Importance of Electronics Recycling

E-waste management has become a pressing concern of the modern times. Companies all around the world dispose a huge quantity of electronics every year. We, as individuals, contribute to that pile of e-waste, by throwing away everything broken or old. It is the duty of companies and specialized recycling companies to handle those materials. Being certified for e-waste management is a necessary achievement for any company.

The first reason for which anyone should recycle their old electronics is pretty obvious: resources. Modern devices contain all sorts of materials which should be recycled. Keep in mind that those resources do not regenerate. Furthermore, some devices contain a small quantity of precious materials, like gold. If you add up all the devices thrown away, you end up with a pretty massive chunk of gold. And there are many other rare and expensive elements which could easily be recycled and re-used in industrial processes.

Environmental safety is another big concern. Electronic devices are filed with toxic substances which would poison de soil, air and water-table, should they come in contact. There are many organizations which advocate for environmental safety. Not properly disposing e-waste is punishable by law and every company should now that their disposal activities are closely monitored by authorities and organizations.

Toxic waste will also affect the nearby persons. Releasing toxic substances in the air can cause all sort of lung diseases or other breathing problems. And when authorities will start looking for the ones responsible, the consequences for the company causing the pollution will be pretty dire. In some cases, the entire production and activity will be closed by authorities.

Data security is also guaranteed by proper destruction and e-waste management. We live in a world where cyber-attacks, cyber-terrorism and industrial espionage are at their peaks. There are many bad-intended individuals who would want to grab some of your company's old HDD drives or to infiltrate in your company's database via old and not sufficiently secured devices. This is why when a company decides to renew its electronic equipment it should properly destroy the old one.

Recycling e-waste is the best solution, but only if it is done by certified companies. The E-Steward represents the global partnership program for companies who responsibly recycle e-waste. Certified members have dedicated facilities where they extract precious components and destroy the remaining materials, which in turn, will be recycled and re-entered in the production cycle. Check our services!

If you are looking for competent r2 certified recyclers or you want to find out how to become E-steward certified, head to GlenView Group.

How Is A Business Affected By The Environment?

Although living in a high-tech world, nobody affords neglecting the environmental impact over a business. From industrialized research sites to water parks and open-air theaters, all these business must be aware of the natural factors that may temper with their activity. Understanding the risk and managing the activities accordingly is something every company should do. Adhering to ISO 14001 EMS will assure that the company is ready to reduce the negative impact natural factors have and will be able to maximize production, labor cycles and will have a greater return of investment. But first, let's find out how nature influences a business.

Natural hazards pose a serious threat to any business. Placing office buildings or industrial installations in areas frequently affected by tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, flood or other similar events will be a big mistake. Not only will the workers be exposed to life-threatening situations, but also, the cost of insuring the assets will be high. This is why the first thing when planning a new business location will be to make sure that the location is safe and not affected by frequent extreme phenomena.

Sometimes the businesses are the ones causing the environmental problems, which in return, provide negative effects. We are talking about the waste created by plants and other industrial buildings. There are many laws which prohibit dumping byproducts in open air. Not respecting the laws will lead to not only legal consequences, but also will create unpleasant work conditions. Working near leaked toxic disposal or smelly substances will certainly modify any worker's behavior. The overall result will be reduced productivity and a greater risk of being sued, by either authorities or workers.

When a business depends on the natural resources of an area, things get a bit complicated. It first depends on the used resource, mainly if it can be regenerated or not. It is totally different to work with gold, silver or coal, which will be depleted, eventually and there is a total different story to work with trees or fish, like salmon, which can be regenerated (if there is a proper seed or breed management).

Another aspect, which is usually neglected, is wildlife. The specific fauna of an area can have a great unexpected impact over a business. For example, rodents can chew all sorts of cables and created really dangerous situations. And wild predators can even pose serious threats to a company's workers. This is why nature must not be neglected when overseeing business operations.

If you want to implement an ISO14001 certified environmental management system, give us a call. Contact our experts GlenView Group!

Quality Management Systems in the Aviation Industry

"Ad Astra Per Aspera" is a very well know logo, representing the human desire to reach the sky. From Da Vinci's sketches to today's passenger planes and space stations, the humanity has reached a hard and complicated road. Now you can board a passenger plan and reach wherever you want. This would not be possible without the strict safety regulations of the aviation industry. In order to make sure that all safety measures during manufacturing and delivery process are met, an ISO standard has been developed and its implementation and certification is required in the aerospace industry. Find out more about AS9100C certification and its benefits.

AS9100 standard highlights the requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations. The standard includes all of the elements of ISO 9001, as well as additional requirements specific to the aerospace industry. The recent C and D revisions stress out the importance of effectiveness during manufacturing processes. All processes must be well documented and a high quality product must be delivered within the timeframe expected by the customer. During audits, these documents will be shown to auditors. AS 9100 Rev C standards require the marking and coding of items in order to meet compliance standards. All manufacturers that provide products for the U.S. Departments of Aviation, Space, or Defense must be AS 9100 certified.

