Proper labelling of materials is very important in the field of warehousing. The same also goes in putting the appropriate signages in the area. This will promote safety for the worker and also increases efficiency in its operation.

Proper labelling is simply putting names on a material being piled. If the stocks being stored in the area are chemicals, then each chemicals should be labelled according to their specific names. This will prevent cross contamination especially in the mixing process. This will also promote efficiency in its operation because workers will not spend time looking for the right stocks.

Proper installation of signages should also be considered. There are many signages available, each with its own specific uses. Identifying toxic chemicals through signage is a picture of redskull. Signages can also be used to identify dangerous activities and many more.

Both of this should be properly installed to the workplace. There is also a regulatory standard in making this specific signages. Its colors and sizes should be properly standardized so as to be easily identified and noticed.

Safety is very important in cases of organization having hazardous activities in their operations. Safety for their personnel must be considered to prevent any accidents and incidents from happening. There are three ways to properly implement safety within the organization. The Administrative, Engineering and the Provision of PPEs.

Administrative orders are implementation of safety standards within the company. Putting safety signages  in each workplace is one way of administrative controls. Implementing proper SOPs is another option. There are actually many ways to promote safety, as long as it is being properly communicated to all personnel.

Engineering measures are issuance of safety facilities. It is also another way in promoting safety in the organization. Example would be installation of personnel walkways and foot bridges in construction sites.

The last resort and the easiest among the three is the provision of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs). Every hazardous activity being performed in the company must be provided with proper PPEs. A good example would be hard hats, safety shoes and many more.

Just always remember that “Work is a source of living and not a source of Death.”

Self Monitoring Report (SMR) are report submitted by the Pollution Control Officer (PCO) in an organization. This report is to be submitted monthly to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

This report contains information more likely in the environmental aspect. Part of this report are monitoring of hazardous waste being discharged by the company. This includes the inventory of hazardous waste like used oil, empty chemical bottles, used batteries and tires, and many more. If the company discharges water to the river, monitoring of effluent is also required. There should be a conduct of Water Sampling and Analysis on the waste water of the company. Analysis for the river is also necessary. Another required data is the monitoring of the Air Pollution. Measuring the SOx and NOx of engine emissions is needed on this parameters.

Those are only just a few examples of data needed in the SMR. And all of these data will simply help monitor the company’s usage of the environment. Utilizing it in a proper way that it won’t be affected by any activities that the company generates.

SDCA stands for Standardize, Do, Check and Action. This has the same concept as the PDCA. In PDCA in focuses more on the planning stage. While in SDCA, it concentrates more on the running the plan. Applying those plan in the operation and making it as a standard process.

Both of this system are also the concept of KAIZEN. Having an SDCA and making it a PDCA. Your standard process will be changed through proper planning. Thus, making your organization improve its efficiencies, processes, and results.

What I mean about standardize is to have one process for every operation. If you have many plantation, each process should be the same with all the plantations. Standardize, in this case, simply means uniformity of operations.

So what’s the importance of standardization of operations. One thing is that, you can be able to attain the maximum efficiency. Having one standard means that it is already being studied that a certain process being chosen attains the maximum efficiency compared to the other processes. There are no wasted time knowing that some departments are not doing their best efficiency.

Another one would be the workers tend to increase their output. Having one standard operation means that the workers will be doing the same process, until another good process comes. Thus, mastery of the work will follow, making the output increase.

Standardization simply increases output and efficiency. But base on my experience, it also minimizes cost. Since we have many plantations, this system surely helps us minimize our expenses by simply sharing. Sharing of forms, equipments and the like doesn’t seem to be a problem since all our operations is standardized.

Forms comes in a lot of ways. Forms for the official receipt are an example of forms. Forms to fill up like when we use the photocopy machine at the office. There are actually millions of forms around there. All with their own specific task.

Records on the other hand is different from Forms. Records are filled up forms or finished forms. When we say finished, meaning, the entire process of that form is done. All of the assigned signatories have already placed their mark in the form. Even though the form is properly filled up, it can not be called a record if there are still some blank information in it, like signatures and the like. Records don’t only come as hard copies. We can also say that an E-file or soft copy is a record. For example, a picture. A picture on a presentation can’t be called a record. But once the presentation has an added text, then that picture can be considered as a record.

Both of this things are very crucial when it comes to ISO Standards. They play a very major role in the organization as this serves as an objective evidence to all the operation in the company. But this is just the basic information about forms and records. More information will be learned from this two if you are planning to engage your organization to be part of the ISO Family.

I will mention here the hierarchy of these Accreditation Bodies. I will start from the lowest going up to the highest.

The lower part are those ISO Certified Companies. There are already many companies that are certified with ISO Standards. So mentioning them all would certainly take awhile. These companies are being audited by the Certification Body. They will inspect first the company if they have complied all the requirements of a certain standard before they will issue that priceless Certificate. These bodies are the TUV, SGS, AJA and so much more. But this doesn’t end here. These Certification Body will also be audited by the Accreditation Body. I’m not really familiar on how these Accreditation Body inspect the Certification Body. Some of these Accreditation Body are the UKAS, ANSI, SAS, BPS, KAB, JAB SC, RA, and DAR. And so, it ends to the Accreditation Body.

We may know that an audit is an inspection of accounting processes and records done by a professional and trained accountant. But in the family of ISO Standards, things are a bit different. Audit can be done by any person. He/ she may not specifically know the process being audited for as long as he/ she is a certified auditor.

There are actually three types of audit. The first one would be the First Party Audit. This audit is basically an inspection done by internal auditors or personnel within the organization. First party audit is usually announced within the company so that the auditee can prepare for necessary things. The next one is the Second Party Audit. This inspection is done by Subcontractors or Supplier or perhaps the company’s own buyers. Last but not the least, the Third Party Audit which is done by certification body. Certification bodies like TUV, SGS and many more. These companies are the one responsible in issuing a Certificate of Compliance if a certain company follow all the ISO Standard requirements. Unlike the First Party Audit, the Second and the Third is a much formal audit. There must be an opening and closing meeting in the Second and Third audit.

Secondary Containment Facility is used as a preventive measure for any spillage that could happen in a Warehouse or Storage Area. These are actually a containment on the floor to every pile of chemicals stored in the Warehouse. It can be cemented or any other ways. This containment must be enough to carry 110% of the total volume of the container. Thus, if there are any spillage that could occur, the Containment Facility is there to prevent any cross contamination or just even accidents that is caused by spillage of hazardous chemicals. It is also advisable to install a drainage system in your containment facility heading down to a septic tank.