MORE RECOGNITION FOR MULTISOL UK
As a world leader in the formulation, blending and distribution of high value fuel and lubricant additives, base oils and speciality chemicals, Multisol puts safety at the top of its agenda and continues to strive for operational excellence and improvement.
In the UK, Multisol recently completed its three-year BSI audit cycle with no major conformities raised and the business has been successfully ISO Recertificated across three key classes. These are;
ISO 9001 = Quality Management Systems Requirements
ISO14001 = Environmental Management Systems Requirements
BS OHSAS 18001 = Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems Requirements
The ISO Recertification process is a major undertaking and for Multisol UK it involved annual audits at Daresbury (1 day covering Multisol UK and Multisol Europe for ISO 9001), and Irlam (2 days in Spring, 3 days in Autumn, covering Multisol UK for ISO 9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001).
Every 3 years, the final audit is classed as a re-certification audit. As well as covering any topics as planned in the 3yr schedule, the auditor also;
- reviews results over the last 3 years
- evaluates progress in terms of Multisol management system objectives
- assesses top management leadership, commitment and accountability to the standards. This includes in depth interviews with Managing Director Kevin Wright and Operations Director, Richard Hands.
Lucy Bentley, Multisol Quality and Compliance Manager explains;
“Essentially the re-certification audit determines whether the systems we have in place are able to support the achievement of statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements. The auditor will require an action plan to cover any issues raised and will confirm whether he recommends that our re-certification is continued based on what he has seen. During the last audit cycle, there have also been significant changes to ISO 9001 and 14001. When the new versions of the standards were published, any registered companies had 3 years to ensure that they were compliant with the new versions as well as being successfully audited against them. We went through transition assessments during our 2017 audits in order to demonstrate this, so this was also discussed at re-certification. Next year we will go through a similar transition process to switch from OHSAS 18001 to ISO45001, which is the next big task in terms of management systems.”
ISO 45001 was launched in March 2018. This new internationally recognised standard for Health and Safety provides a frame work for improving any organisations health and safety performance by detailing requirements across 11 key success factors demanded from any H & S management system. All companies certified to British Standard OHSAS 18001 now have 3 years to transition to the new international standard.
“ Multisol aims for excellence in every area of its business,” continues Lucy. “That extends from the quality of its products and services to its commitment to protect and enhance its most important asset, its people! We welcome the introduction of ISO 45001. It transcends geographic, political, economic, commercial and social boundaries to provide a safe and healthy workplace and prevent work related injuries, no matter how hazardous the working environment. The transition period starts this year for Multisol as we switch from OHSAS 18001 to ISO45001. It’s a big task in terms of management systems but we are confident that we can be ready by Spring 2020.”