ISO PAS 28000 Services from LRQA

LRQA, a member of the Lloyd’s Register Group, is to provide assessment services for ISO PAS 28000, a management system specification which has been developed specifically for logistics companies and organisations that manage supply chain operations. The specification has just been published by the International Organization for Standardization. It has been modelled on the well proven ISO 14001 standard so the same risk based approach that companies have become familiar with when evaluating and managing environmental risks can be applied to supply chain security risks and threats.

LRQA intends to build on the Lloyd’s Register Group’s security experience gained from carrying out International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) Code verification audits.

Paul Lightburn, Lloyd’s Register Intermodal Product Manager, said: "The ISPS Code was developed to address security threats posed to ships and port facilities as a result of the 9/11 incidents and its introduction on July 1, 2004 has helped to improve security for this part of the supply chain. However, until now there has been no security specific management systems framework that can be adopted by other intermodal supply chain operators which provide logistics, transport and support services to the many organisations which are heavily reliant on their supply chain service providers for incident and problem free, ‘just in time’ delivery of their goods and supplies. ISO PAS 28000 provides such framework and its alignment with other management system standards which means it can be incorporated into business as usual management practices."

LRQA approves Land Securities Group plc to IEMA’s Acorn Scheme

Environmental certification body, LRQA has approved property investment, management and development organisation, The Land Securities Group plc to the IEMA Acorn Scheme which was published early 2005. This sees Land Securities as the first UK company to reach level 4 of this phased scheme.

The scheme provides a means of recognising those organisations that evaluate and improve their environmental performance through the phased implementation of an environmental management system (EMS). Importantly, it enables organisations to break the implementation into a series of steps and gain recognition at each phase.

The phased approach was ideal for Land Securities. They wanted a group-wide EMS in place certified to a high level to underline its ethical and environmentally responsible approach to business activity. Additionally, it was keen to encourage its large network of contractors and service partners to take environmental management seriously and felt that the Acorn Scheme was the most appropriate option.

“We recognise that we need to demonstrate our commitment to managing our impacts before expecting our service partners to adopt environmental policies. Many of our contractors are smaller organisations and we believe that there is a perception in the marketplace particularly within the SME community that ISO 14001 is onerous in terms of time and money. The Acorn route offers a practical, pragmatic approach to environmental management and a feasible option for even the smallest organisations,” explained Dave Farebrother, Assistant Director of Environmental Services

“We found the process of implementation relatively straightforward with employees embracing the concept quickly and by opting for Acorn ourselves we are in a position to provide support and advice to our contractors. While it is still early days, we are already seeing benefits. The environment is on everybody’s agenda these days – we need to stay ahead of the game”, he concludes.

A leading property investment, management and development organisation, The Land Securities Group provides office accommodation for more than 300,000 people and owns or manages over 10,000,000m2 of property accommodation.

Further information:
Chris Blyth
PR Officer, LRQA Tel: 024 7688 2213
Fax: 024 7630 2662
e-mail: Christina.blyth@lrqa.com

VMOG first LRQA client to gain ISO/TS 29001

LRQA has approved Vallourec Mannesmann Oil & Gas UK Ltd (VMOG), the largest UK based manufacturer and supplier of tubular products to the North Sea oil and gas industry to ISO/TS 29001. VMOG is the first LRQA client to gain approval to this new oil and gas industry technical specification and one of only a handful of companies globally.

The organisation sees its certification as further demonstration of its commitment to the oil industry. “We spend significant time monitoring industry trends and believe the oil and gas industry will adopt ISO/TS 29001 as its de facto standard. Our management systems are aligned closely with our business plan and therefore it made commercial sense to become an early adopter thereby helping us stay ahead of the game,” comments Danny Tiffney, QA Manager.

“This approval is a significant step for us and clear demonstration that VMOG-UK continues to develop its QMS in-line with the ever-changing needs of the UK oil and gas industry. We are extremely proud to be the first LRQA recipient of this new oil and gas industry standard.”

This new technical specification is the result of collaboration between ISO and the international oil and natural gas industry. It aims at the development of a quality management system (QMS) that provides for continual improvement, emphasising defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain and from service providers.

ISO/TS 29001:2003 provides additional requirements to ISO 9001:2000 specifically intended for the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. It is envisaged that it will become the common basis for the industry’s quality management systems requirements worldwide. This technical specification includes detailed, sector-specific requirements for design, development, production, installation and service of products.

LRQA is able to provide a range of services to companies who are looking to become certified to ISO/TS 29001. For further information:

• see our information page about ISO/TS 29001
• call one ofour business advisors on 0800 783 2179, or;
• complete our enquiry form

LRQA is the First Inspection Body Approved to IEMA's Acorn Scheme, the New Phased EMS

Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) is the first Inspection Body to be accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to inspect to the new IEMA Acorn Scheme.

The scheme allows evaluation and improvement of an organisation's environmental performance through phased environmental management system (EMS) implementation. “From the outset, LRQA recognised the real opportunity the IEMA Acorn Scheme offered to companies wishing to improve their environmental performance in an achievable phased fashion,” states Duane Wood, LRQA Sales & Marketing Manager. “Having worked closely with scheme owner IEMA and UKAS on Acorn, we feel this scheme will find massive favour with SME’s and others".

Many customers now demand that suppliers demonstrate certified commitment to environmental improvement. Acorn's phased approach means that certified recognition of environmental achievement can be obtained at each stage (by independent inspection).

To those ends, the IEMA Acorn scheme is a unique solution for those small/medium-sized enterprises (SME's) who want to improve environmental performance, but in the past have considered it low priority due to lack of resource (time, financial or personnel). IEMA Acorn reduces those barriers, compared with full implementation of a more formal EMS.

The scheme comprises five phases, requiring participants to implement the achievement criteria and stage profiles for each of the phases of the British Standard BS 8555, a defined and logical standard which sets out the different steps for implementing a formal EMS, such as ISO 14001 or EMAS.

Successful completion of all five phases means an organisation can prepare for certification to ISO 14001 or registration to EMAS. However, they can stop at any point short of a full EMS, yet still receive certified recognition of the level reached, so providing vital proof of commitment to environmental performance for existing key customers, potential new markets, shareholders, general public, etc.

Further information on the IEMA Acorn Scheme is available at:

• Acorn or
• www.iema.net