2 new PEFC standards

There are 1 new and 1 updated PEFC standards:

• PEFC ST 2002:2010 Chain of Custody of Forest Based Products (replaces Annex 4)
• PEFC ST 2001:2008 PEFC Logo Usage Rules - Requirements (2nd edition)

The standards are to be welcomed as they now are formatted like other standards and we no longer have Annex 4 as the PEFC standard.

Clause 6.8 Sub-Contracting has been added to PEFC ST 2002:2010; before this, there was no PEFC requirement for sub-contracting. For those companies that already have an SSS system for sub-contracting of FSC products, your existing system already meets the requirements of PEFC but it may need references added.

The main requirement for those companies with systems compiled by Strategic Safety Systems for FSC/PEFC is that the references will have to change; for a start Annex 4 will need changing to PEFC ST 2002:2010, but all the clause numbers are different.

Clause 6.8.2 is rather clumsy and may be interpreted as not allowing sub-contractors to ship onwards to the next link in the chain; the product must be returned to the company owning the certificate.

New features added to INTACT

For some time now, we've realised that links between the audit schedule and the audit form could make the audit entry process more user friendly.
What we've done is to:

• Make a link so that, if you double click on a system in the audit schedule, it takes you to the audits for that system, and
• When you click on the Sign Off button on an audit, it updates the schedule so that the present audit is signed off with today's date and a new one scheduled 1-year hence.

SSS reach certification milestone

The recent certification to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 for Vibixa is a milestone for Strategic Safety Systems.

• Vibixa is the 40th company we have helped to gain ISO 14001 certification
• Vibixa is the 20th company we have helped to gain OHSAS 18001 certification

See a list of our successes for these plus ISO 9001, FSC, PEFC and other standards.

Vibixa gain 14001 and 18001 certification

Congratulations to Vibixa, the Cheltenham-based carton manufaturer who have recently gained certification to ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard and OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety Management Standard. The systems used by Vibixa were developed by Strategic Safety Systems and extensive use is made of the SSS INTACT integrated action management system. SSS have been associated with Vibixa for many years, providing health and safety support and are delighted that the approaches that Vibixa have taken have been rewarded by certification.

Bushell and Meadows gain ISO 13486

Congratulations to Bushell and Meadows, a precision machining company in Tewkesbury for gaining certification to ISO 13485 Medical Devices - Quality Management System using SSS-developed systems.
This is in addition to earlier certification to ISO 9001 for which SSS also provided the systems.
See more.

6 new health and safety bills

Six new Private Member’s Bills were presented to Parliament last week on the back of recommendations in Lord Young’s review of health and safety, published on 15 October.

• Health and Safety at Work (Amendment) Bill – to amend the HSWA 1974 to make provisions for separate risk-assessment requirements for play, leisure and work-based activities; and to introduce simplified risk assessments for schools;
• Compensation (Limitation) Bill – to prevent conditional fee agreement success fees and after-the-event insurance premiums being recoverable from the losing party in civil litigation; to facilitate damages-based agreements for contingency fees in respect of successful litigants;
• Health and Safety Consultants (Qualifications) Bill – to introduce qualification requirements for health and safety consultants; and to provide accreditation for such consultants; (Note: SSS comply with this already.)
  
• Low Hazard Workplaces (Risk Assessment Exemption) Bill – to exempt employers from the requirement to produce a written risk assessment in respect of low-hazard workplaces and the premises of those working from their own home with low-hazard equipment;
• RIDDOR Regulation Bill – to reduce the duties on employers to report matters under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995; and
• Self-employment (Risk Assessment Exemption) Bill – to exempt self-employed persons engaged in low-hazard activity from the requirement to produce a written risk assessment.

Source: SHP

Beware the CE Mark, yet again

Here's something really scary. If you thought the CE mark, meant "Check Everything", there's the China Export mark which looks remarkably similar.