Ausenco helps organizations implement and maintain certifications and compliance requirements. Here’s why we advocate for a proactive approach to enhancing management systems.
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, your stakeholders need to be sure you have effective company management systems around quality, environmental management and safety practices. They want assurance that you are compliant with local, national and international regulations and that the right systems, processes and capabilities are in place to manage risks and operate an efficient business.
They do that by requiring your operation follow the requirements of certain ISO standards such as ISO 9001 for quality, ISO 14001 for environmental management, ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety, and IWA 48 for ESG. They may also want you to achieve external certification to these standards and to conform with appropriate regulatory requirements or professional association guidelines. At any time, third parties may ask for evidence of compliance, checking that your certification is valid and up-to-date, or request evidence that you are progressing on the journey to certification.
Are you ready?
For many industry leaders, this is when uncertainty begins to arise. It’s not that you overlooked lender requirements, compliance obligations or milestones on the path to achieving external certification. However, you may not be as close to the process as you would like to be. Perhaps, you haven’t conducted a recent health check to assess potential gaps, especially considering operational or regulatory changes that may affect your arrangements. You may also have concerns about your compliance controls or the documentation you rely on to demonstrate progress. Now you find yourself needing assistance immediately.
This is not an ideal situation. Reactive responses typically lead to higher costs, increased risk and added complexity. They often result in knee-jerk reactions rather than strategic responses. Worse, they can quickly undermine lender, regulator, or other stakeholder confidence if they aren’t addressed quickly, professionally and to a high quality.
The better way would be to take a proactive approach to refining and improving your management systems. This proactive approach allows you to conduct gap analysis assessments and system health checks to identify areas that may need remediation or further enhancement. It enables you to identify, prioritize and sequence your operations to mitigate the greatest risks first. It also allows you to design and execute a change management program to ensure standards are being adopted, maintained, and continually improved upon.
A proactive approach
At Ausenco, our team works with various clients in different industries, including mining and infrastructure, to implement and maintain ISO standards, regulatory requirements, and work towards achieving certifications. Some of our work occurs in reactive scenarios where clients are under pressure and looking for quick fixes. However, we also work with clients to execute a more proactive approach to providing assurance on their management systems. Sometimes little and often is an effective approach.
In some cases, we’re working with mine owners throughout the mine lifecycle–from design to closure–to help ensure they achieve and maintain their broad range of compliance requirements and external certifications. In other cases, we’re helping organizations assess and address their management system gaps against a new regulation or requirement.
For example, we recently worked with a mine owner based in British Columbia to assess the compliance of their E2 plan (a requirement from Environment and Climate Change Canada for organizations that manage certain hazardous substances). We conducted a scoping exercise to understand the specific site, risks, quantity thresholds, emergency scenarios and impacts on local receptors and then we did a gap analysis against regulatory requirements. Knowing the gaps and using Ausenco’s deep understanding of mines and management systems, we provided the client with a prioritized list of action items to help them solidify their E2 plan for Ministerial submission.
In another case, we helped a large, public infrastructure service provider conduct an environmental compliance audit of their facilities and operations. The client needed to assess their systems against multiple regulatory requirements at one time. So, we created a single, tailored assessment, providing them with a more efficient process and a more insightful and detailed evaluation. We went beyond the audit process to provide the client with a prioritized list of actions, ideas and tools to help them remediate their gaps.
We can help
At Ausenco, we believe that a proactive approach to enhancing management systems can deliver massive benefits to clients, investors and other interested parties. Better management systems mean better managed risks, which in turn lead to reduced costs, better safety for employees and communities, more efficient operations for owners, and higher returns for investors.
Robust and reliable management systems are also key strategic tools. Decision-makers rely on their management systems to make critical business decisions, create trustworthy data and conduct strategic planning. An efficient and effective management system helps leaders make decisions with more confidence.
Our team of assurance professionals comprises IRCA-certified lead auditors, process improvement professionals and management system specialists with extensive experience across a wide range of ISO standards (including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and IWA 48) and regulatory requirements. Together with Ausenco’s multidiscipline capabilities, we help clients turn audit findings into measurable improvements.
Contact us to learn more about our assurance services and how we can help you take a proactive approach to improving your management systems.