WELCOME 2013

Om

Saha naavavathu

(let us all work TOGETHER)

Saha nou Bhunakthu

(Let us enjoy the benefits TOGETHER)

Saha veeryam Karavavahai

(Let us all gain strength TOGETHER)

Tejaswi nava dhitamastu

(Let us all shine forth TOGETHER)

Ma vidvishavahai

(Let us not hate ONE ANOTHER)

Om

Shanthi - Shanthi - Shanthi

Sustainable Development Apporach Taken BY NFCL in INDIA

Environmental issues are commanding considerable attention internationally. Climate change, water availability, pollution and waste generation and disposal are among the leading challenges in this regard. As a major user of raw materials and energy, and a major source of pollutants and waste, industry is an important player. Progress in dealing more systematically with issues has been made on several fronts during the past several decades, with industry taking a more active role in addressing current and emerging issues.

Corporate priority. To recognize the high priority that should be accorded to environmental management & treat as Family/ friends / home.

Integrated management. To support the integration of policies and programmes into all aspects of business with peace and respect.

Process of improvement. To improve environmental performance continuously with talent.

Employee education. To train and sensitizes employees on importance of environmental performance with love.

Prior assessment. To assess environmental impacts prior to commissioning or decommissioning plants.

Products and services. To develop goods and services those are environmentally sound quality.

Customer advice. To advise customers on the safe use, transportation, storage and disposal of goods (and services).

Facilities and operations. To develop, design and operate eco-efficient facilities.

Research. To conduct or support research on the environmental impacts of operations, and the ways to minimise adverse effects.

Precautionary approach. To modify practices to prevent serious environmental degradation.

Contractors and suppliers. To promote adoption of principles by contractors and suppliers.

Emergency preparedness. To develop and maintain plans to address emergencies, where significant  potential hazards exist.

Transfer of technology. To promote transfer of environmentally sound technology and management techniques.

Contributing to the common effort. To support public and private initiatives that will enhance environmental awareness and protection.

Openness to concerns. To promote openness with employees and the public on environmental issues.

Compliance and reporting. To evaluate environmental performance and provide reports to stakeholders and other interested parties.

Nagarjuna Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited, Kakinada has won the prestigious.

KNOWLEDGE DRIVEN WORLD- SIMPLE, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, RELIABLE & TIME BOUND)

Entering into engagement in a spirit of equality, respect and openness will increase the opportunities for mutual benefit.

1. Contribute to economic, social and environmental progress with a view to achieving sustainable development;

2. Respect the human rights

3. Encourage local capacity building BY CSR ATIVITIES – wherever our Industry or offices or CSR offices and MARKET avenues FOR GROWTH through close co-operation with the local community, including business interests, as well as developing the enterprise’s activities in domestic and national markets, consistent with the need for sound commercial practice.

Never think about local politics think about global politics by that way we can Co- ordinate WITH all the states of India AND OTHER COUNTRIES.

 

ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, SAFETY & QUALITY MANAGEMENT FACILITIES AT NFCL, KAKINADA, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA R. RAGHAVAN, K. RAMCAHNDRA RAO, V. APPALA RAJU, *Dr AMAR NATH GIRI

Management Systems At NFCL.pdf 174K   View   Download

10 Rules for Machine Safety

Do your employees understand the fundamental machine safety rules? Here are 10 rules supervisors can present at their next machine safety meeting.

1.   Never remove or try to defeat machine safeguards.
2.   Don't create new hazards, such as allowing objects to fall into the moving parts or by creating a new pinch point.
3.   Report problems with machine safeguards to your supervisor immediately.
4.   Never leave machines unattended with parts still moving. Remember that parts may still be moving after the machine has been turned off.
5.   Remove guards only when the machine has been locked out and tagged out.
6.   If possible, lubricate machine parts without removing the safeguard; otherwise, turn the machine off and lock it out before lubricating.
7.   Operate equipment only when guards are in place and properly adjusted.
8.   Do not use unauthorized or damaged guards.
9.   Do not wear loose clothing, jewelry, or long hair around machines—these increase the risk of being caught in the machinery.
10. Ask your supervisor if you have any questions about a machine safety or how to work with machine guards safely.

