Integration of quality, environmental and health and safety management systems: an examination of the key issues

This paper reports the main findings of a study of five manufacturing companies in relation to their attitudes to the integration of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems. It was found that less interest is shown in occupational health and safety management systems, ISO 14001 is preferred to EMAS and those organizations that have embraced the principles and mechanisms of total quality management are more likely to pursue integration than those that have not. Integration of management systems is also seen more readily by those organizations that have operations involving high hazards. It is also pointed out that system integration can be achieved in a number of ways and at different levels which are explored in the paper.