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| Fermilab has maintained ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications, which provide assurance to DOE that the laboratory is meeting its contract requirements for environmental, occupational health and safety. |
On Feb. 24 Fermilab completed its semiannual surveillance audit, conducted by NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation).
The audit is an essential step in maintaining ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications, which are related to environment, occupational health and safety. The audit covered all aspects of the scope of our certificate, which includes Fermilab’s research and development, manufacturing, waste management and site infrastructure management at all facilities on the Fermilab property in accordance with the current Department of Energy contract.
The final report of the audit noted that there were no non-conformances in the reviewed programs and included a recommendation to maintain certification with ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007.
During the audit, the following positive practices were noted:
- The upgrades made to iTrack, including efforts to increase incident reporting, and our good causal analysis are favorable.
2. Site 40 and 55, our Hazardous Waste Handling Facility, was exceptionally clean and organized. Kudos to Dave Hockin and his team for a job well done!
3. Environmental plans are proactively being updated.
4. Emergency program updates are impressive, and a strong program is now in place.
5. We make good progress on human performance improvement. This culture can empower people to make decisions, communicate and listen.
6. The level of senior management commitment to safety is higher than it has ever been. The “one lab” approach is a very positive direction for the laboratory.
The auditing group reviewed programs focusing on the ESH&Q Section, including environmental protection, emergency management, hazard control technology, security and the Fire Department.
The auditors noted that the environment, safety and health management system is mature, according to the leading and lagging indicators currently in place to measure the management system’s performance. They also noted that our internal assessment programs, including tripartites, quality assurance self-assessments, ES&H self-assessments, project reviews, inspections and walkthroughs are tools that we should continue to use in order to improve our management systems.
The ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification is a great recognition for the laboratory, highlighting our quality and ES&H management systems as important components of our organization. They can help deliver better processes that optimize performance, drive costs down and improve customer satisfaction.