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EMH
12,2
Integration of
management systems
Antonio Scipioni, Francesca Arena, Mirco Villa
134 and Giovanni Saccarola
Centro Studi QualitaÁ Ambiente,
Dipartimento di Processi Chimici dell’Ingegneria,
UniversitaÁ di Padova, Padova
Keywords Quality, Environment, Safety, Organization, Small-to-medium-sized enterprises
Abstract Quality management systems have become almost compulsory in many branches of
industry in the last few years. A similar development seems to be possible for environmental
management. In addition, maintenance of industrial health and safety standards must be
considered by the management of any company. A main problem arise from this analysis: how is
it possible to transfer and to apply these concepts to SMEs? The Euro Info Centre EIC/IT 378
charged the Research Centre for Quality and Environment of the University of Padova to
conceive and realise a guide for SMEs aiming at the integration of the environmental
management systems with the quality and the occupational health and safety ones. A second tool,
an IMS self-assessment guide, is now under realisation in order to achieve a European validation
of the proposed model.

Introduction
Over the last ten years the concept of ``quality’’ has evolved from being
customer satisfaction as merely conforming to requirements to having a much
wider interpretation requiring a continuously improving organisational
structure. For continuous improvement of performance the latter presupposes
knowledge and analysis of the explicit and implicit requirements not only of
customers and end users but of all interested parties, including suppliers, the
general public, employees, shareholders, etc. With the involvement of
interested parties (emphasised by the future ISO 9000) the concept of quality is
destined to evolve significantly from being simply customer satisfaction
towards including sustainable development and employee motivation and
involvement, thus expanding into areas which previously were exclusively
dealt with by environmental and safety management.
The implications of this expansion are significant and represent the first and
most important foundation for the development of management systems with
no divisions and for the use of integration as an instrument for achieving total
quality (Scipioni and Rubbi, 1996).
The following points help to clarify the aspects which are common to
quality, environment and safety:
Environmental management within the organisation, both for EMAS
Environmental Management and
and ISO 14001, is largely aimed at reducing environmental impacts
Health, Vol. 12 No. 2, 2001, associated with the activities, products and services of that organisation.
pp. 134-145. # MCB University
Press, 0956-6163 The awareness that these impacts are closely related to the
 organisation’s internal processes has led to the adoption of system Integration of
management models for care of the environment which are similar to management
those used in quality management. This is happening to the extent that systems
future terminology could refer to aspects of quality related to the
product or service and aspects of quality related to care of the
environment.
Accidents at work and occupational illnesses may be considered as 135
unintended consequences of the production cycle; they are inextricably
linked to the relationship of the worker to plant, machinery, materials
and substances present in the workplace. It is commonly accepted that
for every accident with consequences for the environment and/or
workers there is a much greater number of accidents with no such
significant consequences, or with consequences which only manifest
themselves in the long term. There is an even greater number of so-
called ``almost-accidents’’ and risk situations which comprise the entire
statistical population in which accidents occur. Increasing
environmental and workplace safety not only involves technical
interventions but requires the adopting of management, organisational
and training instruments which can influence ``risk behaviour’’. One of
the main aims of safety management models (BS 8800 and OHSAS
18001) is to systemise safety management, too often left to the discretion
of employers.
The links between environment and safety management are so
numerous and so important that in many cases it is hard to make a
distinction. More and more often, reference is made to ``internal safety’’
for aspects of production processes which pose risks to employees and
``external safety’’ for those which pose a risk to the population and
environment of the production location. It is not a coincidence that the
BS 8800 and OHSAS 18001 safety management documents both have
implementation procedures which are coherent with ISO 14001 in order
to assist companies which already have an environment management
system which conforms to this standard.
All three systems are subject to a system logic which defines an
organisational structure in terms of resources, responsibilities and
procedures. This structure has the aim of reaching precise
improvement objectives and in all three cases has no time limit. The
results obtained are kept for the purpose of moving towards new
objectives against a background of continuous improvement (Scipioni
et al., 2000).

