According to QHSE manager Sampo Arppola, certificates based on ISO standards guide HUB logistics’ daily work, for example through work instructions or personnel meetings. They result in everyday choices that ensure that sustainability is not just words but actions.
All activities of HUB logistics are determined by the environmental system ISO 14001 and the quality system ISO9001.
– We applied for the first certificates more than ten years ago, in 2011. We received both quality and environmental certificates at the same time, HUB logistics’ QHSE manager Sampo Arppola says.
According to him, the certificates create a basis for the company’s sustainability and high-quality and systematic operations. They also inform customers and stakeholders about a responsible approach to, for example, environmental issues.
– The certificates serve as a good basis for the company’s environmental responsibility. They promote the same themes as environmentally responsible operations, but it requires its own responsibility program to support it, Arppola reminds.
Certificates guide activities in daily work, for example through work instructions or in the form of personnel meetings. In addition, there are different reporting practices that are part of the content of the certificate. Daily work includes, for example, recording deviations in production, development ideas, complaints and their handling.
QHSE manager Sampo Arppola’s work is strongly related to different aspects of responsibility and he takes care of the maintenance of certificates. The title is an abbreviation of the words Quality, Health, Safety and Environment, i.e. quality, occupational health and safety and the environment.
– The work is a collaboration with the company’s different locations, management, customers and authorities. My tasks include, for example, maintaining quality and environmental certificates, various audits, permit matters, organizing occupational safety and health activities, occupational safety reporting and risk assessment in e.g. environmental and safety matters.
Maintaining certificates requires commitment
Certificates are issued by certification companies that monitor the implementation of ISO standards, for example Bureau Veritas, which audits HUB logistics.
In the past, certificates were a competitive advantage for the company, which raised positions over others. Today, according to Arppola, they are even a customer requirement.
– In order for us to get customers, the requirement is usually a guarantee of high-quality and environmentally responsible operations.
According to Sampo Arppola, achieving the certificates depends a lot on the current state of the company. If you start applying for certificates from scratch, it requires a lot of resources, financial investment and potentially significant changes to the company’s operating methods.
– If we apply for an additional certificate for occupational safety, for example, it will be possible with a reasonable amount of work, because we are already doing a lot for occupational safety issues. The quality and environmental management systems have created tried and tested operating methods for HUB, which are also used in the field of occupational safety, says Arppola.
Maintaining the certificates requires a strong commitment from the company to operating models and people to maintain the systems. HUB has annual external audits conducted by the certificate issuer. In addition to that, internal audits are carried out, in which the requirements for the offices are reviewed.
– The most important issues at the center of the certificate are continuous improvement, identification of risk opportunities and generally goal-oriented activities. Within their framework, we make sure that the binding obligations are fulfilled and we set annual goals for continuous improvement, says Arppola.
Personnel are kept up-to-date on the standards and the lines of HUB’s quality and environmental policy during work orientation, for example when reviewing work instructions and other operating methods.
Read more about HUB logistics as a company
