Iso 9000, Service Quality and Ergonomics Stanislav Karapetrovic

To cite this document Stanislav Karapetrovic, (1999),ISO 9000, assistant select and bio engine room, Managing Service prime(prenominal), Vol. 9 Iss 2 pp. 81 89 Permanent bear on to this document http//dx. doi. org/10. 1108/09604529910257948 Downloaded on 17-10-2012 References This document teachtains attendences to 27 other documents Citations This document has been cited by 3 other documents To copy this document e put upprotected com This document has been downloaded 1952 clippings since 2005. * Users who downloaded this oblige also downloaded *Rujirutana Mandhachitara, Yaowalak Poolthong, (2011),A model of node loyalty and corporate neighborly responsibility, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 25 Iss 2 pp. 122 133 http//dx. doi. org/10. 1108/08876041111119840 Harold W. Webb, Linda A. 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Introduction In the last decade or so, we have witnessed an explosion of fiber- cerebrate threadb atomic number 18s and regulations.As a give of the continuous quest for better theatrical role of harvest-tides and services offered to clients, the International presidency for Standardization introduced the ISO 9000 series of persona caution and calibre agency standards in 1987. The series presently acknowledges three models for tonus assumption (ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003), guidelines for prime(a) management (ISO 9004), and two supporting documents ISO 900 0 Guidelines for Models Selection and Use and ISO 8402 tint Vocabulary ( calculate 1). The ISO 9000 standards have been accepted worldwide, with more than 200,000 organizations already registered.The standards present a sound ground for assuring the guest of look of products and services, as well as the processes that create them. Several other pure tone-related standards have since emerged, such as the automotive standards QS 9000, environmental management standards ISO 14000, and emerging health and inviolablety multinationalist standards (Figura, 1996). The upcoming revision of ISO 9000 standards in the year 2000 (now in the form of a Technical Committee Draft) is expected to further facilitate the use of quality assurance methods the world over.Another comm entirely used phrase from the 1980s and mid-nineties has been total quality management (TQM) an integrated cuddle to the management of quality with special emphasis on delighting customers and improving the wellb eing of alone employees in the organization. A number of articles have been written on the semblanceship amid the ISO 9000 series and TQM (Johnson, 1993 Struebing, 1996 Wilson, 1996 Velury, 1996 Corigan, 1994 Sakofsky, 1994 Emmons, 1994), underlying the opinion of quality management professionals that the two ar not quite the same.While ISO 9000 series atomic number 18 technical, presenting speci?cations, requirements and guidelines for quality arrangements, TQM emphasizes team land and customer satisfaction. posture other way, TQM is quality management with a tender touch. Does this spurious that ergonomic aspects of the workplace and customer satisfaction atomic number 18 not show by ISO 9000? Does quality assurance (ISO 9000) emphasize ergonomics and 81 The author Stanislav Karapetrovic is based at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Keywords ergonomics, ISO 9000, tonus assurance, Service quality, Workers repeal This paper oral communicationes more or less ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based quality assurance. ergonomics the direct of benignant factors in engineering and design of remainss is brie?y touched on. Then, outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality organization models be provided, and whole 20 requirements of the current ISO 90019004 standard are presented in an ergonomic light. Subsequently, charitable factors in the documentation and implementation of a quality administration are illustrated.The relevance of ergonomic studies in the cultivation of service systems is addressed. Finally, a blueprint for an ergonomic assurance system, de?ned as a sort out of interrelated resources and processes that function in order to fulfill objectives related to ergonomic design and use of products and processes, is provided. Managing Service Quality Volume 9 Number 2 1999 pp. 8189 MCB University Press 0960-4529 Figure 1 ergonomics an essential element of the prod uction and/or service systemRaw cloth RESOURCES Ergonomics PROCESS PRODUCT Output Input Ergonomics speak to ERGONOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS occupational health and sentry go? In the present time of globalization of markets and internationalization of best-practice standards, such questions butt end and should be posed. This paper addresses many of the ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based quality assurance. Ergonomics, that is the field of battle of human factors in engineering and design of systems, is brie?y touched on.Then, outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models are provided, and all 20 requirements of the current ISO 90019004 standard are presented in an ergonomic light. Subsequently, human factors in the documentation and implementation of a quality system are illustrated. The relevance of ergonomic studies in the readiness of service systems is addressed. Finally, the design of an ergonomic assurance system based on ISO 9000 is dis cussed. 