A European project for integrated management systems

It is also clear that it would be economically unreasonable to build up a
separated management system for each of these sectors (environment, quality
and industrial safety), particularly since an increasing overlap between them
EMH appears to be developing in recent years (integrated management systems (IMS)).
12,2 Integrated management concepts will become a more and more important
competitive factor in future. Many small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
have, however, not yet realised their future importance and often the main
problem SMEs have in this field consists in the absence of internal personnel
sufficiently expert and able to manage in a synergic way the quality,
136 environment and safety aspects.
To fill this gap the Euro Info Centre EIC/IT 378 charged, one year ago, the
Research Centre for Quality and Environment of the University of Padova with
developing a guide for the IMS (environment, quality, safety) implementation
in companies. The main goals of the guide were (and at the present are):
to stimulate SMEs to implement environmental management systems
(EMS);
to demonstrate the possibility to integrate EMS with other management
systems (quality and safety);
to improve the access of the companies to the IMS;
to improve the knowledge of the companies on the sustainable
development bases.
The intent of the IMS guide is to inform on the convenience and on the way to
introduce an EMS when quality and/or safety management systems are
already established in an enterprise.
This guide, far from being a substitute for the reference standards, is a
support document for SMEs which, independently of their initial situation (ISO
9001-2-3 and/or ISO 14001 certification, EMAS registration, no certification,
etc.) want to take advantage of the synergies and many points of contact
between environment, quality and safety management systems.
The guide has been conceived in a modular structure, in order to favour also
a non-sequential reading. Nevertheless the chapters are disposed in a logical
and progressive manner:
(1) Three chapters dealing with the aspects of the three systems (quality,
environment and safety). Readers can select those sections which are
necessary or can pass directly to the fourth chapter of the guide if they
are already familiar with the information in Chapters 1-3.
(2) One chapter dedicated to IMS in order to suggest a model for the
integration of quality, environment and safety management systems,
taking inspiration from the future ISO 9001:2000. Given the complexity
of the argument, this chapter is divided into four subsections
corresponding to macroareas of the integrated system (Chapter 4):
Section 4.1 deals with management responsibility, fundamental to
the setting up and starting of an integrated system and to the
effectiveness of that system in leading the organisation towards
continuous improvement.
 Section 4.2 speaks about the resources which the organisation must Integration of
have in order to ensure that improvement objectives are reached management
effectively. In addition to human resources these include financial, systems
physical and technological resources as well as internal and external
communications strategies.
Section 4.3 describes how it is possible to integrate the main
processes of the organisation, from purchasing to design, from
137
analysis of the requirements of interested parties to equipment
management.
Section 4.4 looks at the methods and instruments which an
organisation can use to measure its objectives, to check how far they
have been achieved, to check adherence to legal and standards’
requirements and to plan new improvement targets.

Results
The integrated management system guide realised has a table of contents as
shown in Table I.

