Issue No: 01
Issue Date: 9/5/2003
D AN G ER /O UT O F S E RV IC E T AG S
W AT ER D AM AG E
A new procedure has been introduced across the
workplace
regarding
the
servicing
and
maintenance of equipment. It is now mandatory
to use a “Danger” or “Out Of Service” tag
whenever equipment is found to be faulty or it is
being serviced or maintained. This procedure
applies to all staff and contractors on site.
As a result of all the heavy rain we now have
leaks in rooms on the second floor. Obviously
nothing can be done until the rain clears up and
everything has had a chance to dry out.
Unfortunately, leaking water has caused the lift to
break down by shorting out one of the
controllers. At this stage they don’t know if it can
be repaired or if it will need to be replaced, so the
lift could be out of action for some time. This will
have repercussions on work, as we will be limited
on the movement of equipment between floors.
So what is the difference between the two types
of tags?
“Out Of Service”
PR O C E DU R ES F IL E
This tag is used on equipment where repairs
have not been completed or the fault on the
equipment has not been found. It is a warning to
other people that the equipment is in some way
faulty and should not be used.
I hope by now that all staff are aware of the
centrally located procedures file. This is stored
on the X-drive of our company server and
contains an up-to-date list of all safe operating
procedures for the laboratories.
“Danger”
This tag is to ensure personal safety. It is
designed to protect you from someone else
inadvertently turning on a machine that you had
isolated and were working on. If three people are
working on an instrument, then there must be
three personal “Danger” tags attached. After
finishing work on any equipment, you must
remove your own danger tag personally.
M D’s R E PO RT
Marjorie thanked everyone for their efforts in
helping to eliminate safety problems in the
workplace and said that we had come through a
very difficult two years, but were now in a much
better position to survive and grow. She will
introduce a new Strategic Plan for 2003-2005
and also urged everyone to support the new
communication system.
Before commencing any equipment maintenance
or servicing, the following basic principles MUST
be followed:
EN V IR O NM ENT AL & O H S
M AN AG EM E NT SY ST EM
1. IDENTIFY and assess all hazards and
risks e.g., mechanical, electrical, gas,
pressure.
The Environmental Planning Group is still
working hard on developing the new
Environmental Management System. There is a
potential for large savings in electricity usage and
the new refurbishment of the minerals laboratory
will have a high environmental focus and in many
areas will use recycled water.
2. ISOLATE all hazards.
3. TEST integrity of isolation (very important).
4. TAG all isolation points with a “Danger”
tag.
We will soon have a new Health and Welfare
Advisor (Lois Lane) in a permanent position. She
will be available to all areas for advice on OHS
matters.
More detailed training regarding the new policy
and the use of tags will be held on 30/5/03.
Page 1
Issue No: 01
Issue Date: 9/5/2003
IS O 90 0 1
We can never place too much importance on the
safety of staff and visitors.
Last week I also spent two days training to be an
internal auditor for ISO 9001. In case you are
not aware, SimuLab is applying for ISO 9001
certification towards the end of the year.
H AP P Y BI RT HD AY
We have a couple of birthdays coming up next
week that I know of. Happy birthday to Lis
Lombardo and Quentin Allamby.
So what is ISO 9001? It is an international
standard concerned with quality management
and the way an organisation goes about its work.
A copy of the newsletter is filed on the X-drive
and any contributions are very welcome.
What are the benefits of ISO 9001 certification?




Further improvement of our quality
improvement processes.
Better service to our customers.
Improved recognition as a quality service
provider.
Enhanced commercial opportunities.
Before external auditors for the certification audit
us, we need to carry out a series of our own
internal audits to see how well our processes and
procedures meet the requirements of the
standard. Naturally it will be impossible to audit
every process in every section before the
certification audit. Instead a random sample of
internal audits will be done, which means that we
may or may not be audited in this section.
However, at some time in the future an audit will
take place. Please remember though, that the
audit is not of an individual or the way they
perform in their job. Instead the audit looks at
the processes in order to obtain evidence that
allows an objective evaluation of how they meet
the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard.
S AF ET Y AU D IT
Over the last two weeks, members of the
occupational health and safety committee have
been auditing this building. A number of issues
were discovered and Neville Nostram is doing a
great job of getting these corrected. Feedback
from the audit team was extremely positive; the
attitude to safety by every member of staff and
their willingness to co-operate with the audit
process was greatly appreciated.
Congratulations to everyone as this gets
reflected back to other areas within the company.
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