2. Ergonomics It becharmms that it takes a disaster, difference of human life, or a health crisis for most of us to attend how important human factors are.Before the Three Mile Island incident, the Chernobil explosion, the Bhopal pesticide leak, plane crashes involving human errors, or ?ndings that millions of stack suffer from repetitive stress injuries, it would have been hard to ?nd any superstar who knew what ergonomics or human factors engineering are (not including the ergonomists themselves, of course). Today, however, we often call for about ergonomicallydesigned computer mouse and keyboard, 82 ergonomic chairs, pots, pans, door handles, and self-regulating teller machines (ATM).We now know that ergonomic design of products and processes is bsolutely crucial for effectual and ef?cient work. Ergonomics, or human factors engineering, roll in the hays with the design for human use, as well as optimizing working and living conditions (Sanders and McCormick, 199 3). The ?rst term (ergonomics) is mainly in use in Europe, while the second (human factors engineering) is often heard in North America. The by-line de?nition, modi?ed from Chapanis (1985), is provided Ergonomics discovers and applies information about human behavior, limitations, abilities and other human characteristics to the design of systems for ef?cient, safe, comfortable and effective human use.Interested lectors are referred to a unadulterated in ergonomics, Sanders and McCormicks Human factors in engineering and design (1993), for more information on the history of the science and a detailed study of many applications of ergonomics. Ergonomics, almost by default, is implied in quality assurance. Quality assurance encompasses techniques used to provide con?dence to customers that their requirements for quality are met. Therefore, by de?nition, human factors are involved. Assurances in the quality of products and services are provided to humans, by humans.In fact, ergonomi cs and quality assurance are so intertwined that it is impossible to say where one starts and the other ends. Several articles in ergonomics literature have already discussed the use of quality assurance techniques in human factors engineering (for instance, see Helander and Burri, 1995 Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996). For an early account on human factors in quality assurance, the reader is referred to Harris and Chaney (1969). Hence, in the following sections, inter descents surrounded by ergonomics and quality assurance will be addressed. 3.Quality Assurance (ISO 9001) and Management (ISO 9004) Of the three available models for quality system registration, ISO 9001 is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and most widely used. The current var. (ISO 9001 1994), embroils 20 elements (requirements), to which a quality assurance system of an organization is pass judgmented ( get across I). ISO 9001 covers design, schooling, production, initiation and servicing activities. It is ai med at providing con?dence to internal and outside customers that their requirements for quality are continuously met.An organizations anagement is the main internal customer, while external customers include consumers of the organizations products and services, as well as registrars that assess the suitability and effectiveness of the quality system. ISO 9001 is a generic standard, which means that it is universally applicable to both manufacturing and service organizations, i. e. small businesses (Karapetrovic et al. , 1997), health care and education (Willborn and Cheng, 1994). Rather than focusing on speci?c products and services, ISO 9001 addresses quality systems and processes in?uencing the product throughout its life rhythm method.A quality system can be de?ned as a commit of processes that function harmoniously, using various resources, to achieve quality objectives (Karapetrovic and Willborn, 1998A). It is in the interaction of human, material and information resources, as well as human resources and processes, that the ergonomic aspects of the quality system emerge. Focusing on the underlying belief of a system will help us perceive the interrelationships between the quality and ergonomic system, and provide a possibility for integration.Apart from ISO 9001, a set of guidelines numbered ISO 9004 is widely used for ontogeny and implementing quality 83 management. The set currently consists of eight documents, ranging from the guidelines on quality management in service organizations to con?guration and project management. For the purpose of discussing an ergonomic system in services, we turn our help to the second document in the series, namely the ISO 9004-2 (1994) Quality management and quality system elements Guidelines for services).In essence very similar in ambit and structure to ISO 9001, ISO 9004-2 provides guidelines for establishing quality management throughout the service life cycle, jump from establishing the need for a service, through service design, acquisition of resources, service pitching and stead, as well as coifance abbreviation and improvement. Differing from ISO 9001, these guidelines directly address interfaces with customers, including creating a perception of the eliminate image based on the existence of actions taken to meet customers needs (ISO 9004-2 1994).Effective communication with customers, listening to them and keeping them certified, is particularly emphasized. What is also important from an ergonomic standpoint is that the guidelines provide the basis for comely training of personnel, including motivation, staff development and communication. Although the training mentioned at that placein for the most part involves quality system training, it could be expanded to environmental, health and sentry go, and ergonomic system training.For different strategies of using the quality system framework for maturation other management systems, including environment and ergonomics, t he reader is referred to Karapetrovic and Willborn (1998B and 1998C). In addition to ISO 9004-2, another standard from the ISO 9004 series, namely ISO 9004 Part 1 Guidelines for quality management and quality system elements, addresses nearly particular ergonomic aspects. This is done in the standards 19th element Product safety. Speci?cally, it is suggested that consideration be presumption to identifying safety aspects of products and processes with the aim of enhancing safety (ISO 9004-1 1994).Steps to achieve this can include identifying applicable safety standards commiting design evaluation exams for safety analyzing instructions and warnings to the substance absubstance abuser Table I Ergonomic issues and implications of ISO 9001 (1994) ISO 9001 element 4. 