Examples from various sections

Preliminary analysis
The preliminary analysis, although not required by all the documents under
consideration, is often very useful for organisations which have never
implemented a management system. Its objective is to determine the strengths
and weaknesses of the organisation as regards the quality system so that it can
better plan the improvement targets and implement the system as effectively
and efficiently as possible.
Environment. It is required by EMAS in all cases. It is required by ISO 14001
for organisations without an EMS; it is suggested by ISO 14004.
Quality. The preliminary analysis is not required by ISO 9001:1994 nor by
the future ISO 9001:2000.
Safety. it is required by BS 8800 but not by OHSAS 18001.
For organisations which have not implemented one of the management
systems it is possible (and advisable) to adopt common criteria for the
preliminary analysis:
(1) Analysis of the legal requirements applicable to quality, environment
and safety, and in particular:
Quality: Requirements regarding products and services (product
responsibility, CE marks, etc.).
Environment: Applicable environment laws and regulations.
Safety: Laws regarding health and safety at work.
(2) Efficiency and effectiveness of resources (see section 4.2 which deals
with resources) related to the three management systems.
EMH Introduction
12,2 1 Quality systems
1.1 ISO 9000-series of standards
1.2 Quality assurance models: ISO 9001/2/3
1.3 Structure and contents of ISO 9001:2000
1.4 The future of ISO 9000: structural changes
2 Environmental management systems
138 2.1 The international standard ISO 14001
2.2 1836/93 EMAS European regulation
2.3 Preliminary environmental analysis
2.4 Environmental policy
2.5 Planning
2.6 Implementation and operation
2.7 Checks and corrective actions
2.8 Management review
2.9 Environmental statement
3 Management systems for health and safety at work
3.1 Health and safety at work in Europe: the main steps
3.1.1 Founding of the European Economic Community
3.1.2 EC health and Safety Programmes (1978-1995)
3.1.3 The Act of European Union: article 118/A
3.1.4 The social paper
3.1.5 Current strategies of the European Commission
3.2 Guidelines for the implementation of an OH&SMS under BS 8800 (EN ISO 14001
approach)
3.2.1 Preliminary analysis
3.2.2 Health and safety at work policy
3.2.3 Planning
3.2.4 Implementation and action
3.2.5 Control (monitoring) and corrective actions
4 Model for an Integrated Management System
4.1 Management responsibility
4.1.1 Preliminary analysis
4.1.2 IMS Policy
4.1.3 IMS Objectives and programmes
4.1.4 IMS organisation
4.1.5 Documentation and its control
4.1.6 Management review
4.2 System resources
4.2.1 Human resources
4.2.2 Information and communication
4.2.3 Infrastructure
4.2.4 Other resources (infrastructure, working environment)
4.3 Product realisation
4.3.1 Requirements and needs analysis
4.3.2 Design and development
4.3.3 Purchasing
4.3.4 Operations linked to production processes and services
4.3.5 Control of test equipment
4.4 Measurement, analysis and improvement
4.4.1 IMS measurement and monitoring
Table I. 4.4.2 Audits
IMS guide table of 4.4.3 Non-conformity control
contents 4.4.4 Improvement actions
 (3) Existence of operational methods, even if not formalised, relating to Integration of
requirements/content of reference standards (gap analysis). management
(4) Analysis of the activities/products/services of the organisation and their systems
relationship with quality, the environment and safety. Identification of
the most critical activities/products/services:
Environment: analysis of the organisation’s environment aspects. 139
Safety: risk analysis.
(5) Existence of data/information on the performance of the three systems:
Environment: this is an essential part of the preliminary analysis; if
there is no data it must be collected.
Quality: starting points are: market research, customer satisfaction,
non-quality cost analysis.
Safety: information on accidents and near-accidents.
(6) Requests from interested parties:
Quality: customers, end users, shareholders, employees, suppliers;
Environment: the public, public authorities, employees, customers,
shareholders.
Safety: employees, public authorities, unions, shareholders.

IMS policy
All three systems require policy definition by management; since the objectives
of the systems are different, the policy requirements will also differ.
Possible solutions for one or more policies are as follows (the level of
integration increases from (1) to (2):
(1) Three separate policies (three different documents to be reviewed separately).
(2) One policy for quality and one for environment and safety together.
(3) A single document with a short introduction followed by three distinct
declarations for quality, the environment and safety (or one declaration
for quality and one for environment and safety).
(4) An integrated policy.
Where there is more than one policy:
these must not contradict each other;
they must be in line with the organisation’s overall management policy.

Contents of the individual policies or the integrated policy:

(1) Commitment to continuous improvement of the management systems
and the related performance.
(2) Undertaking to respect the requirements of:
EMH Q, E, S: requirements of the reference standards.
12,2 E, S: legal and other requirements subscribed to by the organisation.
(3) Environment: for the environment the policy must include a commitment
to prevention of pollution.
Other aspects to consider. The policy must be:
140
(1) A starting point for defining the organisation’s objectives.
(2) Communicated, understood, put into practice at all levels of the
organisation and if necessary, with suppliers and tenderers.
(3) Periodically re-examined to ensure its continued adequacy.
(4) Documented.
(5) Appropriate to the organisation:
Quality: for the needs of the organisation and customers.
Environment: for the nature and the size of the organisation and the
type of environmental impact.
Safety: for the existence and nature of risks to workers.
(6) E, S: available to interested parties.

