So with Spring here we often think of time to clear out the cupboards and some cleaning activity. Often what businesses do not think about is the effect an incident or event could have on their ability to operate and even continue trading.

Recently we have been delivering training and bespoke test exercises to several organisations to see how effective their Business Continuity plans really are. This is always an eye opener for those of us running the exercise and for the company themselves. If you think you might like to test the effectiveness of your plan get in touch.

Our Toolkit - OHSAS 18001 The Health & Safety Standard

The British Standard OHSAS 18001 sets out the minimum requirements for occupational health and safety management best practice and has long been the leading specification for Occupational Health and Safety worldwide. However, its evolution towards a true international standard, properly aligning with closely related standards pertaining to quality management (ISO 9001) and environmental management (ISO 14001) is now underway. Over 50 organisations and countries are working to develop what is to be known as ISO 45001, which will align completely with the revisions to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. With poor health and safety management costing around 4% of global GDP, the new international standard's impact has the potential to save lives, reduce accidents and improve employee morale. Publication is still some time off, probably not before 2016. In the meantime, OHSAS 18001 is still the leading standard in this area. We will, of course, keep you up to date with developments as they happen.

Our resident expert, Tom McCormick, is a qualified Lead Assessor for OHSAS 18001 and is able to help implement the current standard in a way that works for you, enabling you to reap real benefits. He can also offer advice on what you might need to change in order to achieve accreditation to the standard on both the initial and subsequent audits, including meeting the requirements of the new ISO 45001, when it becomes available. To ask Tom a question about OHSAS 18001 and how it could best work for you, click the "Ask the Expert" link on this page.

Our Toolkit - The Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) was introduced in 2002 as a result of co-operation among the EU Ministers responsible for public administration, who wished to modernise and improve public service delivery in the EU Member States and in particular encourage the principles of Total Quality management and self-assessment. Although it can also be successfully applied elsewhere, it is still mainly used in the public sector.  A paper, produced by Nick Thijs in November 2013, on behalf of the European Institute of Public Administration, explains how using the CAF model can strengthen the level of staff participation as part of the process towards becoming a mature, high-quality and well performing organisation. Click on these links to read more about the CAF model and how it can help your organisation or to read the paper.