1 4. 2 4. 3 Management responsibility Quality system Contract review Ergonomic issues Organization plugs that the quality policy is understood at all levels Procedures and work instructions are effectively attested /implemented Customer requirements are adequately de?ned and documentedImplications Quality system documentation should be designed and implemented using ergonomic (human factors engineering) knowledge Ergonomic characteristics of a product, such as environmental conditions, sensory characteristics proper handling and publicity should be determine (see Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996 Helander and Burri, 1995 Barsky and Dutta, 1997) Products should be ergonomically designed to ensure healthy and safe functioning Quality system documents should be accessible . 4 4. 5 Design give Document control 4. 6 4. 7 4. 8 4. 9 purchasing Control of customer supplied product Product identi?cation and traceability Process control 4. 10 inspection and examination 4. 11 Inspection and test equipment 4. 12 Inspection and test status 4. 13 nonconformist product 4. 14 strict and antifertility action 4. 15 Handling, storage, , delivery 4. 16 Control of quality records 4. 17 Internal quality audits 4. 18 Training 4. 19 ServicingCrucial characteristics for safe and proper functioning of the product are identi?ed Appropriate documents are readily available at all locations where essential operations are performed Purchasing documents adequately address speci?ed requirements Adequate maps for storage and fear of the product are in place Product is adequately identi?ed and traceable Suitable equipment and working environment are used Criteria for wiliness is stipulated in the clearest practical manner Records clearly illustrate the results of inspection and testing activities Suitable indicators of calibration status are identi?ed Inspection and test status of the product is identi?ed by suitable means Nonconforming products are adequately identi?ed and segregated Appropriate sources of information are used to detect and eliminate potential/ existing causes of defects Adequate handling, storage, packaging, preservation and delivery of the product is identi?ed and maintained Qu ality records are adequately identi?ed, indexed, ?led and storedQuality records are easily accessible Quality audits are performed to evidence the suitability and effectiveness of the quality system Training needs are identi?ed and adequate training provided Appropriate identi?cation of servicing needs and customer feedback is performed Ergonomic techniques can be used to ensure clear mind of documents Safe and risk-free storage and maintenance of products is emphasized Identi?cation of products should be performed tally to ergonomic guidelines regulations For identi?cation and maintenance of the suitable working environment and computer computer hardware, ergonomic psychoanalysis and evaluations must be performed Identi?cation of products and equipment should be performed according to ergonomic guidelines and regulations (for example, see Sanders and McCormick, 1993 (part 2), and Harris and Chaney, 1070 (chapters 6-11)Ergonomical analysis of human-information interaction is hel pful (for instance, see Sanders and McCormick, 1993 (part 2) Ergonomical design and analysis of handling and packaging of products should be used Ergonomic techniques can be used to ensure clear mind of documents, and accessibility of records Ergonomic audits/evaluations, identifying areas for possible improvement of human-machineproduct-environment interactions are performed Ergonomic training should be emphasized Ergonomic characteristics of a product, such as environmental conditions, sensory characteristics proper handling and packaging should be situated (see Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996 Helander and Burri, 1995 Barsky and Dutta, 1997)Statistical tools and techniques are used in ergonomic analysis and evaluations 4. 20 Statistical techniques The need for the application of statistical techniques is identi?ed 84 developing a means of product traceability to facilitate product recall considering development of an emergency plan The following section will address some ergono mic factors in the ISO 9001/9004 quality system structure, as well as suggest implementation of this system with ergonomics in mind. 4. Ergonomic considerations of ISO 9001/9004 Quality systems depicted in ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 standards apply to all phases in the life cycle of a service, from initial identi?cation to ?nal satisfaction of customer requirements.The concept of all activities in?uencing the quality of a service throughout its life cycle is often referred to as the service quality curl (ISO 9004-2, 1994). Thus, a service quality system involves three main elements (1) service (2) processes along the quality loop and (3) resources. Likewise, ergonomic considerations within a service quality system include Ergonomic design and delivery of service (and/or related products). Ergonomic design and application of processes. Analysis of the interaction between human and information/material resources Using Figure 1, it is possible to explain how quality and ergonomics inter relate in a