Objectives and programmes

Objectives and programmes (or plans) should be established to enable the
creating of the organisation’s policies.
Objectives can refer to the whole organisation or only a specific location or
activity. Whether objectives cover one aspect of the integrated system or two or
more aspects, they must be:
(1) Documented (even though the standards do not require the establishing
of a specific procedure).
(2) Quantified, where possible (for example 2 percent waste reduction
within six months).
(3) Communicated clearly to the people directly involved in their achievement.
(4) Established and re-examined as a function of:
Legal requirements.
Technological options.
Financial, operational and commercial demands.
Interested parties’ points of view (customers, employees, the public,
shareholders, etc.).
The policy of and commitment to continuous improvement.
Environment: significant environmental aspects.
Safety: dangers and risks related to the health and safety of workers.
In Figure 1 the aspects to consider in setting objectives for an integrated Integration of
management system are shown. management
In order to reach the objectives, management must identify and plan systems
activities and resources. This planning can be done with one or more
operational programmes (Table II). The programmes must be:
documented; 141
updated as a function of achievement of the objectives and their review.
A complete programme must contain the following indications:
objective;
indicator (if the objective is quantifiable;
actions to be taken for the achievement of the objective;
responsibility;
deadlines;
resources allocated;
advantages.

Management review
The review is used to ensure that systems continue to:
Be appropriate to the organisation’s policy and objectives.
Supply information and data to enable improvement.
None of the standards considered requires the organisation to define a
procedure for conducting the review. However, many organisations develop
such a procedure to ensure continuity in planning, carrying out and recording
for the review (the review must be documented).
There are at least two opposite possibilities to conduct the management
review, as shown in Table III. In the case of a single IMS review or a cycle of

Figure 1.
Aspects to consider in
setting objectives for an
integrated management
system
EMH Advantages
12,2 Objective Indicator Actions Responsibility Deadline Resources Q E S

10 percent KW/
energy saving product Production P://
in production prices Saving plan manager 12/2001 F:// 3 3
Select staff Human
142 resources
Create ± Re-allocation Top 12/2000 P: new 3 3
communications of resources management employees
office
Re-define Top F: . . .euro
organisational management
Table II. chart
Example of a //
programme in an Approved by _______ Date: _______
integrated management
system Notes: P: personnel; F: finance

Possibility Comments

Separate reviews with: Even if the reviews are different, the

Different participants procedure for starting and documenting the
Different information to be examined for each review and for the resulting actions can be
of the three areas integrated
Integrated quality, environment and safety Advantageous to SMEs
Table III. review None of the standards requires that all
Possibilities for the Greater number of participants elements of the system are reviewed together;
management review in More information to examine it is therefore possible for several review
an integrated Longer duration of review processes lasting several days, each
management system dedicated to different elements of the IMS

integrated reviews Table IV shows the necessary inputs to consider as well as

the expected outputs from the review itself.

Information and communication

Information
All three standards (ISO 9001:94 only deals explicitly with certain activities)
require the organisation to adopt a system for controlling both external and
internal information flows.
The integrated approach enables a single activity for information, ensuring
that it is legible, clear, accurate and complete and that it allows the
identification and management of:
Q: customer information (i.e. which influences the quality of the product/
service);
Inputs Review Outputs Integration of
management
External factors (laws, external Single IMS review or cycle Improvement initiatives (new systems
pressures, social and of integrated reviews objectives and programmes)
environmental conditions)
Internal factors (organisational Policy changes
variations, introduction of new Product/service changes 143
technologies, market research, Allocation of resources
audit results, complaints, non Assignment of new
conformities, corrective and responsibilities Table IV.
preventive actions, degree of Audit planning Inputs and outputs in
achievement of objectives) Review report an integrated review

A: information necessary for protecting the environment and satisfying

legal requirements;
S: information used for protecting the health and safety of workers and
satisfying legal requirements.
The organisation should therefore establish and maintain updated procedures
for information management, where ``management’’ includes understanding
information and being aware of its importance. These procedures should also
consider access to and protection of information to ensure its integrity and
availability.
Common information can derive from processes, product/service knowledge,
data from customers or suppliers, data from scientific journals, industry
guidelines or laws and standards.
Possible uses are activities such as data and knowledge transfer, design,
process control, communications, verification of conformity with legal
requirements and/or specific standards, personnel management.
Information can be transferred via audio-visual media, paper, electronic or
magnetic documents, voice.