Mukherjee to inaugurate Indian Science Congress in Kolkata on Jan 3

New Delhi, Dec 31 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the Centenary Session of the Indian Science Congress at the Salt lake Stadium in Kolkata on January 3.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Governor M. K. Narayanan and Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jaipal Reddy will be present on the occasion.
The Centenary Session of Indian Science Congress is being organised from January 3 to 7 in University of Calcutta, Kolkata.
This is another historical occasion where the presiding Prime Minister of the country is the General President for the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA). Bose Institute and University of Calcutta are co-hosting the events being organized at Kolkata.
The five-day Science Congress will be attended by eminent scientists and academicians from all over the world.
The historical importance of 100th Science Congress is in more than one way. Whereas the themes for all the sessions up the period of 2003 since the first session in 1914 could be grouped under ‘Shaping of the Indian Science’, the focal theme selected for the centenary session is “Science for shaping the future of India”.
The manner in which the new Science, Technology and Innovation policy 2013 could be implemented would form the central theme of the annual session. A road map for investing science into the development process of India is the main topic for discussion.
The centenary session is expected to serve as a platform for creating coalition among all stakeholders of science and society to pave a new path of progress for the country in the emerging global knowledge economy.
Indian Science Congress was first convened in the Asiatic Society in 1914 and Sir Asutosh Mukherjee delivered the first presidential lecture. Since then the Indian Science Congress has emerged as the Parliament of Indian Science. Since the presidential address of Sir Asutosh Mukherjee, 99 annual sessions have been conducted and the year 2012-13 is being observed as the centenary year of the Indian Science Congress.
Indian Science Congress has received wide support of the scientific community and patronage of the political will since the inception. In the year 1946-47, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was elected as the General President and he delivered the historic address calling for friendship of people with science in January 1947.
Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) unanimously resolved to elect Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, as the General President for the centenary year 2012-13.
Under the presidency of Dr. Singh, the year 2012-13 is being observed as the Year of Science.
During the centenary year, yearlong celebration of the Indian Science Congress is being organized nationwide. (ANI)

Pre-Audit Questionnaire & Audit Checklist

PreAuditChecklist.doc 1373K   View   Download

ISO+9001+2008+new+version.ppt 897K   View   Download

BENEFITS OF EXTERNAL AUDIT

Although internal audits contribute to improve production processes and identify possible weak points within methods or procedures, they cannot totally replace audits performed by external auditors. Benefits of external audits are for example, that external auditors provide an objective opinion, as internal auditors are simply employees of the company. Also, firms experience immediate correction or improvement of process deficiency, the external auditors finds. External auditors focus primarily on whether the financials are misleading. The long-term benefits of external audits include assurance for the management board, that accounting processes are effective, as well as increased confidence by investors, regulators etc. So, even if it does not seem necessary to appoint external auditors, the facts mentioned above, speak for themselves and certainly achieve a balance of the cost-benefit factor.

‘Correction’ and ‘Corrective Action’

‘Correction’ and ‘Corrective Action’

There has been confusion among many people about the terms ‘correction’ and ‘corrective action’ as both terms relate to an action that is taken on a nonconforming product.

‘Correction’ is an action to eliminate the detected nonconformity. There may not be any necessity to do root cause analysis. Just eliminate the detected nonconformity, so that product conforms to requirements. Take an example – it is observed that the length of the rods manufactured is 3.001 meter, while the customer desired rods of length 3.000 meter. A further process of cutting the extra made length of rods will make the rods conforming to the requirements. This can be stated as ‘correction.’ As per Clause 8.3 (control of nonconforming product) of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard, the organization may deal with the nonconforming product by taking action to eliminate detected nonconformity.

‘Corrective action’ is an action that is taken to eliminate the cause of detected nonconformity or other undesirable situation. Accordingly, it is an action that is taken to prevent the existing problem from recurring. It requires root cause analysis of the problem. You should ask the question in the instant case – why rods are manufactured 3.001 meter instead of 3.000 meter? When you inquire why, you get an answer. You come to know that the manufacturing process is using a equipment/scale that is not measuring correct length. The equipment/scale requires calibration and verification. This action of calibration and verification when taken can be said to be an action to prevent the existing problem to happen again. This can be stated as ‘corrective action.’ Corrective action is a requirement of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard (Clause 8.5.2).

