? Resources · EcoVadis · Carbonology · Contribute to Mel’s carbon verification commitment research by taking her Survey In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – Mel discusses the voluntary disclosure scheme: EcoVadis, including what’s involved with taking part, how to achieve a Platinum rating and the pros and cons of being benchmarked. [03:00] Why is there a need for EcoVadis? An increased number of investors and financial institutions, in addition to clients are demanding more than just financial reports. They want to know what a company's environmental footprint is, and at this point, it's time to move on beyond simply making pledges. This extends to other elements of governance as EcoVadis doubles as a crucial ESG rating scheme. [04:30] What is EcoVadis? EcoVadis is a globally recognised provider of business sustainability ratings. They assess companies' environmental, social, and ethical performance across 21 indicators and four main themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. EcoVadis aims to help organisations manage their supply chain sustainability risks and opportunities. If you're a supplier, you've likely received a request from a customer to complete an EcoVadis assessment. The assessment process involves completing a detailed questionnaire, submitting supporting documentation, and then EcoVadis analysts review your submission and assign a scorecard. This scorecard provides a detailed breakdown of your performance across the four themes and assigns an overall score and a medal status: Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. It’s this medal status that’s crucial, especially those coveted Gold and Platinum badges, which signal to your customers that you are a top-tier performer in sustainability. [05:40] We want to hear from you: Mel is currently running some research around CDP and the key drivers behind carbon emission verification, and would appreciate your feedback if you have a few minutes to spare. The results are completely anonymous, and it should only take 5 – 10 minutes. You can take the survey here. Thank you in advance to any contributors! [06:05] What is required to achieve an Platinum Rating? – While EcoVadis assesses across four themes, the 'Environment' theme often carries significant weight, and within that, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions management is paramount for the higher ratings. To earn an EcoVadis Platinum rating, you'll generally need to achieve an overall score between 78-100 out of 100. Key areas that you need to excel in include:- 1) Comprehensive Environmental Management System: This includes policies, actions, and reporting on a wide range of environmental issues. For Platinum, EcoVadis expects to see highly structured and systematic approaches to environmental management. 2) Robust GHG Emissions Management: For this you need to: · Measure your GHG Emissions: Accurately calculate your Scope 1, Scope 2, and significant Scope 3 emissions. EcoVadis places increasing emphasis on Scope 3, as it often represents the largest portion of a company's footprint. · Set Ambitious Targets: Have clear, quantitative targets for GHG emission reduction. Aligning these with a science-based target (SBTi) is highly advantageous and often a de facto requirement for Platinum. · Implement Reduction Initiatives: Demonstrate concrete actions you are taking to reduce emissions, such as investing in renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, optimizing logistics, or engaging your supply chain. 3) Independent Verification of GHG Emissions Data: This is a non-negotiable for Platinum and often for Gold. EcoVadis awards significant points for having your Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions (and increasingly, relevant Scope 3 categories) independently verified by a ...
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    20 m
  • #219 How To Unlock CDP A Rating – GHG Verification For Top Carbon Disclosure Ratings

    #219 How To Unlock CDP A Rating – GHG Verification For Top Carbon Disclosure Ratings
    Jun 5 2025
    In recent years there has been a growing need for transparency within sustainable action taken by businesses. This is due to the rampant increase in greenwashing, which only serves to diminish the focus on genuine efforts, in addition to creating a culture of mistrust within stakeholders and consumers. To combat this, certain organisations have taken on the task of encouraging and supporting the accurate public disclosure of environmental data. Such is the case with today’s focus, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). In this episode Mel Blackmore discusses what the Carbon Disclosure Project is, what is required to earn an A rating, provides some tips on how to get that A rating and explains the pros and cons with getting involved with the project. You’ll learn · What is the Carbon Disclosure Project? · What are the requirements to achieve an A rating? · Top tips for earning an A rating in the CDP · What are the advantages of earning a CDP rating? · What are the disadvantages of getting involved with the CDP? Resources · Carbon Disclosure Project · Carbonology · Contribute to Mel’s carbon verification commitment research by taking her Survey In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – Mel discusses the Carbon Disclosure project, including what’s involved with taking part, how to achieve an A rating and the pros and cons of the project. [03:00] Why is there a need for the CDP? An increased number of investors and financial institutions, in addition to clients are demanding more than just financial reports. They want to know what a company's environmental footprint is, and at this point, it's time to move on beyond simply making pledges. Ultimately, key stakeholders are looking for a commitment to sustainability and for accessible information to help them understand how an organisation is managing its climate risks and opportunities. This is where CDP comes in. A key component of getting the coveted A rating within CDP involves independent verification of greenhouse gas emissions. [04:45] What is the Carbon Disclosure Project? CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world's leading environmental disclosure system. For over two decades, it has revolutionized how