Communication
Good communications are essential for an effective and efficient management
system and must therefore be managed in conjunction with information.
ISO14001 and BS8800 standards dedicate a great deal of space to this subject
and describe two types of communication:
(1) Internal: between different authority levels and different functions.
(2) External: between different interested parties from which the
organisation should receive and document communications and to
whom it should be able to respond.
Unlike the current ISO 9001:94 they do not mention communication explicitly,
except for contract review.
Communications management can be examined from an integrated point of
view, considering the following key points:
EMH the communication of information relating to the quality of the product/
12,2 service, environmental aspects and health and safety at work must be
open and effective;
staff must be involved and consulted.
To this end the organisation should make sure that:
144 (1) There are adequate procedures for identifying and receiving relevant
information relating to quality, the environment and health and safety at
work, for example:
new laws, amendments or standards;
information necessary for identifying dangers and evaluating and
controlling risks to the environment and health and safety of
workers;
information and developments of new technology or practices which
influence the quality of the product, environmental management or
safety and conditions in the workplace.
(2) Pertinent information is communicated to all staff in the organisation
who need it, involving:
identifying information needs;
ensuring that this information is comprehensible to those who
receive it;
ensuring that information flows from the bottom to the top of the
organisation as well as from the top to the bottom.

Assessing the improvements

There are already some cases of integration inside enterprises of medium or
large size, but at the moment, seven years after the publication of EMAS
regulation and three years after the publication of ISO 14001, only a few
examples of integration of the environment, quality and safety systems exist in
small enterprises.
We expect that, using this guide, SMEs can profitably apply the proposed
model of integration and that after two years these enterprises will be able to
evaluate the level of maturity of the system itself, as well as its points of
strength and those of weakness.
As a complement to the IMS Implementation Guide we are therefore
realising an IMS Self-Assessment guide as an indispensable tool for:
SMEs, in order to evaluate and determine the points of weakness of the
IMS which need actions of improvement.
Euro Info Centres, in order to evaluate which are the major application
difficulties encountered by SMEs and then to plan more targeted
interventions (guides, self-training tools).
 SMEs, in order to evaluate which improvements have been brought to Integration of
the system. management
The IMS Self-assessment Guide will be realised in an electronic format systems
accessible through partners’ Web sites. Practical characteristics of the tool will
be as follows:
of being applied to two systems at choice or to all three; 145
of being applied only for specific aspects (e.g. Management
responsibility);
of being regularly reused for the evaluation of the progress of the
improvements achieved;
of presenting the links with relevant paragraphs of the IMS
Implementation Guide.
After having answered the queries it will be possible to visualise the position of
the organisation in respect to the level of integration. The particular critical
areas in which actions should be taken will be pointed out by attention signs.
Besides a link with the relevant paragraph of the IMS Implementation Guide
will be shown in connection with the critical areas found in order to facilitate
the comprehension of the deficiencies and to plan a more targeted intervention.
The IMS assessment guide, as well the revised IMS guide, will be available
(free downloadable) on the Web after February 2001.

References
Scipioni, A. and Rubbi, A. (1996), ``Sistema di gestione integrata (SGI): qualitaÁ, ambiente e
sicurezza. Dalla teoria alla pratica?’’, Supplemento Guida Metrologia Rivista QualitaÁ, Vol. 5
No. 95, pp. 14-18.
Scipioni, A., Arena, F., Villa, M. and Saccarola, G. (2000), ``SINTEGRA ± QualitaÁ, ambiente,
sicurezza: linee guida all’integrazione’’, Carnere di CommercuÈo Industria Artigianato
Agricoitura di Padova, Verona, Treviso, Vicenza, pp. 1-402.