Posted By Simon Darvill The main benefit of intergrating a H&S system into a quality system is that your H&S will suddenly have document control added to it. Part of the requirements for a quality system (hereafter known as a QMS) is that all documents have to be controlled, checked for relevance, signed off for by a manager. Incorporating your H&S sysem into a QMS means that they will have this added to them. Another thing to think about is how your documents are identified. I have just started an exercise to incorporate our systems together (with a view to adding an environmental system in the future). One of the things that I have to do is complete change the numbering system identifying them (part of the QMS requirements). The old system made it difficult to intergrate all the systems together as there was no common elements between numbering. The new sytem goes MSD-XX-Ynnn-Im.p where MSD stands for Management system document, xx is the department who owns it, Y is the type of document, nnn is its unique number and Im.p is the issue number and revision number of the document. For example MSD-HS-RA001-I1.0 is the first issue with no revisions of a risk assesment. Also the electronic file name has the name of the document in it. Another benefit of intergrating is that a QMS has an audit (both internal and external) regime as part of its operation. Adding the H&S system to it means that the H&S automatically gets audited as part of this regime. The system that I working on at the moment is the second system that I have intergrated (although the first one was all written from the ground up so was easier). There is a lot of work involved in the initial set up but after that it becomes very easy. Regards Simon

Posted By J Knight Use RoSPA's QSA Audit system and work from there. It is based on HGS65 which is itself based on BS5750, but QSA has been significantly updated to reflect the ISO9000 series, and in the latest version OHSAS18000. It also has some elements compatible with ISO14000 but since it is a H&S system these are limited. Training for RoSPA QSA is pricey (2K+) but it is the single most effective piece of H&S training I've ever done (more practical use than Dip2 or anything ever written by Oolon Colluphid), and using it does ensure that your SMS will evolve along the same lines as your quality system; for example it includes document control and external and internal auditing, John

Posted By Karla Jones John I am in the process of integrating our company management systems. I have been on the Rospa website and requestd guidance/documentation with regard to QSE systems but was informed that it is only available for people on their course. Is there any specific guidelines you know that could be requested through Rospa, or alternatively, would you have any further info/link to intergration of QSE management systems? Your assistance is much appreciated. Regards Karla