ISO Quality Services – November 2013 Newsletter!

14 Nov, 2013

Welcome to the November issue of the ISO Quality Services Limited newsletter where winter has finally arrived! What’s in this issue?

Congratulations to our Newly Certificated Clients
More than 1,100 construction sites fail safety checks
Important Notice: ISO 27001 Information Security Standard UPDATE
Have you increased the minimum wage for your employees to meet revisions?
Maximising our membership
Be part of our LinkedIn community
V is for Validation Audit, W is for Why and X is for Xtra Mile…
Networking events in October – November 2013
Refer a friend

Congratulations to our Newly Certificated Clients

JustSayPlease Limited

JustSayPlease Limited was founded in 2005 and is based in Solihull. This month they have achieved their ISO 27001:2005 Information Security Management Standard.

They had been a leading outsource partner for some of the largest websites in the UK. With a number of years’ experience growing retail businesses online, they moved their focus to the comparison of products and services. They developed and refined their own white label system and now operate a best-in-class solution for their partners. The system compares many different types of deals and products, including: Mobile phones deals, Broadband, TV and phone packages, Pet Insurance policies, Electronics recycling.

For more information on the company, please call 0121 704 5600, email info@justsayplease.co.uk or visit www.justsayplease.co.uk

“Senior Lead Assessor, Peter O’Neill (left), presenting Damian Carvill, Managing Director of JustSayPlease Ltd (right) with their ISO 27001:2005 Information Security Management Certificate.

Strand Europe Limited

Strand Europe Limited was started in 1992 with the supply of magnetic media. They are based in Yateley, Hampshire. This month they have achieved their ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Standard.

The company has since grown and diversified, they are the designer and supplier of Magnetic Media and Electrical Accessories to major retailers, wholesalers and to Internet sellers. With a distribution network operating throughout Europe, they can design, manufacture and deliver goods with a rapidity seldom matched by their competitors.

Their portfolio includes both supplying TV Stands to Asda and Next and providing fulfilment services for Hibaba, an internet reseller.
With offices in the UK, Spain, Hong Kong, India and Dubai and with a distribution network in Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden, Strand is well placed to source and meet European needs from global suppliers.

For more information on the company, please call 01252 861000, email websales@strandeurope.com or visit www.strandeurope.com

“Battery Test Engineer Laurent Petithuguenin (left), C.E.O Ashok Suri (centre) and Head of Technology & Business Support Peter Wells (right) from Strand Europe Ltd with their ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Certificate.

The Adhere Creative Limited

The Adhere Creative Limited is based in Solihull, West Midlands and was formed in 2006. They have recently been presented with their ISO 27001:2005 Information Security Management Standard.

They offer a range of web, mobile and software design and SEO services. They work on a variety of web and mobile software projects, ranging from small websites to large ecommerce and mobile applications. Their wide range of clients include Carphone Warehouse, Money Supermarket, Michelin and Confused.com.

For more information on the company please call 0121 704 5604, email info@theadherecreative.com or visit www.theadherecreative.com

File Centre Document and Data Storage Ltd

File Centre Document and Data Storage Ltd are based in Bristol. They have recently been presented with their ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and BS EN 15713 standards. They are a document management and file storage company.

Their clients range from small companies to government agencies. Their services cover everything from online document management to a reading room. They can provide contracts and they can range from overnight while you’re moving offices to indefinite archive storage. Their geographical areas cover delivery and collection services for organisations located in Manchester, Birmingham, Gloucester, Oxford, Swindon, Portsmouth, Southampton, Taunton, Exeter, Bristol and London using their own transport, DX service or secure post.

For more information on the company, please call 0845 450 1074, email info@file-centre.co.uk or visit www.file-centre.co.uk

PALS Cleaning Services Limited

PALS Cleaning Services Limited is based in London. They have recently been presented with their ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management standard.
They pride themselves in providing their clients with efficient solutions that satisfy all of their cleaning needs.

Established in 2004 the company has built a reputation as a professional and dedicated cleaning company. After developing a professional and consistent high quality service, the company grew rapidly through client recommendation. They now provide a dedicated and loyal cleaning service for both new and existing clients alike both across London and nationally.

For more information, please email info@palscsltd.co.uk or visit www.palscsltd.co.uk

 

“Lead Assessor, Rick Allard (left), presenting Juan Flores (middle) and Abel Larrea (right), Directors of PALS Cleaning Services Limited with their ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Certificate.

CHC Ireland (Dublin)

CHC Ireland (Dublin) is based in Dublin. They have recently been presented with their ISO 14001:2004 Environmental management standard. CHC operates one of the world’s largest civilian networks of SAR, emergency medical and humanitarian helicopter services.

