Implementing integrated management systems in chemical firms

The main objective of this research is to study how management system standards can be integrated into a single system in organisations from the chemical industry. Data for this study include a survey carried out in 76 organisations, registered with, at a minimum, both the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards for quality and environmental management, 17 of which were from the chemical industry. Additionally, six case studies are illustrated, revealing the process of integration of three chemical and three non-chemical organisations. The first conclusion to be drawn from this study is that organisations seem to prefer integration over keeping their management systems (MSs) separated, with these MSs evolving towards a state of complete integration. Although there are no significant differences between chemical and non-chemical firms regarding the benefits and difficulties of integration, the interviews and survey answers illustrated a number of benefits experienced by the companies from operating one integrated system, such as synergism promotion and cost savings for the firm, as well as a reduction of the time spent when managing the systems. However, some difficulties, such as the lack of human resources and the lack of employees' motivation, also arose during the integration process.