Author(s):
Santos, Gilberto
; Rebelo, Manuel
; Barros, Siria
; Pereira, Martinha
Date: 2014
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/11110/609
Origin: CiencIPCA
Subject(s): Environment; Quality; Safety
Description
According to Wright [1] certification of products and processes began during the 1960’s in
the manufacturing industry, as a tool to control and assure the quality/conformity of
products and services provided by suppliers to customers/consumers. Thus, the series of
ISO 9000 was published first time, in 1987 and it was been created with a flexible character,
to be reviewed periodically. Later, were published others normative references, which
highlight the ISO 14001 in 1996 and OHSAS 18001 in 1999. This was also, the natural
sequence of the certification processes in the organizations, i.e., began with the certification
of quality management systems (QMS) followed by the environmental management systems
(EMS) and after for the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS).
Hence, a high percentage of organizations with an EMS, in accordance with the ISO 14001,
had also implemented, a certified QMS, in accordance with ISO 9001. At first the
implementation of a QMS was particularly relevant in high demanding activity sectors, like
the automotive and aeronautical industries, but it has rapidly extended to every activity
sector, becoming a common requisite of any company worldwide and a factor of
competitiveness and survival. Due to the increasingly demanding environmental legislation
in developed countries, companies nowadays are required to seriously take into
consideration not only environmental aspects associated to the production chain itself, but
also to the life cycle of their products. Certification and Integration
of Environment with Quality and Safety
– A Path to Sustained Success