INTEGRATED HSEQ MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS

The integration of health and safety, environmental and quality (HSEQ) management systems has become a current topic in the 21st century, as the need for systems thinking has grown along with the number of management system standards. This study aims to map current developments and trends in integra...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Osmo Kauppila, Janne Härkönen, Seppo Väyrynen
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Center for Quality, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Serbia 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/f518d79a54e844fd91605d51bc7d1bf8
Description
Summary:The integration of health and safety, environmental and quality (HSEQ) management systems has become a current topic in the 21st century, as the need for systems thinking has grown along with the number of management system standards. This study aims to map current developments and trends in integrated HSEQ management. Three viewpoints are taken: the current state of the main HSEQ management standards, research literature on integrated management systems (IMS), and a case study of an industry-led HSEQ cluster in Northern Finland. The results demonstrate that some of the most prominent current trends are the harmonization of the high level structure of management systems by ISO, the evaluation of IMS, accounting for the supply chain in HSEQ issues, and sustainability and risk management. The results of the study can be used by practitioners to get a view of the current state of HSEQ management systems and their integration, and by researchers to seek out potential directions for HSEQ and IMS related research.