Their aircrafts are among the most modern in the world; their crews are trained to the highest international standards. Their goal is constant improvement to services that save lives. Their success in delivering safe, reliable performance for clients around the world makes them a market leader. That is why they are establishing a dedicated business division focused solely on SAR and associated services. It provides them with the means to maximise the quality of their service delivery and the scope to tailor their services to reflect the nature of individual customer requirements.

It doesn’t matter if the required service is land-based or covers maritime areas. CHC boasts operations in more than 30 countries involving around 250 aircraft, much of it focused on the global offshore oil and gas industry. It possesses state-of-the-art training facilities and has its own support company, dedicated to managing and maintaining the entire CHC fleet.

For more information on the company, please call 00353 87 9895628, email deirdre.collins@chc.ca or visit www.chcsar.com

Stewart Clague Services Limited

SCS is an Isle of Man registered company specialising in all aspects of the building services industry, they were formed in 1969. They have recently been presented with their ISO 27001:2005 Information Security Management Standard. They already have their ISO 9001:2008 Quality, ISO 14001:2004 Environmental and BS OHSAS 18001:2007 Health and Safety Management standards with us.

They pride themselves on providing a quality installation or service within budget and on time. This is achieved through in-house expertise from call centre personnel, management, project engineers and tradespersons / service engineers who are qualified to the highest industry standards. The company has continually adapted to an ever changing and expanding market whilst maintaining a personal service to their vast, loyal customer base.

For information on the company please call 01624 628424, email admin@scs.co.im or visit www.scs.co.im

More than 1,100 construction sites fail safety checks

Poor standards and dangerous practices were found at nearly half of the building sites visited during a month long safety drive.

During a nationwide campaign, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited 2,607 sites where refurbishment or repair work was taking place.
Inspectors found basic safety standards were not being met on 1,105 sites.

On 644 sites, practices were so poor that enforcement action was necessary to protect workers – with 539 prohibition notices served ordering dangerous activities to stop immediately and 414 improvement notices issued requiring standards to improve.

The most common problems identified included failing to protect workers during activities at height, exposure to harmful dust and inadequate welfare facilities.

(Picture: Risk of falls during soffit replacement work)

Heather Bryant, HSE’s Chief Inspector of Construction:

“It is disappointing to find a significant number of sites falling below acceptable health and safety standards, where our inspectors’ encountered poor practice

this often went hand in hand with a lack of understanding”.

“Through initiatives like this we are able to tackle underlying issues before they become established and we will continue to work with the industry in an effort to drive up standards”.
“However those who recklessly endanger the health and lives of their workforce can expect to face tough consequences.”

During the month of September, inspectors made unannounced visits to construction sites to ensure they were managing high-risk activity, such as working at height and the control of exposure to harmful dusts. Inspectors were also looking for good site order, sound structures and basic welfare facilities.

For more about the initiative, including examples of good and bad practice discovered by the HSE inspectors during the campaign, see their online safer sites pages at: HSE

(Picture: Improvisation used in structural support)

*Source: www.hse.gov.uk

Important Notice: ISO 27001 Information Security Standard UPDATE

This popular standard which implements the highest standards for Information Security Management has been revised, with the new requirements now in effect.

So what are the main changes for the ISO 27001:2005 edition?

• The new structure is common to other new management systems, and therefore integration becomes more seamless.
• An increased emphasis on objective setting and the monitoring and measurement of performance.
• Some terminology and definitions have been amended.
• Risk assessment requirements have been altered to align better with other standard guidelines.
• An increased focus on Management Commitment and leadership.
• Controls have been modified to become more logical, take into account varying threats, and removing duplication.
• Additional controls have been included to allow for technology advances such as cloud computing.
• Greater controls to secure communication in client and supplier relationships.

ISO Quality Services Ltd will be contacting all of our clients who have this standard in place, to ensure that all changes and the transition relating to this update are made as seamlessly and efficiently as possible. If you have any questions please contact our Client Relationship Team on 01905 670303 or email clientrelationship@isoqsltd.com

Have you increased the minimum wage for your employees to meet revisions?

The National Minimum Wage rates have been increased and came into effect on 1 October 2013:

• Adult rate will increase by 12p to £6.31 an hour
• 18-20 year olds will increase by 5p to £5.03 an hour
• 16-17 year olds will increase by 4p to £3.72 an hour
• Apprentice rate will increase by 3p to £2.68 an hour (*this rate is for apprentices under 19 or those in their first year. If you’re 19 or over and past your first year you get the rate that applies to your age).
• Accommodation offset increases from the current £4.82 to £4.91 a day. (The accommodation offset rate is used where the employer provides you with accommodation, some of the value of which can count towards NMW pay).

It is important to note that these rates, which are in force from 1 October 2013, apply to pay reference periods beginning on or after that date.

Most workers in the UK over school leaving age are entitled to be paid at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for details of exceptions see the Acas website.

