Integrating Records Control
As we continue to review specific element integration, Control of Records is a wise choice for further integration consideration. Although the records will often refer only to one standard (pH of wastewater, incoming inspection quality, recordable accidents), the way we choose to control these records may be the same.
The standards state:
The organization shall establish and maintain records as necessary to demonstrate conformity to the requirements of its [standard] management system and of this International Standard, and the results achieved.
The organization shall establish, implement and maintain a procedure(s) for the identification, storage, protection, retrieval, retention and disposal of records. Records shall be and remain legible, identifiable and traceable.
ISO 9001 also requires that this be documented (one of the six documented procedures)
Where do we spend our time? On that list of requirements embedded into the standard:
- Identification
- Storage
- Protection
- Retrieval
- Retention, and
- Disposal
Why do we focus our integration efforts here? Because we want to make a procedure that is flexible enough to handle lab records, incoming inspection records, and legal/regulatory records; without being so bureaucratic that it bogs down the work itself. Our records need to be kept, in order to demonstrate conformance to requirements and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; our focus is on making this process as comprehensive, yet streamlined, as we can.
How you choose to handle the bulleted list above, and the integration, is dependent on corporate culture to a large extent. Some organizations I work with are entirely electronic – nothing resides in paper. Other groups have paper records, job travelers, shipping documents, etc. that are still filed/stored in cabinets, files, or in desk drawers. Neither one is better than the other, since this method and system works for this particular organization. So start by looking at what documents are created; determine the answer to the bulleted list for each one, and go from there. The trick for this element is not so much the documentation of the process as defining a process with sufficient rigor yet flexibility. Feel free to contact us at info@mcdcg.com if you’d like to dive into this topic a bit more!