companies, cities, states, and regions report their environmental impacts. They ask thousands of organizations to disclose data on climate change, water security, and deforestation. This data is then used by investors, purchasers, and policymakers to make informed decisions. The CDP questionnaire covers a wide range of topics, from governance and strategy to risk management, targets, and of course, greenhouse gas emissions. Companies receive a score from D- to A based on the completeness of their reporting, their level of awareness of environmental issues, their management of those issues, and ultimately, their leadership in addressing them. [05:40] We want to hear from you: Mel is currently running some research around CDP and the key drivers behind carbon emission verification, and would appreciate your feedback if you have a few minutes to spare. The results are completely anonymous, and it should only take 5 – 10 minutes. You can take the survey here. Thank you in advance to any contributors! [09:10] What is required to achieve an A Rating? – There are a number of key requirements, including:- 1. Comprehensive Disclosure and Data Quality: This is foundational. You need to provide accurate and complete data across all relevant sections of the CDP questionnaire. This includes detailed information on your Scope 1, Scope 2, and increasingly, your Scope 3 GHG emissions. 2. Strong Governance and Strategy: CDP looks for clear evidence that environmental issues are integrated into your company's core business strategy and that there's robust board and management oversight of climate-related matters. This means having a defined climate strategy, understanding your climate-related risks and opportunities, and demonstrating how you're incorporating these into your financial planning. 3. Verified Data: To truly hit that "A" list, your Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, and a significant portion of your Scope 3, must be independently verified. This isn't just a suggestion; it's an essential criterion for the leadership level. Independent verification provides crucial assurance to stakeholders that your reported emissions data is accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. It also minimises the risk of “Greenwashing”. 4. Science-Based Targets and a Robust Climate Transition Plan: CDP is increasingly emphasizing the need for companies to set ambitious, science-based targets for emissions reductions, aligned with a 1.5°C global warming scenario. In addition, having a publicly available, credible climate transition plan that outlines how you will achieve these targets, including ...
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    29 m
  • #218 Driving ISO Implementation – Meet the Consultant: Derek Hall

    #218 Driving ISO Implementation – Meet the Consultant: Derek Hall
    May 21 2025
    The world of ISO is often stumbled into as a result of being tasked with either Implementing or maintaining a Standard for a business. It is rarely a desired career path, and yet there are thousands of ISO professionals from all corners of the globe. We’re continuing with our latest mini-series where we introduce members of our team, to explore how they fell into the world of ISO and discuss the common challenges they face while helping clients achieve ISO certification. In this episode we introduce Derek Hall, a Senior Isologist® and Sustainability Lead at Blackmores, to learn about his journey from spending 40 years in the printing industry to becoming an ISO Consultant, and what drives him to help clients on their ISO journey. You’ll learn · What is Derek’s role at Blackmores? · What does Derek enjoy outside of consultancy? · What path did Derek take to become an ISO Consultant? · What is the biggest challenge he’s faced when implementing ISO Standards? · What is Derek’s biggest achievement? Resources · Isologyhub · Climate Change Amendment Workshop In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – We introduce Derek Hall, a Senior Isologist® here at Blackmores, to discuss his journey towards becoming an ISO consultant who specialises in ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 22716. [03:45] What is Derek’s role at Blackmores? Derek is a Senior Isologist® with Blackmores, supporting companies with maintaining systems, undertaking internal audits, and supporting with implementing new systems to gain certification utilising our Isology methodology. His passion lies in the realm of sustainability, embedding it within the management systems of many of our clients regardless of any certification to any dedicated sustainability Standard. Derek was worked with a number of sectors, including:- · Media · Printing · Constructions · Cosmetics · Recycling · Electrical · Public Sector & NHS Derek enjoys the learning aspect of working with new industries, and values the input from all personnel involved, from top management to those on the shop floor. He well and truly immerses himself within each company he works with to learn about their values and how ISO can best support their vision. [08:30] What does Derek enjoy doing outside of consultancy?: Derek has a few varied hobbies, including oil painting born out of his other passion, photography. He often uses his own photos as subject matter for his paintings. He also trains 4-5 times a week at his local karate club, which caters for all ages and skill sets. Derek has diligently worked his way up to black belt over the 17 years he’s been attending, and offers his skills to teach sessions. He appreciates the respect that karate teaches, in addition to gaining more knowledge on other points of view. With such a varied class, there’s always something new to learn. The Australian based club he attends is called GKR Karate. [12:20] What was Derek’s path towards becoming an ISO Consultant?: Derek’s journey starts back in the 60’s, where he worked in commercial photography, taking pictures on the progress of various building works, and products for furniture stores. He used to work with plate photography, which was a rather old school method even back then! This was coupled with more modern methods such as 35 millimeter film. He recalls witnessing the building of the Thames barrier, taking pictures to help monitor the amount of water coming through the barrier. After that he moved