Pine Bluff Arsenal's Quality Management System, ISO 9001 has been re-certified for a three-year period by Orion Registrar, Inc., following an audit that was conducted in mid-June. Orion also reported no finding for surveillance audits that were conducted on the Environmental Management System (ISO 14001) and Safety Management System OHSAS 18001).
According to Nancy Owen, Arsenal quality management systems representative, the Orion auditors discussed a variety of improvements with management including internal audits, corrective actions, and preventative actions, both procedures and manual updates for the purpose to better describe the current practice.
A Best in Class practice was witnessed by the auditors during their observations at the Instrument Shop in the Directorate of Public Works. The shop's process of using a cross-reference numbering system on items required for the Material Safety Data Sheet posting were easily identifiable and traceable, according to the auditor's executive summary.
"I am extremely proud of our workforce and it is the workforce that deserves the recognition for this great accomplishment," said Col. David Musgrave, Arsenal commander. "The Arsenal's recertification by the Registrar is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our workforce."
Some additional strengths noted by the auditors included the implementation of a performance based evaluation by contracting for Procurement Administration Lead Time (PALT), and monitoring the status of all purchase requests through the Virtual Contracting Enterprise (VCE) database.
They also noted the initiation by the Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation of a number of free activities for employees and family members to help cope with fiscal uncertainty and furlough. Upcoming activities being scheduled include a luau by the pool, movies on the golf course and family Bingo. The auditors gave good follow-up on the previous audit conducted at the Directorate of Law Enforcement and Security.
"Every member of the PBA team fully embraces our philosophy of "Right Today, Better Tomorrow," Musgrave added. "Right today simply means complying with regulations, polices, SOPs and other requirements, while Better Tomorrow means that every day we will strive to make improvements to our processes."
Re-certifications of the installation's ISO 14001 were conducted in mid-January, with surveillance audits of ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001.
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