Northwards Ltd Case Study
Who are Northwards?
Founded in 2002, they are a widely recognised and hugely popular haulage and freight shipping company rooted in the islands. They boast local knowledge, vast experience and an exceptional understanding of the challenges faced delivering to and from remote rural areas. Their modern fleet and team of industry experts are driven to consistently deliver the best transport service for their customers.
Integrated standards for ultimate results
Northwards, previously certified within a group certification until December 2022, made the bold decision – through a process of management reviews - to individually implement and obtain ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety) into their organisation to ensure their management system met their individual needs and requirements. They successfully completed this goal with an efficient integrated system in less than a year, fostering a strong QHSE culture across their six depots and with their employees. They achieved their individual certification in December 2023.
QHSE Co-Ordinator, Nicole Brown, was appointed for Northwards Ltd in October 2022. Within the year, Nicole successfully completed IOSH Managing Safely, Internal Auditor training and NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety to expand her knowledge and understanding in aid of ensuring Northwards were prepared for their NQA audits.
Nicole explained,
“We had used NQA in the past as part of our larger organisational structure so decided to stick with them because of their excellent customer service and their quality of the auditing service.”
In preparing for the audit, Northwards decided to take their QHSE framework ‘back to basics’ - which allowed them to proactively focus on the areas that make the most difference and allowed them to become more effective when it came to QHSE matters. Part of the framework involved appointing a ‘QHSE Focal Point’ at each of their depots to ensure there was always a responsible person on site ensuring compliance on a day-to-day basis.
Integrating three management systems can be a highly efficient and effective project that promotes time, money, and resource savings. Northwards used their system to align the company with their overarching objectives and encourage a common goal internally. They wanted all systems to work together to boost productivity and enhance the quality of their day-to-day operations, increasing harmony across departments.
Demonstrating a commitment to continual improvement
“These certifications, previously held with our parent company, Sea Cargo, have now been awarded to us in our own right, reinforcing and demonstrating our commitment to quality, health, safety, and the environment - ensuring consistency in the quality of our services, our impact on the environment, and the health and safety of our employees and all those who interact with us in the execution of our work.”
Katryn Gordon, Director Operations & Administration praised the hard work of the team in not only successfully achieving these certifications but also embedding the H&S culture within Northwards.
Katryn explained,
“At Northwards we believe it is important we embrace our certification, use the IMS as an embedded part of the fabric of our company, using our certified procedures and system to properly run and sell our services. We will continue to follow the systems, enhance, and adapt our system where applicable so we can do things better and together deliver a first-class service to the market.”
Working towards a unified future
In order to improve moving forward, Northwards are planning for relevant team members to undertake ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor Training to keep up to date with the clauses and processes of the standard and to promote an efficient and continually improving culture. They are also planning to continue with the effective QHSE training materials currently in place
Their main aim is to continue providing consistency in the quality of their services, their impact on the environment, and the health and safety of their employees and all those who come into contact with them.
Final thoughts from NQA
NQA congratulates Northwards for their amazing achievements and dedication. They are an impressive example of how a company can utilise integrated standards to improve and benefit their operations. We look forward to seeing what they achieve next!
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