THOOTHUKUDI: Thoothukudi VOC Port has become the first major port in India to implement Integrated Management System (IMS), bringing in the Quality Management System (QMS), Environment Management System (EMS) and Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) under one system complying with ISO certifications. The certificates and accreditations will be renewed annually.
Indian Register Quality Systems (IRQS) lead auditor Suresh Nathan awarded the certificate to VOC Port Chairman I Jeyakumar in presence of Deputy Chairman and management representative S Natarajan, during a function held recently.
The VOC Port is successfully accredited with the new versions of ISO standards on QMS (ISO 9001:2015 ) and EMS (ISO 14001:2015) from August 29, 2017, and OHSAS 18001:2007 from April 10, which recognise the port for its seaport facilities and its related support services for the seaborne transport attributing to the progress of the nation with less manpower and minimum timings for port operations.
The VOC Port Trust was the first major port to obtain QMS certification in 1996 and the second among all major ports to get EMS certification in 2005. It is also accredited with the certifications of OHSAS, with effect from April 10 this year and the port has successfully retained all the certifications, said a release from VOC Port Trust.
The integration of QMS, EMS and OHSAS would simplify the documentation procedures, besides unifying the audit work by abolishing the three separate auditing. It would also reduce the work load, said a port official.