NQA Africa

20/09/2018

ISO 45001 is the replacement to OHSAS 18001 and is the international ISO standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS).

Not only will the standard supercede OHSAS 18001, it will make integration with other management systems simpler than ever before; because it shares the new common structure defined by Annex SL, it is directly aligned with the 2015 versions of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

If you have certification to OHSAS 18001 you will need to migrate to ISO 45001 to maintain the validity of certification.

18/09/2018

ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS) and the most widely used EMS in the world, with over 250,000 certificates issued globally.

ISO 14001 is the principal management system standard which specifies the requirements for the formulation and maintenance of an EMS. This helps to control your environmental aspects, reduce impacts and ensure legal compliance.

16/09/2018

ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS). It is the most widely used QMS standard in the world, with over 1.1 million certificates issued to organisations in 178 countries.

ISO 9001 provides a framework and set of principles that ensure a common-sense approach to the management of your organisation to consistently satisfy customers and other stakeholders. In simple terms, it provides the basis for effective processes and effective people to deliver an effective product or service time after time.

27/08/2018

Ethanol Company Limited Malawi receives their OHSAS 18001 flag from NQA Africa Lead Auditor, Ernst Kamffer. This client has been certified with NQA since February 2015 and strives for continual improvement year in and year out. We are proud to be affiliated with such committed customers throughout the African continent. In the picture from left to right: Benard Kamenya (Management Accountant); Tiyenkhu Chavura (Chief Finance Officer); Derek Zamaere (Operations Manager); Ernst Kamffer (Lead Auditor and Facilitator NQA Africa); Clifford Masoatengenji (Head of Administration).

05/07/2018

NQA is pleased to be among one of the first Certification Bodies in the UK to receive UKAS accreditation for the new health and safety standard ISO 45001:2018.

NQA was one of 20 Certification Bodies that applied for the migration assessment process and were successfully granted UKAS accreditation on Friday 29th June 2018; after demonstrating competence and compliance during a successful independent review.

This is important news for our clients, as NQA can now issue UKAS accredited ISO 45001 certificates to the new standard; globally.

“This is a great achievement for the whole team, which once again puts NQA at the very forefront of a global migration – more importantly it enables us to support our clients through a significant migration as smoothly as possible.” Nick Wright, Operations Director

A smooth migration is a top priority for us at NQA. We want all clients wishing to begin their migration to the new standard and those who have begun already to be assured that NQA is here to help. We aim to support all clients throughout their journey.

For clients wishing to implement a health and safety management system to the new international standard, we have produced a useful guide to support them on this journey; you can request a copy of our ISO 45001:2018 Implementation Guide from a member of our sales team.

If you have certification to OHSAS 18001 you will need to migrate to ISO 45001 to maintain the validity of certification. There is the normal 3 year migration period so there is still time to plan your move over to ISO 45001.

Contact the NQA Africa office for a quotation for your certification to ISO 45001:2018 today!

13/06/2018

13/03/2018

MANAGE YOUR MIGRATION TO ISO 45001

ISO 45001:2018 has finally arrived!

ISO 45001:2018 is the replacement to OHSAS 18001 and is the international ISO standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS).

Not only has the standard superseded OHSAS 18001, it makes integration with other management systems simpler than ever before; because it shares the new common structure defined by Annex SL, it is directly aligned with the 2015 versions of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

If you have certification to OHSAS 18001 you will need to migrate to ISO 45001 to maintain the validity of certification.

There is the normal 3 year migration period so there is still time to plan your move over to ISO 45001.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE:

Many clauses requirements of ISO 45001 are the same or similar to OHSAS 18001 – however they are presented in a different sequence and may use different terminology.

Advice to existing users:

Get a copy of the standard
Examine the changes
Do a gap analysis against your current OHSAS 18001 system
Start planning your migration
NON-USERS OF OHSAS 18001– START NOW!

There are significant benefits to be realized by your business now.

28/02/2018

WHAT IS A GAP ANALYSIS?

One of the first steps in your Management System transition or implementation project is to compare your current Management System to the requirements of the standard. This is most commonly called a Gap Analysis; it is sometimes referred to as a Pre-Audit.

A gap analysis is mainly done at the beginning of the certification journey to assess what is currently in place against the set of requirements for which every standard is to be implemented. The standard has specific requirements that have to be met; these are detailed in various clauses. If the current system does not meet the requirements then there is a gap that must be addressed before an organization can achieve successful certification.

A gap analysis can also be used when an organization has to transition to a new version of a standard or in the case of the new ISO 45001:2018 – migrating. It will provide an indication of where you are now and where you need to be to have a successful migration.

When I engage with organizations, especially those who are new to certification, the most common questions that they ask me are:

How long will it take to achieve certification?
How difficult is it?
What’s involved?
How much will it cost?
The difficulty sometimes is that every business or organization is different; different sectors, different sizes, different complexities, different risks – so there is no standard answer to these questions.

An organization will also want to know where they are on their journey – they have an understanding of their current position and they know what they want to achieve; they need to implement a plan of action to get where they need to be. The Gap Analysis is a tool that identifies the gaps and therefore enables an organization to put together an action plan to gain successful certification. It can also provide a reality check for the organization as to where they are in the process – helping with planning resources and timeframes.

Gap Analysis is a strategic planning tool to help you understand where you are, where you want to be and how you’re going to get there.

NQA can conduct a Gap Analysis to identify any areas of weakness prior to formal assessment. NQA auditors will carry out a Gap Analysis audit to compare the Management System that is in place with the standard requirements.

The auditor will prepare a report that will identify where there are gaps or where additional documentation or evidence is required. This will enable the business or organization to implement a plan to remedy these gaps in readiness for the mandatory initial audits for certification.

To book a GAP audit for your business, get in touch with us for a quotation.

09/07/2014