onto work for a printing company in Barnet (Hertfordshire), which specialized in advertisements and signage for furniture stores. From the shop floor Derek worked his way up to becoming a printer operative. This company evolved to include screen printing, which allowed for more versatile applications such as clothing or certain plastics. After spending 3 and a half years there he moved on with a friend to start their own printing company in Watford, which continued until the 70’s. In the 70’s Derek joined a much larger printing company based in Southgate London. Here he was involved in the printing of cinema posters for theatres, and musical groups. Derek remained there for 40 years, watching it evolve to larger scale printing for retail markets such as HMV Records and curry’s, in addition to bus advertisements. During the 90’s, there was a larger push for quality Standards, their clients wanted more assurance that they were following established guidelines and could produce the quality they were after. So, Derek was tasked with Implementing BS 5750, ISO 9001’s precursor, and BS 7750, ISO 14001’s precursor. The company then got involved in an eco management audit scheme called EMAS, which required the reporting of environmental impacts. It was similar to ...
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    42 m
  • #217 Driving ISO Implementation – Meet the Consultant: Alison Henshaw

    #217 Driving ISO Implementation – Meet the Consultant: Alison Henshaw
    May 13 2025
    ISO consultancy isn’t a field many aspire to enter, mostly because many don’t know it exists until you’re tasked with either managing an existing ISO Management System or implementing a brand new one. We’re continuing with our latest mini-series where we introduce members of our team, to explore how they fell into the world of ISO and discuss the common challenges they face while helping clients achieve ISO certification. In this episode we introduce Alison Henshaw, an Isologist® at Blackmores, to learn about her journey from aspiring pub-landlord to becoming an ISO Consultant, and what drives her to help clients on their ISO journey. You’ll learn · What is Ali’s role at Blackmores? · What does Ali enjoy outside of consultancy? · What path did Ali take to become an ISO Consultant? · What is the biggest challenge she’s faced when implementing ISO Standards? · What is Ali’s biggest achievement? Resources · Isologyhub In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – We introduce Alison Henshaw (Ali), an Isologist® here at Blackmores, to discuss her journey towards becoming an ISO consultant who specialises in ISO 20400 and ISO 26000. [03:45] What is Ali’s role at Blackmores? Ali is an Isologist® with Blackmores, supporting companies with maintaining systems, undertaking internal audits, and supporting with implementing new systems to gain certification utilising our Isology methodology. [04:00] What does Ali enjoy doing outside of consultancy?: Ali has a daughter aged 5, so a lot of her social life revolves around play dates and kids parties. As a family, they are very outdoor orientated, enjoying long walks and camping. In the past Ali enjoyed swimming, often visiting family near the coast to make use of the more bracing bodies of water. She also likes to craft, recently taking up knitting as her mum often knits for different charitable causes. So far, she’s mastering the art of the knitted rectangle, which lends itself nicely to scarves and blankets. Lastly, Ali is also a fan of photography due to her father sharing a similar interest. Most of her subject matter revolves around family and the outdoors. [06:45] What was Ali’s path towards becoming an ISO Consultant?: Ali states that none of her working roles so far have been purposeful, rather more serendipitous. She started managing pubs at the age of 18, after which she did relief management where she would cover different manager absences in pubs near her home. The owner of the pub she was working with at the time was looking to sell, and for a time, her plan had to been to buy and run it. Unfortunately, as she was only 18, she needed to have some form of business qualification to allow her to progress with that. This led to Ali starting a part-time business management degree, At the time one of her pub regulars was recruiting for the production departments on a shift basis. So she ended up packing wallpaper on a factory floor for 3 days a week while earning her degree. Sadly, by the time she had earned her degree, the pub she wanted to buy had been knocked down and turned into a block of flats! Though, after working in a different industry for 2 years she came to reevaluate her desire to run pubs, and came to the conclusion that she rather preferred the manufacturing industry and it’s ability to create something. Ali also enjoyed the people within the factory she had been working at, and opted to stay there with her mentor, the Technical Manager, who offered her a place in the technical floor. So began her new role as the quality assurance technician. This progressed as Ali worked her way up through Assistant quality tech to quality tech, to assistant quality manager to quality manager. Her mentor at the time was phasing out to retire, so Ali was essentially his legacy plan. When he did retire Ali became the Quality Technical R&D and Health and Safety Manager. While in that role Ali implemented ISO 9001, in addition to business research and development programmes for product and process development compliance. Which amounted to sitting on trade association technical committees, monitoring upcoming legislation and also contributing to British technical committees that helped write the legislation for the wall-coverings sector. She later went onto help them implement ISO 45001. Ali then had her daughter, Angie, during lockdown. For as much as she loves the manufacturing sectors, the worktime for those roles isn’t very flexible. She knew that when looking back, she would rather have spent more time with her daughter than working, so she wanted to find something with a bit more flexibility to allow her to spend quality time with her family. It wasn’t an easy decision by any means, but she was drawn to consultancy due to the variety of work and clients and the increased flexibility it would allow. She ...
