Posted By Jay Joshi
I started off with “Being awarded the BSC Sword of Honour (SoH) is a great achievement that should be celebrated” which I still agree with!.
I recognise and applaud that BSC champions Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental issues and is in the forefront of health and safety/environmental qualifications and training and has shown a track record of vast improvement from late 1990’s...
My input is not about putting a damper on Arun celebrating or any organisation celebrating on achieving health and safety award success, but the type of claims being made regarding the award.
BSC continues to claim that “The Five Star Audit is widely considered to be the most comprehensive health and safety management system audit available”
Yet there has been no independent or evidence based substantiation of the various claims made has been provided except from the quotes of some of the “winners or awardees”! I can inform that there also have been discussions threads having a negative view of the 5 Star Audit systems.
There is a claim that “BSC is very proud of this award which has been given for many years now and every year the standard of the applications is raised to a level not previously seen”
How is this level measured / bench-marked / validated independetly ?
The reality is obvious to all who are better informed about the evolution that has taken place, and the global state of play in details of the "World of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems”.
Yes, some of the claims made for the BSC 5 Star & SoH could have been valid until the early 2000s’ when there was little to choose from or certificate against.
BS 8800:1996 was published in 1996 –due to lack of consensus in BSI’s HS/1 Technical Committee, it did not lend itself to certification. This led to the publication of OHSAS 18001 in 1999, which in due course of time has become the de-facto international i.e global specification for OHSMS and more recently implicitly “recognised officially” in UK, now that it is subject to accreditation by UKAS after a change in its MoU with UK Government’s DIUS.
For the Chemical Industry worldwide, Responsible Care Management System (RCMS) is now available as a third party certificated OHSM System and as just one example, has been made mandatory for members of the American Chemistry Council i.e in USA. The list below includes the Who's Who of US chemical industry:-
http://reporting.respons...rts/rcmsc_cmpny_rpt.aspxThe ILO has published ILO-OSH 2001 in 2001, although it does not lend itself to certification. The "World of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems" in reality moved on, but it appears that BSC is either oblivious of changes, or has not taken into account the changes that have been taking place and continues as nothing has changed.
If the BSC 5 Star is all comprehensive etc it is claimed to be, the foremost question by an adequately informed person would be, why it has not been accredited by UKAS. Obviously, UKAS would have to make a case about its “most comprehensive nature” etc to DIUS based on the evidence supplied by BSC so that it is included in the MoU, in the same way OHSAS 18001 was. The reality is that BSC’s own offering of OHSAS 18001 compliance audit has not yet been accredited by UKAS
ISO/IEC 17021:2006 is the internationally recognised standard for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems.
ISO/IEC 17021:2006 contains principles and requirements for the competence, consistency and impartiality of the audit and certification of management systems of all types (e.g. quality management systems or environmental management systems) and for bodies providing these activities.
The key words are competence, consistency and impartiality.
Even if at this point in time BSC cannot be accredited by UKAS, I doubt that the 5 Star Audit System in its current form could meet the ISO/IEC 17021:2006 criteria for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems (including any type of health and safety management systems)
I would expect most organisations that already hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 Certifications to get the 5 Stars and go on to win the SoH.
It is one thing when an organisation that is already certificated to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 makes an INFORMED CHOICE about the need for a 5-Star Audit so that it can apply for it and go on to win the SoH for its advertised “most prestigious award” value
(The key word is prestigious, which is more to do with the "pomp & circumstance" of the actual cermonny i.e prestige value of the award ceremony by labelling it as “the Sword of Honour is the most prestigious international health and safety accolade that a company can receive”).
It is quite another matter when organisations that already hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001, but do not have the full information, do so on the basis of publicity/marketing (independently unsubstantiated) about the various claims.
This is easier to do in the Indian Sub-Continent and a few other countries where some not yet shed “historical complex” associated with the “Raj” and perceive the BSC and the SoH as they do, coupled with unsubstantiated marketing/selling. The terminology used such as “I worship BSC” is apparently an indicator of this.
I have no issues with claims that the 5 Star Audit System is a (but not the most) very comprehensive score based audit system.
However, claiming that “The Five Star Audit is widely considered to be the most comprehensive health and safety management system audit available” may be a breach of the Advertising Standards Authority rules especially if this claim is being being used in marketing material.
I have no issue with a claim that the SoH is an Award of Excellence amongst the 5 Star Audit awardees or a claim that SoH is the most prestigious award BSC confers.
However to claim that “the Sword of Honour is the most prestigious international health and safety accolade that a company can receive” (as mentioned on the BSC website), could apparently be construed as misleading because as you yourself admit, it is difficult to measure!
My main concern, and hence my continual input is that organisations in developing countries are apparently being marketed and sold services with independently unsubstantiated claims.
I urge BSC, as a responsible organisation registered with the Charity Commissioners not to apparently overstate some of its claims now that it is a different "World of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems" compared to previously, especially when they could be easily misunderstood in a different context in emerging economies /developing countries.