For information, please see: National Minimum Wage Information

Maximising our membership

ISO Quality Services Limited has been a member of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce since 2009. This year we have re-in-forced that relationship by becoming a strategic member of the Chamber.

In becoming a strategic member, together we have designed a new event, Maximising Your Membership. The event is designed for new members of the Chamber who would like to meet new contacts and learn about all of the excellent benefits that come with being a member. The event is also open to existing members of the Chamber of Commerce who may have forgotten the many services that are available to them. In total there will be four events the first of which was held on Friday 20th September.

The first Maximising your membership event was held at the Chamber offices in Worcester and we were joined by approximately 30 delegates, the relationship team at the chamber, as well as the Chief Executive, Mike Ashton for an opening presentation.

Jennifer Appleton, of ISO Quality Services Ltd, commented ‘We joined the Chamber of Commerce to be part of and reach out to the business community in Herefordshire & Worcestershire. Since then we have met new clients, referrals and suppliers. Being invited to support the Chamber with its Maximise Your Membership event is not only a great opportunity for spotlighting our business, but also supporting the Chamber at what it does best – making sure members gain maximum return from their investment.’

One of the reasons we decided to become a strategic member and help the chamber organise this new event is because we believe there are obvious synergies that tie in very well with both of our businesses. We believe that by being a member of the chamber or by having an ISO management system in place within your business ‘You are choosing pro-actively to push your business forward’

Helen Mole, Head of Events of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of commerce commented “We were delighted with the feedback from our members about the Maximising your Membership event we hosted in conjunction with ISO Quality Services. Members told us that they very much enjoyed hearing about the services available to them through their membership and found the networking tips very helpful! We are looking forward to many more of these events in the future.”

The next event is still to be scheduled, but looking to be held in the New Year.

For more details on why joining the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce would be beneficial to you and your business, please contact 0845 641 1641, email goodbusiness@hwchamber.co.uk or visit www.hwchamber.co.uk

Be part of our LinkedIn community

If you haven’t joined already – what are you waiting for?

ISO news, training updates and offers, meet the ISO QSL team and connect with other like-minded individuals

Visit us at ISO QSL LinkedIn Company page

V is for Validation Audit, W is for Why and X is for Xtra Mile….

V is for Validation Audit…A Validation Audit is a formal evaluation of a company’s management system to ensure full compliance is met to allow for the re-certification for a further year. Here at ISO Quality services Limited we contact you approximately 6 weeks before this is due to arrange a convenient date with you.

W is for Why...Why would your company benefit from implementing a management system? Perhaps for the improved internal efficiencies the systems bring by providing conformity throughout the whole company. It can help increase customer satisfaction and customer service. How about reaching potential market sectors you never thought you could? Do you want to be able to tender for contracts; ISO Certification can provide an audit trail and the correct documentation in order for you to do so! Call the New Business Department on 01905 670 303 or email salesoffice@isoqsltd.com for more information.

X is for Xtra…We believe in going that xtra mile for our customers – why because that’s how we would want to be treated!  Instead of me telling you what we do – see what our customers think…

“We at Stewart Clague Services Ltd found working with ISO Quality Services Ltd an absolute pleasure. We have always received lots of professional help and advice. The team at ISO Quality Services Ltd, always have as much time and patience as is required to solve any queries.”

“A big thank you to the team at ISO Quality Services for helping through every stage of the certification process and offering real value for money.”

“Their staff were helpful and considerate and provided a faultless service, enabling us to achieve certification quickly and easily, allowing Matthews to get back to our business without fuss.”

Networking events and seminars we are attending in November – December 2013

Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber Expo

Date of Event 13/11/2013
Cost: FREE for Members FREE for Non-Members
Time: 09.00 – 15.00
Venue: Chateau Impney Hotel, Droitwich Spa WR9 0BN
Website: Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce Expo

Chamber Breakfast Networking

Date of Event 21/11/2013
Cost: £18.00 Members (includes VAT) / £36.00 Non-members (includes VAT)
Time: 07.30 – 09.30
Venue: Abbey Hotel, Great Malvern WR14 3ET
Website: Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce Breakfast

Worcester Christmas Fayre 2013

Date of Event 28/11/2013 – 01/12/2013
Cost: FREE
Times:

• Thursday 4pm-9pm
• Friday 11am – 9pm
• Saturday 10am – 8pm
• Sunday 11am – 5pm

Venue: Worcester Town Centre
Website: Worcester Christmas Fayre

Refer a Friend

 

Are you a client of ours?

Would you recommend our services to your clients / suppliers…why not refer a friend?

Receive a free case of wine or a £50 Marks & Spencer’s Voucher…..the choice is yours!

(To qualify for this you must refer a successful lead).

To offer your referrals please contact – admin@isoqsltd.com or call 01905 670 303