Implementing this QMS ensures that the company is focused towards quality goals, while not sacrificing productivity rate and process effectiveness. In fact the whole purpose of this QMS is to insure a productivity increase, a better connection with the supply chain.

Counterfeit parts prevention was stressed out in the latest revision, by implementing new clauses. New clauses regarding tracking were also added. Since AS9001 Rev C, the products supplied to the aviation industry should follow procedures similar to UID marking and coding procedures with. The manufacture must have automated data capture capabilities for all phases of production from distribution to maintenance. This makes sure that whenever an audit or technical inspection is undergoing, all documents will be analyzed in order to detect process flow deficiencies and repair them.

Aeronautic and defense industries leave no room for mistakes. Any mistake on the ensemble line will significant delays, which translate in many millions of dollars lost during the whole manufacturing and distribution process. AS9100 standard emphasizes the risks and the need for safety management, including behavioral training of the workers (to respect all safety requirements). Check our services!

If your company is seeking to achieve AS9100C certification, we can help you achieve it. Head to GlenView Group for more details.

Major Benefits of E-Steward Certification

Electronics and electronic components contain a high number of toxic materials. The most common toxic components are lead, mercury, beryllium, cadmium, BPA and flame retardants. Living in a society that becomes more and more dependable of technology poses the serious concern of recycling IT assets in a safe and efficient manner. Electronic recycling companies have to invest and improve their techniques in order to keep the pace with the increasing amount of electronic waste. Achieving e-steward certification is recommended to companies and institution working in this field of expertise. Find out the major benefits of being certified:

• Recognition. By becoming e-steward certified recycler, you will join an elite group of companies and organizations which pledged environmental-friendly recycling methods. The biggest companies in IT and electronic recycles usually have this certification. E-stewards have the endorsement of the biggest environmental groups like Greenpeace, Natural Resource Defense Council and so on.
• Improves customer and governmental approval. Anyone, from customers, stakeholder, local authorities to governments may have serious questions and concerns regarding how a company disposes old or broken electronic equipment. Being certified will remove any suspicion and will please many of the eco-friendly clients and business partners. 
• Solid guarantee for secured data protection. Being e-steward certified guarantees that the company will provide the best data destruction and hardware recycling techniques. This means that whenever you call a certified e-recycler, there are no risks of having data leaks through the hardware you just handed. Cyber-security and industrial spying are two major issues for any company. 
• Ensures that the recyclers use ethical recycling methods. This means that the certified recyclers do not use child labor for recycling and the recycling centers do not pose environmental hazard. Again, child exploitation and using 3rd world countries as dump holes are sensitive topics which must be avoided by any recycler. 
• Ensures that the company uses a transparent recycling cycle. The supply chain for every certified member is visible and easy to track by the public. In this way, clients are well-informed about the procedures, recycling time, recycling locations and other relevant information. Needless to say, a very picky company will look carefully at this type of data before making any decision and selecting their IT disposal team. 
• Access to a global market. Being certified ensures international recognition and makes it easier to access partners and promote the business. Having access to e-steward marketing tools will increase the presence and the possibility of finding new clients. Contact our experts!

If you want to know more about e-steward certification head to ISO Consulting, ISO Certification, ISO Training | GlenView Group.

Advantages of Being OHSAS 18001 Certified

OHSAS 18001 is an occupational health and safety management systems implemented worldwide. It comprises the policies, plans and practices of any company for handling occupational health and safety matters. The system is adaptable to any company's needs and requirements, considering that each company has unique occupation health and safety hazards. Being certified proves that the company meets all legal requirements and has a safe environment to do business. And there are many other advantages of being OHSAS 18001 certified.

• Creating a work environment with low risk of accidents and/or professional diseases. Companies who adopt this standard strive for zero work related accidents and professional diseases. The standard provides a framework for identifying occupational health and safety hazards and minimizing the associated risks. OHSAS 18001 provides the tools for identifying the dangers and improve employee risk awareness.
• Implementing the standard will greatly reduce accident rates. Furthermore, it will improve accident reporting and post-accident processes, including monitoring, accident investigation and damage control. These translate into a significant decrease of accident and insurance costs. 
• Demonstrates that the company is committed to have an effective health and safety policy. The company shows that health and safety are a priority for the top management team and it has the right means for protecting all employees. 
• Improves reputation and investor satisfaction. Having safety policies compliant to this standard improves corporate image and credibility among clients, potential business partners, regulators and the general public. A major accident caused by inadequate safety practices can be disastrous for the company. 
• Allows the company to gain a major advantage on the market. Ensuring legislative awareness and compliance proves that the company has efficient safety management practices, which is highly appreciated on the market. 
• By displaying results of audits, inspections, risk assessments, the company will be regarded as a very transparent one, again, gaining good reputation amongst all business partners and potential clients. 
• Better work results from company's employees. Providing a safe working environment will increase productivity and efficiency. Workers who know that they are protected against will perform better. 
• Implementing OHSAS 18001 is an efficient way to tackle absenteeism. Absenteeism is a major problem for any company. When it is caused by improper conditions which lead to occupational health problems, urgent measures must be taken. Improving work environments will lead to higher employee morale and greater involvement and commitment. Overall, the absenteeism problem will be reduced and easier to manage and the productivity of the company will increase.

