Integration of environmental, occupational health, and safety management into an integrated management system

A company can integrate ISO 14001 (environmental) and ISO 45001 (health & safety) into an IATF 16949 Quality Management System by building a single Integrated Management System (IMS). This works because all three standards share the High-level structure, allowing you to unify policies, processes, procedures, risk assessments, audits, and management reviews while tailoring procedures to cover quality, environment, and safety simultaneously.

Tips for integrating the two standards in the current management system

---

Unified Policy & Objectives

Replace separate policies with a single QEHS Policy (Quality, Environment, Health & Safety). Align objectives so they support each other (e.g., reducing scrap improves quality, lowers environmental impact, and reduces operator risk).

Unified processes

---

All three standards (IATF 16949, ISO 14001, ISO 45001) follow the same 10-clause structure (context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement). The management system implemented defines, through its processes, the activities necessary to meet the requirements of the standard. Based on the common structure, the processes and activities already defined can be extended to cover the requirements of ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

• Document control: one procedure for all standards.
• Internal audits: one audit program covering QMS, EMS, and OHSMS.
• Management review: one review meeting, with agenda items for quality, environment, and safety or the organization can conduct 2 meetings: Quality Management review and Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety Management review
• Corrective actions: one system for nonconformities and incidents.

If we already have an EHS manager position in the organizational chart, we can define a specific process for managing environmental, health, and occupational safety activities.

OMS consultants has experience in implementation of integrated management systems according ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 requirements for various companies, especially within automotive industry.

Their know-how and experience is not limited only to standard understanding, they have skills also in interpretation of national/ European regulations and practical appliance of them.

Last but not least the documentation can be delivered and installed using the informatics technologies – M365 or WordPress on-premises or in the cloud.

Integration steps

---

Conduct a gap analysis

Compare IATF 16949 with ISO 14001 & 45001. Identify overlaps (for example the requirement 7.1.4 “environment for operation of processes” in IATF/ISO 9001 can reference ISO 45001 for safety compliance

Map processes over ISO 14001-ISO 45001 requirements

Map your core processes (design, production, warranty, supplier management) and overlay environmental and safety controls. For example the organization can add ergonomics, safety controls within production process defined activities to cover ISO 45001 requirements.

The company can harmonize the documentation to create one Integrated Management System Manual, one Internal and Second-party audit procedure..

Plan and conduct trainings

Train staff on the integrated approach. Operators and office personnel should see one system, not three parallel ones.

Program, plans, and performs an integrated audit of the management system

Schedule an internal audit of the integrated management system. Plan and conduct the audit using the process-based approach of IATF 16949, assessing compliance with the requirements of all implemented standards.

Perform management review

Consider planning and conducting a management review based on all inputs required by the three standards.

Latest project launched

---

About ISO 45001 and ISO 14001

---

ISO 45001 is a new International standard which replaces OHSAS 18001. ISO 45001’s goal is to to manage and continuously improve Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) within the company. In fact, this is a set of requirements which helps companies to implement OH&S policy and address governmental regulations.

ISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for Environmental Management System (EMS). Environmental Management System is a strategical company approach in implementation its environmental policy and address governmental regulations.

For both standards the common ‘Annex SL’ introduces a common structure which provides compatibility with other ISO standards including ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 14001 Environment and ISO 27001 Information Security management systems.

By using the High Level Structure guidelines, we help you combine the instruments and methods of your existing management systems into a uniform structure and provide you supplemental solutions (digital tools) to get a robust implementation.

Annex SL is a document that the ISO group uses to define standard’s structure. The common structure is as follows:

• Clause 1 Scope – What is this standard used for (scope)
• Clause 2 Normative References – Other documents related to standard
• Clause 3 Terms and definitions – What words are specific for this standard(glossary).
• Clause 4 Context of the organization – company understanding, context (internal and external issues),interested parties and their expectations, system scope..
• Clause 5 Leadership – top management involvement
• Clause 6 Planning – starting from objectives, what risks can occurs, opportunities (and of course related risks) and the planning to achieve specific objectives
• Clause 7 Support – needed processes to implement for providing necessary resources (Human Resources including needed competences, equipment and technologies..)
• Clause 8 Operation – daily controls in place to operate management system processes
• Clause 9 Performance Evaluation – methods used to measure processes performance
• Clause 10 Improvement – needed actions to improve your management system

Contact

---

• Șerban Druță – Commercial Director
• Email: serban.druta@operationalmanagementsolutions.eu
• Phone: +40 0720 500 546