60 Seconds with Sam Johnson

We catch up with NQA assessor Sam Johnson, on her travels around the country, being stuck up the tallest free standing building in Europe and being asked for her autograph at the Antiques Roadshow!

What standards do you AUDIT?

ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, (& 2015 revised standards for both), BS OHSAS 18001:2007, Competence Management System (CMS), BS 8555 (EMS), ISO 50001:2011

Most memorable auditing moment:

I have had many memorable audits since I commenced work at NQA, some not always for the right reasons! Being an Assessor at NQA and also Field Operations Manager witnessing other Assessors audits, I have experienced many enjoyable visits. We get to go in/around/to places that not many people can - holding such a privileged role.

Two most memorable moments were travelling up a tracked lift to the top of the then highest free standing structure in Europe (taking 8 minutes – the longest 8 minutes of my life) to observe an Engineer repairing a fault on the ticker tape display on a local digital radio station. The tape was not rolling across the screen as it normally does – it had stuck on “Playing Cheryl Cole – Parachutes”; How Ironic!

The second one was auditing an outside broadcast of Antiques Roadshow and being asked for my autograph! I said that it was a privileged role I had.

Greatest client benefit gained from ISO certification:

Management systems provide a solid framework from which the client can build their business and continually improve their own systems and processes. Holding certification allows for an external pair of eyes to verify the company management system, processes, objectives and to suggest improvement to maximise efficiencies within the organisation.

Top tip for getting the most from your management system:

Your management system should be at the heart of your business. To gain efficiencies from this and ultimately to add value to your business; a thorough, honest, open management review and audit should be conducted, strong commitment from all in the organisation should be demonstrated, and robust evaluation of legal compliance (EMS/OHS) carried out. This will undoubtedly maximise the value of the system and business you have, providing clear direction alongside minimising any risks posed to the business.

Most common non-conformance

Lack of detail recorded within both the planning and checking mechanisms of your system. This could relate to Internal Audit, Evaluation of compliance, Management review, Risk Assessments and Environmental Aspects. This could pose a risk to the business and prevents value added management systems for our clients.