| Mr. A: |
In 2000, it was detected
that Ebara Mfg. factory fouled the river with waste containing
dioxin. The cause was misconnection of the drainpipe of rainwater
to dioxin and had passed several years.
|
| Mr. B: |
At the detection Ebara soon withdrew
from ISO14001 certificate. It was the first experience for its
certification body (SGS).
|
| Mr. A: |
Average persons might think the certification
body had the responsibility for the scandal. They might think
why assessors did not confirm the right connection of the pipes.
|
| Mr. B: |
Some assessors with engineering background
tend to do such technical assessments and it may lead to expansion
of misunderstanding of management assessment (refer to “Newspaper
reports troubles with ISO management system assessment: Mar.2w,
2004” in Scenes of assessment corner of this web-site).
|
| Mr. A: |
This year JFK Steel also discontinued
ISO14001 certificate for its water pollution scandal (refer to
“Illegal act by JEF Steel
and its ISO14001 system: Nov.1w, 2005” in Weekly News corner of
this web-site).
Recently Ishihara Industry withdrew from ISO14001 certificate
for its violation of Industrial waste disposal law for these three
years.
|
| Mr. B: |
Do you think it is general to withdraw
from ISO14001 certificate for such public scandals?
|
| Mr. A: |
If a company continues its activities
in spite of its scandal, its management system exists. So my answer
is No. If a company with such scandals discontinues ISO14001 registration,
it is a kind of declaration that the company will renounce to
keep environmental management system as well as compliance with
environmental regulations and laws. It is not rational.
|
| Mr. B: |
ISO14001 considers actions to be
taken when such scandals (nonconformities) happen in 4.5.2 clause
of 1996 version or in 4.5.3 clause of 2004 version. Confronting
with such scandals application of the clause is its turn in a
company’s ISO14001 management system.
But if you withdraw from ISO14001 certificate, it means you will
also abandon requirements of 4.5.2 clause of 1996 version or in
4.5.3 clause of 2004 version.
|
| Mr. A: |
That is why the true management cause
of the misconnection of pipes of Ebara scandals is still not clear.
|
| Mr. B: |
Generation of waste containing dioxin
might be “a significant environmental aspect” for the company.
So how about its operational control procedures?
|
| Mr. A: |
Also how about each management representative?
I do not have information of their actions taken for those scandals.
Instead actions taken were to strengthen each environmental department.
It was nonsense, I think.
|
| Mr. B: |
After sometime from their withdrawals
Ebara and JEF Steel has again gained ISO14001 certificate. Ishihara
will also regain ISO14001 certificate in one of these fine days.
To err is human. If they commit a scandal again in future, will
they again discontinue ISO14001 certificates? There is no concept
of continual improvement.
|
| Mr. A: |
The same thing can be said about
ISO9001 registration.
|
| Mr. B: |
After all they all come from lack
of right understanding of management system.
It is an irony that with increasing ISO management system registration,
scandals due to lack of management are spreading.
|