QMS and Safety Committee

Reviewing my last audit in preparation for my upcoming 9001:2008 audit, I ran across this comment from the CB auditor and all the flack I received from my management:


Safety
EHS Manager and a safety committee are made up of various employees throughout the facility. Emergency evacuation plans are in place and available for employees and posted throughout the facility. This includes Fire Evacuation and Weather Emergency. TV monitors are placed at various locations throughout the facility for employees informational needs. Each Monday the EHS Manager issues a tool box talk for departments to review required safety topics with employees.


This was not an finding, so it was brought to management's attention as an observation, an atta-boy. This comment caused more discussion and outcry than anything else on the report, claims of over-reaching, outside of scope, etc. I did question the CB auditor about the questioning of the "safety aspects", they claimed it was part of 6.3 Infrastructure and 6.4 Environment. I didn't press the issue as it was not a non-conformance.

I know there is no "SHALL" or even mention of "safety" in the standard, but I can see both the "stretch" as well as the logic. Comments.....

 

Seems like superfluous comments to me. Just summerizes what you do - not good, not bad. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Thank you for the replies.

@Golfman25 - I wasn't worried as it wasn't anything more than an observation.

@Jennifer Kirley - Safety, only in how it affects the product vs. how it relates to the people themselves.

I viewed this from the standpoint of, if an unsafe workplace people would be more worried about their safety and surroundings and less about their quality of work, if they are even present or not on restricted duty (can't get the product out the door on time). Welding 12’ above the floor on a horizontal cylinder (fall-protection) or moving a 10’ x 6’ x 1/2" steel plate over the top of someone (lifting)… too much lack of safety and people pay less attention to their quality. Sort of fits into another thread about turn-over.

 

Good examples! Also, producs will be harmed if due temperature and humidity are not maintained in the storage.
As regards safety for workers it can influence on conformity to product requirements when production is stopped due to incident at a work place and this will affect the contractual delivery time.
In all these cases "the organization shall determine and manage the work environment needed to achieve conformity to product requirements" (quoted by 6.4).
Thus, there is a room for auditiing safety issues.

 

I find it rather hard to "bolt" safety to infrastructure (6.3). However it might have a link to 6.4-Personnel safety to achieve product quality (6.4.1). For example it can be related to (7.2) Product safety issues, operating safety (7.5.1) and packaging safety (7.5.5). If an auditor has to make a note worthy comment it should be associated with how effective is the process in mitigating recordable incident that impact the delivery of the product or service.