QUALITY POLICY AND QUALITY OBJECTIVES IN ISO 9001:2008

QUALITY POLICY AND QUALITY OBJECTIVES IN ISO 9001:2008

Conducting internal audit is a vital tool to assess organization’s quality management system. The organization gets information in a planned way by conducting internal audit from a variety of sources. The purpose of conducting internal audit is to find out the answers to following questions:
- Is quality management system of the organization conformed to the planning of product realization carried out in the organization?
- Is the quality management system of the organization conformed to the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard?
- Is the quality management system of the organization conformed to the quality management system requirements established by the organization?
- Is the quality management system of the organization effectively implemented and maintained?

An internal audit is a tool to monitor and determine the health of the quality management system of the organization. For an organization, a properly conducted audit is beneficial and we need to conduct value added internal audit that is useful to the organization, auditee department, management representative and top management.

Clause 8.2.2 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard deals with internal audit requirements. As per requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard, an organization needs to conduct internal audit at planned intervals. An audit process should include the following aspects:
- Planning of internal audit – such as planning of audit schedule, assignment of auditors, auditee area, and scope of audit, status and importance of processes, results of previous audits.
- Examining and reviewing the quality management system documentation of the organization,
- Examining and reviewing other relevant information of the organization, such as production reports, failure trends, customer complaints, customer survey reports etc.
- Examining and reviewing the quality management system procedures and processes by visiting the audit area spot, interviewing relevant personnel and looking to relevant processes.
- Reporting the internal audit results (including corrective action requests from auditors).
- Verifying corrective actions taken.

An organization should have a documented procedure for conducting internal audit that define and narrate the following aspects:
- Audit criteria
- Scope of the audit
- Frequency of audit
- Audit methods
- Responsibilities and requirements for planning and conducting internal audit
- Relevant audit records (including results of audit) to be established and maintained
- Reporting results of the audit.

Chandrakant Agrawal, Manager (Risk and Compliance team), points out the following to add the value of internal audit:
(i) One more item that would be added is usage of checklist as a tool to make sure all aspects are covered. Also focus on documentation and continuous improvement should be there.
(ii) The Corrective action log would be the most valuable source to support the focus on Quality from the team's perspective.
(iii) The team awareness on policies and procedures and the feel of Quality should also be part of the audit process.
(iv) Sharing of Best practices should also be output of audit so that all involved are benefited.


Does ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard mention specific frequency of internal audit? How frequently does an organization need to perform internal audits? Is it fair to conduct internal audit once in two years?
ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard does not mention specific frequency of internal audit. Requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard say conducting internal audit at planned intervals. As such the Standard binds the organization to conduct internal audit at planned intervals. It is up to the organization to decide the frequency of internal audit.

How frequently does an organization need to perform internal audits? It is very relevant question. Internal audits need to be performed to cover all quality management system activities the organization undertake and all the ISO 9001:2008 Standard requirements. In deciding the frequency of internal audits, the organization should consider following factors:
- Complexity of procedures and processes
- Maturity level of the organization’s quality management system
- Nature of business activity
- Problematic aspects and areas as per history
- Organization approach for monitoring and improvement
- Frequency of management review

Jan A. de Ridder, Senior Consultant, QA en Lean professional, says, “Frequency depends on many things. In my opinion it is fair to audit Clause 5.5 every two years, unless there are changes in the organization. Clause 8.3 should be audited more or less continuously. When requirements are not met, frequency should increase. I used to audit the whole system and every area in a 3 year cycle. Some places were visited more often than others. One should wonder how audits can be performed effectively, but also efficiently. I used to discuss frequency with the responsible manager. Is he/she happy with the outcome and the number of audits? After all he is the internal customer of the auditor.”

Richard Sledgister, an Engineer, says, “The frequency of a company’s internal audits should accomplish the following goals: 1) assess standard conformance, 2) drive RCCA (Root Cause Corrective Action) and 3) drive continuous improvement. Audits should measure the overall effectiveness of a QMS (Quality Management System) in a company and or a specific facility within a company. Audits should also focus on specific areas in which the planned method (standard work) is not being executed properly, high warranty costs are being incurred, a high scrap rate exists, processes are not in statistical control and or other performance metrics are not being achieved. These are all signs of poor quality. The audit frequency should be adjusted to focus on areas needing continuous improvement as this is an efficient use of resources. The cost of poor quality will be reduced and profitability will be enhanced.”

