Many organisations operate separate systems for quality, environmental management and health and safety. They have one policy for quality, another policy for the environment and another one for health and safety. They carry out separate audits, organise separate management review meetings and maintain several procedures covering almost exactly the same process. The result is usually … Read more
Risks and opportunities are important parts of ISO 9001, but they are also widely misunderstood. Some organisations create a large risk register containing every possible problem they can imagine. Others complete a simple SWOT analysis before the certification audit and rarely look at it again. Some businesses treat risk-based thinking as the responsibility of the … Read more
When something goes wrong, the first priority is normally to fix the immediate problem. A defective product may need to be replaced. Nonconforming construction work may need to be repaired. A customer may need a corrected document, refund or replacement service. A production line may need to be stopped until the affected equipment is made … Read more
ISO 9001 is currently going through its most significant revision since ISO 9001:2015 was published more than ten years ago. The revision has now reached the Final Draft International Standard stage, known as ISO/FDIS 9001. According to ISO, the new edition is expected to be published in September 2026 and will replace ISO 9001:2015. However, … Read more
An RFI in construction is a Request for Information: a formal question used to obtain clarification when drawings, specifications, contract documents or other project information are incomplete, unclear or inconsistent. A well-written construction RFI identifies the exact information that is missing, explains why it is needed, shows the possible impact and gives the designer, consultant or client … Read more