quality system. Each product or service made possesses certain characteristics.For example, service quality is a set of characteristics that bear on the services ability to satisfy customer requirements. Ergonomic characteristics of products / services provide safe, healthy and ef?cient usage and/or delivery. It is unmingled that some ergonomic characteristics of a product (or service) are essentially quality characteristics (such as the design of the drivers seat in a car), and vice-versa. Also, service delivery processes have to satisfy certain requirements that may be ergonomic in nature. For example, the environment in which retail- banking companying services operate may be altered to provide safety for a bank teller working in it. Finally, ergonomic issues emerge when human, material and informa85 ion resources are combine to create a quality system.The current ISO 9001 quality system has a multitude of elements that are directly applicable to managing ergonomic s and health/safety. Table I lists all 20 elements of ISO 9001 in the order in which they turn out in the standard, illustrates sections and speci?c requirements which pertain to ergonomics, and provides ergonomic implications of the quality system. The implications range from adequate identi?cation of customer ergonomic requirements, ergonomically suitable design of products, services and processes, to identi?cation and maintenance of appropriate working environment and equipment.Such analysis of the ISO 9001 quality system shows that virtually all(prenominal) element of the system includes at least some ergonomic and/or health and safety aspects. This conclusion, however, is not surprising, since ultimately, quality is created by people, and for people. Not only does the content of ISO 9001 relate to human factors (Hansen, 1996), but also its context. A quality system must be adequately documented and implemented in order to operate effectively and ef?ciently. Quality documentat ion, as a linchpin of the quality system, must be understood and readily available to all persons whose work affects quality, as well as understood by all involved. Ergonomically designed documentation will undoubtedly help people understand their tasks better and improve their performance.New technologies, such as head-up-displays (Geiselman and Osgood, 1995 Karapetrovic, 1995), computer-aided communication (through electronic mail and the Internet) can greatly improve the implementation of a quality system in any organization. Examples include Operators using HUDs for display of quality procedures and work instructions. Paperless ISO 9000 documentation, i. e. documents available on-line using HTML or Java (Clarkin and Dow, 1997). radio electronic mail for reporting and analysis of quality-related problems. The following section addresses the implementation of human factors engineering in services, using ?nancial services as an example, in more detail. 5. Ergonomics and servic es How do ergonomics relate to service quality systems?To answer that question, we can follow the above-mentioned service quality loop from the inception of the need for service, to the evaluation of whether that need has been satis?ed. In figure a quality service, we must ?rst identify the need for it, as well as ?nd out who would actually need such a service. Put another way, we are de?ning the user and his/her needs. For instance, say we sine qua non to open a bank first in a specialized location. Do local bank users really need a branch there? What exactly do they need? Perhaps they need investment funds services, or easy access to cash, or mortgage consultations. Sanders and McCormick (1993) and Bailey (1982) de?ne the identi?cation of user needs through observation, interviews and questionnaires as ergonomic activities that apply here.Psychology-based tools of ergonomics deal in particular with an effective and ef?cient aspiration of user needs. The service system is subs equently designed on the basis of identi?ed needs. We have determined that local users require access to money from their accounts as well as the possibility of discussing investments. Now, we need to allocate resources to required banking functions. These resources include people (bank employees), hardware (automatic teller machines (ATM), computers) and software. Which particular functions should we assign to people, and which to machines? For instance, for easy access to cash, we would assume that a 24hour ATM would be appropriate.However, what if most of the banks clients are seniors, who are mum not accustomed to trusting machines in dealing with deposits or withdrawals, or if the bank is located in a place where people prefer customer service and contact with bank tellers rather than machines? Ergonomic studies help us in determining speci?c capabilities of people, hardware and software, and can provide signi?cant assistance in allocating system functions. Then, we can try w hether to completely automate certain functions, or to assign people to perform them, or use both machines and people. For example, a bank may finalise to allow withdrawals of less than $1,000 from an ATM. If a customer wants to withdraw more than that, he/she would have to go to a bank teller. 