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    31 m
  • #216 What is Environmental Emergency Preparedness?

    #216 What is Environmental Emergency Preparedness?
    Apr 30 2025
    Emergency preparedness is a term you’re likely familiar with regarding Health & Safety, but its application is also a key part of the Best Practice Environmental Management Standard, ISO 14001. ISO 14001 aims to help organisations reduce their overall impact on the environment, and this includes mitigating and responding to any incidents that may adversely affect factors such as biodiversity and water quality in areas where your business is based. While not applicable to every industry, there are many which need to take greater responsibility in the event of an environmental incident. ISO 14001 provides key guidance in how to create effective processes to ensure you respond swiftly, and in alignment with the law. In this episode Ian Battersby explains what is meant by emergency preparedness and response within ISO 14001, and how that can apply to your business. You’ll learn · What is emergency preparedness and response in ISO 14001? · How do you approach Clause 8.2 in ISO 14001? · Planning for an environmental emergency · Definitions of different types of emergency · How can you prevent an environmental emergency? Resources · Isologyhub · Learn more about ISO 14001 In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – Ian explains the purpose of clause 8.2 in ISO 14001, emergency preparedness and response. [02:35] What is meant by ‘emergency preparedness and response’ in ISO 14001?: Many will be familiar with emergency preparedness and response in relation to Health and Safety. In Standards such as ISO 45001, it’s about ensuring there are plans in place to reasonably foresee and prevent any serious harm to a person or persons affected by our activities The aim with Clause 8.2 in ISO 14001 is to minimise the risk an organisation poses to the environment. Though, these aren’t mutually exclusive and some environmental response plans can prevent harm to both people and the environment. Ian seeks to clarify this clause further as many have a tendency to point towards their fire evacuation plan and fire drills as the first piece of evidence when demonstrating conformity to clause 8.2 in ISO 14001. While fire is very violent to the environment once it's occurred, the evacuation of people during such an event building offers little in the way of an environmental response. [05:10] Breaking down Clause 8.2: Clause 8.1 states: “The organization shall establish, implement and maintain the process(es) needed to prepare for and respond to potential emergency situations identified in 6.1.1.” Like with many Standards, it references an early clause where you should be identifying the relevant emergency situations. Clause 6 focuses on risk and opportunities, and in the case of ISO 14001 this is where you’ll establish your environmental aspects and compliance obligations. Specifically, Clause 6.1.2 states: “Within the defined scope of the environmental management system, the organization shall determine the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services that it can control and those that it can influence, and their associated environmental impacts.” This would take into consideration any abnormal conditions and reasonably foreseeable emergency situations. So, this is where you should already have established the emergency situations for which you need to plan for. Risk management is a core of the standards and planning for emergency situations is a core of risk management. You don’t write plans in isolation; you will have already established what’s important. [07:30] Planning for emergency: As stated in Clause 8.2: “The organization shall plan: a) to take actions to address its risks b) how to: 1) integrate into environmental management system or other business processes; 2) evaluate the effectiveness of these actions.” This is all part of the familiar PDCA cycle. From Ian’s perspective as an auditor, he won’t look at emergency plans first, instead looking at an organisations Aspects & Impacts Assessment. The standard isn’t prescriptive on how you assess the impact of what you do or the risks. The methodology is your choice, but it is very explicit in that the content must include abnormal conditions and reasonably foreseeable emergency situations. [09:40] What are the definitions for different types of emergency situations? Normal situations are when everything operates as intended, Business as usual, the day-to-day activities you expect: E.G. Standard operation of machinery, a vehicle getting from A to B without issue. Abnormal situations are when things aren’t quite right, not catastrophic, but not business as usual; you can still achieve your intended outcome, but maybe not as quickly or efficiently: E.G. machinery running inefficiently or perhaps using more fuel or lubricant than usual. They don’t ...
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