Integration of Management Systems: The Views of Contractors

Abstract As most international contractors are implementing the international standards of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 in their organizations, they have realized many challenges and difficulties during implementation. An integrated management system (IMS) in combining ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 provides a possible solution in effectively and efficiently managing these international requirements. Supported by a structured questionnaire survey, this paper examines the implementation of IMS in the China construction industry. The results revealed that the majority of the firms supported the integration of the quality (ISO 9001), environmental (ISO 14001) and occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001) management systems. In implementing IMS, the internal barriers include: (1) human resources; (2) organizational structure; (3) company culture; and (4) understanding and perception; and the external barriers include: (1) technical guidance; (2) certifying bodies; (3) stakeholders and customers; and (4) the institutional environment. The research also suggests and recommends some approaches to complete the integration.

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