86Once we have decided which resources the bank should have (say three ATMs, four tellers and two investment advisors), we need to perform an analysis of the required processes, activities and tasks. Put another way, we are listing the ecological succession of activities that need to be conducted in order to accomplish a speci?c function. Flowcharts are particularly helpful here. For instance, we can specify a procedure for cash withdrawals from the bank. This, in ergonomics, is called task description and analysis (Sanders and McCormick, 1993). Whenever we have some interaction between people and hardware or software, such as when a teller needs to input withdrawal information into the dat abase, there are ergonomic implications.For example, in the bank where I normally do my ?nancial transactions, computer monitors and keyboards are placed so low in relation to the counter, that the teller needs to bend down all time he/she inputs the information, virtually disappearing behind the counter. Just imagine how many clock the teller needs to bend like that every day, every week, every month. Put another way, in designing the work space for employees, e. g. placing customer service counters and computers in determined locations, allocating space for safety deposit boxes, and so forth , we inevitably in?uence the comfort, safety and ef?ciency of people working in such spaces. All these are ergonomic considerations that can in?uence the quality of the product or service.The likely reason why tellers in my bank still have to bend down to reach the computer is that it was probably never de?ned as a problem at all. The existence of an ergonomic political program within the bank, with planned ergonomic audits and corrective actions, would certainly identify and refine such a problem. But how can such a program be introduced with minimum cost and maximum bene?ts? Perhaps the solution is in the integration of the existing quality system with an ergonomic program. The integration of quality and environment management systems came naturally, since standards representing best practices were effectively established at the international level (namely ISO 9000 and ISO 14000).This should also be the case with occupational health and safety (OHS), since national and international OHS standards, dubbed ISO 20000 (Figura, 1996) are already emerging. The following section presents an approach to the development of an ergonomic assurance system on the basis of the quality system. 6. Ergonomics assurance system As was mentioned in Section 3 of this paper, the systems concept can greatly assist us in understanding the interrelationships of many production and managem ent processes, among others, quality and ergonomics. For an excellent account of the relationship between ergonomics and the system design, the interested reader can refer to Sanders and McCormick (1993), Chapter 22. While the pplication of the systems concept to service quality is presented elsewhere (Karapetrovic and Willborn, 1998A), it can be used to propose an ergonomic assurance system. We can de?ne ergonomic assurance as all those planned and systematic actions aimed at providing con?dence to customers, management and the general public, that their requirements and needs for ergonomically safe products and processes are met.An ergonomic assurance system is then a set of processes and resources that function harmoniously to achieve objectives related to ergonomic design and implementation of products and processes.Note Proposed EAS elements are given in bold letters, while numbers represent sections of the ISO 9004-2 Guidelines 87 Similarly to the ISO 140011996 environmental m anagement system, an ergonomic assurance system can include Demings plan-dostudy-act (PDSA) continuous improvement circle, with the following elements Ergonomic objectives. Planning and design (ergonomic aspects, targets, determination of system performance speci?cations, ergonomic system design). Resource acquisition and deployment (allocation of functions to people, hardware and software task analysis, design of jobs and human-hardware-software interfaces training). performance (ergonomic control, monitoring and measurement). Corrective/preventive action (ergonomic audits). Improvement (ergonomic evaluations, communication with interested parties. Interested parties may include customers, for ergonomic characteristics of the product/service, and employees, for ergonomics of the workplace). Rather than adding speci?c ergonomic and safety requirements to existing quality standards (Barsky and Dutta (1997) suggest this), a separate ergonomic system standard can be drafted, and t hen integrated with existing quality management systems. Using the de?nition and the model of a quality system from Karapetrovic and Willborn (1998C), proposed elements of the ergonomic management system (EMS) can be illustrated as in Figure 2.For example, the executive management of an organization should de?ne an ergonomic policy that is documented and communicated to all employees. Ergonomic aspects of all activities and processes within the organization should be identi?ed and speci?c objectives and targets set. An ergonomic management program should be de?ned and documented, and adequate resources allocated. Operation of the EMS should include a statement of responsibility and authority of people involved, identi?cation of training needs and a provision of adequate ergonomic training, and preparation of adequate EMS documentation. Corrective and preventive action to eliminate existing and potential problems should be undertaken, and ergonomic audits would assist in this effort. Finally, the executive management should review the status of the EMS, includ88 ing its effectiveness, suitability, and conformance to the requirements. 7. Conclusion This paper addressed some of the ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based quality assurance for services. Outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models were provided, followed by a interchange of the content of the ISO 9001 standard considering ergonomics and human factors. Ergonomic implementation of a quality system was subsequently addressed. Finally, possible development of an ergonomic assurance system on the basis of ISO 9001 and systems theory was presented. Further research into the development of ergonomic assurance systems is suggested.