Intent
CQMS Razer designs and manufactures products, equipment and wear part solutions for mining and materials processing operations in Australia and internationally. CQMS Razor had recently been acquired by Macquarie Bank and the Group HSE Manager approached Exis about assisting with:
- Scoping and creating a development program for an integrated HSE Management System at the rubber fabrication and equipment manufacturing facility in Hexham, NSW (Safety Management System for certification to AS/NZS 4801 and Environmental Management System at Hexham facility for certification to ISO 14001)
- Ensuring the HSE system is integrated with the existing ISO 9001 quality management system wherever possible
- Conducting a comprehensive dangerous goods audit to assess compliance with NSW safety legislation and the AS 1940 standard, and identify opportunities for improvement
- The development and implementation of Group HSE standards to be applied across all Australian operations
Approach
Conducted a detailed management system ‘scoping exercise’ – rather than just identify gaps, we scoped out how to fill them in a way that suited the client which resulted in a comprehensive project plan for their HSE team to progress development and implementation of the system. The scoping exercise included review and recommendations on:
- existing site and/or corporate documentation (manuals, procedures, registers, forms etc)
- software used to assist in maintenance and implementation of the management systems
interview of relevant personnel - induction and other training materials
- existing risk assessment processes
- existing audit and inspection processes and tools
Performed a HSE audit on site focussed on dangerous goods and was completed in two parts:
- Environment: assess environmental performance and compliance in the following areas: storage of dangerous goods and hydrocarbons, waste management, spill prevention and control, air quality and stormwater management.
- Safety: assess safety performance and compliance, in particular with regards to chemical and dangerous goods storage, handling and use. Exis partnered with a dangerous goods expert from Advitech for this part of the audit.
Deployment
We adopted a collaborative approach to the development of the suite of corporate HSE Standards, involving key HSE personnel across the business, as well as Quality, HR, ICT, Procurement and Operations. Standards were drafted, reviewed by cross-sectional team, re-drafted, re-reviewed and amended then sent for management endorsement.
Comprehensive audit report included findings and recommendations for improvement in safety and environmental management across the site. The corrective action process under the Quality Management System was used to document and track these actions to completion.
Detailed project plan resulting from scoping exercises was broken down into manageable stages, and responsibilities and timeframes assigned. Several follow-on visits were carried out to check progress against the agreed plan and timeframes.
Outcomes
- Compliance with regulatory requirements and AS1940 regarding storage, handling and use of flammables and combustibles on site
- Improved staff awareness of HSE issues arising from their work, in particular with regards to use of flammables
- Resulting standards were endorsed by Group HSE Manager and established across the business
- Audit actions undertaken in key areas including systems, operational control and management of flammables and combustibles on site – audit has resulted in significant safety, environmental and operational/process improvements across the site
- Review and update of all chemical risk assessments on site
- New site infrastructure and storage facilities purchased to reduce HSE risk levels
- HSE System aligned with Quality Management System, and integrated where possible (e.g. document control, audits, non-conformance handling)
- Certification to ISO 14001 and AS/NZS 4801 achieved