Sandeep Sharma, a Quality engineer, says, “I think it must be finished just before the external audit, if we will get the NC's, there will be time to resolve all the issues.”


On considering above points, it is now clear that it will be unfair to conduct internal audit once in two years as the time gap between two internal audits will be too long.

What should be done after getting results of internal audit?
The organization gets information about the areas which need correction and/or improvement from the results of internal audit. The information from internal audit results becomes input for the management review.

Who should perform internal audits?
Internal QMS auditors should perform internal audits. ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard has two relevant important requirements:
- Selection of auditors must ensure objectivity and impartiality of the audit process
- An auditor must not audit his/her own work.

Clause 6.2.1 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard mentions the requirement of competent personnel performing work affecting conformity to product requirements on the basis of appropriate education, training, skills and experience. Accordingly, the personnel conducting internal audit must be competent to audit for which the organization should refer to the relevant guidelines as mentioned in ISO 19011 Standard and take appropriate steps to provide appropriate training to personnel selected as auditors for internal audit.

Suggested Reading: Chapter 12 – Value Added Audit, Implementing ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System – A Reference Guide, Dr. Divya Singhal and K. R. Singhal (Published by PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi – 110001, India)

Courtesy Source References
- ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard
- ISO 9004:2000
- ISO 9001 for small businesses – What to do (Joint publication from International Organization for Standardization and International Trade Centre UNCTAD / WTO)
- ISO 9001:2000 – A workbook for service organizations (Joint publication from International Organization for Standardization and International Trade Centre UNCTAD / WTO)
- ISO 9001 Fitness Checker – A practical, easy to use checklist designed to help SMEs assess their readiness for ISO 9001 certification
- Implementing ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System – A Reference Guide, Dr. Divya Singhal and K. R. Singhal (Publication from PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi)
- Discussion at Linkedin.com Groups

Who should perform internal audits?

Who should perform internal audits?
Internal QMS auditors should perform internal audits. ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard has two relevant important requirements:
- Selection of auditors must ensure objectivity and impartiality of the audit process
- An auditor must not audit his/her own work.

Clause 6.2.1 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard mentions the requirement of competent personnel performing work affecting conformity to product requirements on the basis of appropriate education, training, skills and experience. Accordingly, the personnel conducting internal audit must be competent to audit for which the organization should refer to the relevant guidelines as mentioned in ISO 19011 Standard and take appropriate steps to provide appropriate training to personnel selected as auditors for internal audit.

Suggested Reading: Chapter 12 – Value Added Audit, Implementing ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System – A Reference Guide, Dr. Divya Singhal and K. R. Singhal (Published by PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi – 110001, India)

Courtesy Source References
- ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard
- ISO 9004:2000
- ISO 9001 for small businesses – What to do (Joint publication from International Organization for Standardization and International Trade Centre UNCTAD / WTO)
- ISO 9001:2000 – A workbook for service organizations (Joint publication from International Organization for Standardization and International Trade Centre UNCTAD / WTO)
- ISO 9001 Fitness Checker – A practical, easy to use checklist designed to help SMEs assess their readiness for ISO 9001 certification
- Implementing ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System – A Reference Guide, Dr. Divya Singhal and K. R. Singhal (Publication from PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi)
- Discussion at Linkedin.com Groups

Does ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard mention specific frequency of internal audit?

Does ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard mention specific frequency of internal audit? How frequently does an organization need to perform internal audits? Is it fair to conduct internal audit once in two years?
ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard does not mention specific frequency of internal audit. Requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard say conducting internal audit at planned intervals. As such the Standard binds the organization to conduct internal audit at planned intervals. It is up to the organization to decide the frequency of internal audit.

