QMS & EMS London

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, retrofitting buildings has the largest potential of all measures to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. In the UK, successful retrofitting of the built environment is key to meeting its target of reducing GHGs to 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. Emissions from buildings contributed 35% of the UK’s total in 2011, says the committee on climate change (CCC). Its latest progress report on meeting the UK’s carbon budgets reveals that 66% of emissions from buildings are from residential ones, while commercial and public sector emissions account for 25% and 9% respectively.

Most new developments, regardless of scale, will generate noise. Noise has the potential to affect people’s health and quality of life, property, such as historic buildings, and locations valued for their tranquility and wildlife.  While standards and guidance on addressing noise are readily available, none has been developed to assist with undertaking a noise impact assessment. Consequently, there is no guidance on how to undertake one.

The largest study of theatre cancellations was performed in 2006 at 123 VHA facilities with 9 surgical specialties. Of 329,784 cases, 12.4% were canceled, and investigators assigned cancellations to 1 of 6 broad categories of cancellation reasons (Table 3). These 6 cancellation categories are similar to another study, which grouped cancellations into: (1) patient; (2) capacity constraints; (3) work-up; and (4) required specialized personnel unavailable. Unless a predetermined and accepted classification system is used prospectively, cancellation data obtained from administrative databases may not provide enough meaningful explanation to understand root causes.

How well a surgical suite runs depends on whom you ask. Nurses working in the operating theatre may understand efficiency as individual knowledge and experience applicable to the care of the patient as well as preventing problems before they occur, whereas managers understand efficiency in terms of production per unit of time or completing assignments as planned. The hospital administrator may want the highest "throughput" of cases with the least total cost, and the surgeon often wants first-case-of-the-day block time, rapid turnover, a low cancellation rate, and cases that start on time.

From early in their careers auditors are taught that it is not the person but the process they are interested in. However, this approach does little to allay auditees’ concerns and audits continue to be perceived, at best, as a mild imposition and, at worst, a tortuous interrogation.  The technical aspects of conducting an environment audit are well defined, most notably by ISO 19011. It is often, however, the more intangible elements of human and social interaction that influence the quality and outcomes of an audit. Consequently, building rapport is a key skill for an auditor and an open dialogue needs to be established early in the process. 

A leading environmental services company provides collection, processing, recycling and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous materials for industrial and automotive customers. The company has branches all over the United States. The service representatives in these branches carry out services for geographically dispersed customers in their respective territories.

Standards tend to improve organisational performance. The results of an ISO survey published earlier this year reveal the benefits of the 14001 standard for environment management systems (EMS). It found that organisations implementing 14001 realised significant value for their businesses. It also helped them to meet their legal obligations, improve environmental performance, and enhance management commitment and employee engagement on the environment. There were almost 286,000 14001 certifications in 2012, and the popularity of the global EMS standard has soared since it was introduced in 1996.