Having obtained ISO certification separately for Quality Management and Environment Management System, the over 80-year-old Golden Rock Railway Workshop here has set its eye on acquiring Integrated Management System (IMS) certification.
Preliminary audit by an independent certifying agency has been done in the areas of quality management, environmental management and occupational health and safety management systems at the workshop, which is engaged in a slew of activities, including periodic overhaul of diesel locomotives, manufacture of various types of wagons, and steam locomotives.
The secondary audit by the certifying agency is expected to be done next month at the workshop which has exported over 100 in-service metre gauge diesel engines to various developing countries after carrying out necessary modifications in them.
The workshop had the distinction of becoming the first railway workshop to obtain ISO 9001 certification in Quality Management System, and also the first repair workshop to achieve ISO 14001 certification in Environment Management System. It had bagged the Green Shield Award instituted by the Southern Railway headquarters for the third time in a row in 2010-11 for its environment protection and energy conservation measures.
Workshop authorities say IMS certification will encompass ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management; ISO 14001:2004 for Environment Management System; and Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSAS) 18001: 2007. All three systems — quality, environment management and health — would be integrated, the authorities say exuding hope that the IMS certification would come through before August.
In the current business scenario, IMS certification will enable the workshop in not only enhancing its image of having a good quality, environment management systems and best safety and health practices in place but also in sending across a clear message to its clients that the organisation complies to best standards and practices. The authorities say IMS certification would help the workshop in bagging more orders in future.
Eco-friendly measures
An official said that a series of measures had been taken to protect environment in and around the workshop, besides initiating steps to control air, water and noise pollution. Four effluent treatment plants had been set up inside the workshop to treat effluents. Ground level reservoirs for each treatment plant had been established to recycle treated water for component cleaning and gardening.
Energy conservation efforts had resulted in energy saving of 4.5 per cent in 2010-11, the official said adding that a pilot vermi-compost plant had been established inside the workshop to convert dry leaves and waste paper as vermi-compost. The bio-manure was being utilised for plants and for mass sapling plantation.