Find out more about the benefits of OHSAS certification and training. Check our services!

The Importance of ISO 13485 Standard

Being ISO 13485 certified helps consolidating business and employees' trust, an essential requirement in the medical device manufacturing industry. ISO 13485 has become the worldwide accepted standard in medical manufacturing industry and certifies the conformity to regulatory requirements. Organizations in the industry are expected to provide proof for quality management system implementation throughout the entire production cycle. This is why getting ISO 13485 certified is so important.

ISO 13485 certification guarantees the conformity to international standards throughout all phases of medical devices' life cycle: design, manufacturing, installing, technical assistance and sales. This QMS standard also covers other post production aspects like storage, distribution, provision of associated services. Furthermore, disposal and decommission of used/damaged medical devices is regulated by this ISO.

This standard is based on the ISO 9001 QMS standard, adapted for the medical device manufacturing environment. Being certified for both standards ensures competitiveness, transparency, effectiveness and will only bring more trust to potential business partners.

For manufactures, the certification means expanded market access. Being able to work with a worldwide network of potential customers and business partners is one of the top reasons why any company should require certification. National and international regulatory authorities prefer manufactures with a third-party audited and certified quality management system in. Investing in such a system speeds access into those countries that require it. Expanding production or sales operation to a new country with this QMS is difficult and in some cases, impossible.

Investing into implementation and recognition of ISO 13485 has the potential of saving a lot of money. First of all, by providing proofs for meeting high quality standards, finding potential customers takes significantly less time. All major companies which buy medical equipment require credibility and commitment to qualify for all business partners.

Although this standard does not emphasize the need for continual improvement, pointing strictly to meeting the quality requirements and achieving customer satisfaction, implementing it the company will get process control which will allow it further development and improvement. Contact our experts!

The latest version of this ISO highlights more the need for effective risk management and risk-decision management. Risk management of any medical device must be fully documented and applied during the entire life-cycle of any product. Proving that the risk was fully understood and documented will help companies get not only ISO 13485, but also ISO 14971, which is the ISO standard for the application of risk management to medical devices.

If you need further understanding and counseling for ISO 13485 standard our experts will be more than happy to help! Head to ISO Consulting, ISO Certification, ISO Training | GlenView Group for more details.

The Meaning Of Quality In Health Care

The process of receiving health care services at the correct time in the appropriate way and to get the best possible outcome is defined as quality health care.

Six attributes of health care quality

• Safety - Care should not harm any patient. 
• Patient centered - Individual needs should be taken care of when providing care. 
• Timely - Care should be provided exactly on time. 
• Effective - Care must be based on evidence. 
• Efficient - Wastage of time should be reduced. 
• Equitable - Equal care should be provided to every patient.

What is quality health care?

The meaning of quality health care is not the same for all people. According to some patients, quality care is to consult a doctor, to get proper treatment from the staffs of a hospital and to have a physician who can spend much time with the patient. But all these things are secondary. Clinical quality of care is the most important thing because more lives can be saved by providing evidence-based and high quality care.

Does quality equal safety?

Yes, quality equals safety. The quality of care is to be improved by the health care providers because it can save more lives of the patients.

How is health care quality measured?

Outcome indicators and process indicators are the two ways of measuring quality of care. Timelines and baseline practices are measured by process indicators. Complication rates, mortality rates and infection rates are measured by outcome indicators.

These indicators can be looked at by the consumer to compare the hospitals. National accreditations, recognitions and state of the hospital should also be looked at by you to measure quality.

What are quality measures and quality indicators?

The process of converting the medical information of a patient into percentage or rate to analyze the quality of care provided by the hospitals to their patients is called a quality measure. You will be given information by quality measures about how the patients are provided care by the hospital. This quality information can be used by you to compare the quality care of different hospitals.

What role do nurses and doctors play?

A very important role is played by the doctors and nurses. Quality care should be provided by all the nurses and physicians, clinically and satisfactorily. All the staffs in a hospital such as the receptionist, scrub nurse, hospital administrator, physician and the X-ray technician are responsible in providing quality care to all the patients.

Remember all these features when you will go to get quality health care from any hospital.

Need iso 13485 consulting? Head to ISO Consulting, ISO Certification, ISO Training | GlenView Group for more details.