How frequently does an organization need to perform internal audits? It is very relevant question. Internal audits need to be performed to cover all quality management system activities the organization undertake and all the ISO 9001:2008 Standard requirements. In deciding the frequency of internal audits, the organization should consider following factors:
- Complexity of procedures and processes
- Maturity level of the organization’s quality management system
- Nature of business activity
- Problematic aspects and areas as per history
- Organization approach for monitoring and improvement
- Frequency of management review

Jan A. de Ridder, Senior Consultant, QA en Lean professional, says, “Frequency depends on many things. In my opinion it is fair to audit Clause 5.5 every two years, unless there are changes in the organization. Clause 8.3 should be audited more or less continuously. When requirements are not met, frequency should increase. I used to audit the whole system and every area in a 3 year cycle. Some places were visited more often than others. One should wonder how audits can be performed effectively, but also efficiently. I used to discuss frequency with the responsible manager. Is he/she happy with the outcome and the number of audits? After all he is the internal customer of the auditor.”

Richard Sledgister, an Engineer, says, “The frequency of a company’s internal audits should accomplish the following goals: 1) assess standard conformance, 2) drive RCCA (Root Cause Corrective Action) and 3) drive continuous improvement. Audits should measure the overall effectiveness of a QMS (Quality Management System) in a company and or a specific facility within a company. Audits should also focus on specific areas in which the planned method (standard work) is not being executed properly, high warranty costs are being incurred, a high scrap rate exists, processes are not in statistical control and or other performance metrics are not being achieved. These are all signs of poor quality. The audit frequency should be adjusted to focus on areas needing continuous improvement as this is an efficient use of resources. The cost of poor quality will be reduced and profitability will be enhanced.”

Sandeep Sharma, a Quality engineer, says, “I think it must be finished just before the external audit, if we will get the NC's, there will be time to resolve all the issues.”


On considering above points, it is now clear that it will be unfair to conduct internal audit once in two years as the time gap between two internal audits will be too long.

What should be done after getting results of internal audit?
The organization gets information about the areas which need correction and/or improvement from the results of internal audit. The information from internal audit results becomes input for the

INTERNAL AUDIT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

 INTERNAL AUDIT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

K. R. Singhal

Conducting internal audit is a vital tool to assess organization’s quality management system. The organization gets information in a planned way by conducting internal audit from a variety of sources. The purpose of conducting internal audit is to find out the answers to following questions:
- Is quality management system of the organization conformed to the planning of product realization carried out in the organization?
- Is the quality management system of the organization conformed to the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard?
- Is the quality management system of the organization conformed to the quality management system requirements established by the organization?
- Is the quality management system of the organization effectively implemented and maintained?

An internal audit is a tool to monitor and determine the health of the quality management system of the organization. For an organization, a properly conducted audit is beneficial and we need to conduct value added internal audit that is useful to the organization, auditee department, management representative and top management.

Clause 8.2.2 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard deals with internal audit requirements. As per requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard, an organization needs to conduct internal audit at planned intervals. An audit process should include the following aspects:
- Planning of internal audit – such as planning of audit schedule, assignment of auditors, auditee area, and scope of audit, status and importance of processes, results of previous audits.
- Examining and reviewing the quality management system documentation of the organization,
- Examining and reviewing other relevant information of the organization, such as production reports, failure trends, customer complaints, customer survey reports etc.
- Examining and reviewing the quality management system procedures and processes by visiting the audit area spot, interviewing relevant personnel and looking to relevant processes.
- Reporting the internal audit results (including corrective action requests from auditors).
- Verifying corrective actions taken.

An organization should have a documented procedure for conducting internal audit that define and narrate the following aspects:
- Audit criteria
- Scope of the audit
- Frequency of audit
- Audit methods
- Responsibilities and requirements for planning and conducting internal audit
- Relevant audit records (including results of audit) to be established and maintained
- Reporting results of the audit.


Chandrakant Agrawal, Manager (Risk and Compliance team), points out the following to add the value of internal audit:
(i) One more item that would be added is usage of checklist as a tool to make sure all aspects are covered. Also focus on documentation and continuous improvement should be there.
(ii) The Corrective action log would be the most valuable source to support the focus on Quality from the team's perspective.
(iii) The team awareness on policies and procedures and the feel of Quality should also be part of the audit process.
(iv) Sharing of Best practices should also be output of audit so that all involved are benefited.