HBPW’s in-house standards man, Paul Jacklin, was a little blurry-eyed after his latest online ‘meeting’: two days solid with an inspector from the BSI, the guardian of standards in British commerce and engineering.
But the Covid-style inspection proved just the ticket and, after the thick end of 16 hours of computer time, HBPW was yet again given a 100 out of 100 endorsement.
“It’s incredibly intense doing it this way,” said Associate Paul, “but, right now, it is very much a case of needs must. Covid is still with us and many organisations, including the BSI, have been adapting and finding new ways of working.
“In the interests of personal safety it was jointly agreed that we would carry out the inspection on Microsoft Teams, which felt a little surreal at first but within half an hour, both me and the inspector were working confidently. He asked for proof and I simply evidenced his requests as I might have done had it been a face to face meeting. In the end it was all quite painless!”
Despite the marginal complexities of the new approach, HBPW was given a clean bill of health for the eighth year running.
Paul added: “Obviously we are delighted with this latest confirmation but, at a more practical level, the BSI rating speaks volumes to existing and prospective clients because it says, quite definitively, that HBPW is a ‘safe pair of hands.’
“Systems and processes are, at times, the bane of everyone’s life, however, they are not only vital but necessary for the smooth running of any organisation. They promote both efficiency and safe working
“To that end, one of my roles is to ensure that jobs run smoothly and that all systems and processes – designed to maintain safety and quality – are strictly adhered to. Every single person in the building knows they are part of that process so this is not a ‘one man victory’, but the result of a collective effort.”
The firm now closely aligns itself with the exacting standards and criteria of ISO9001:2015.
ISO provides for the simple integration and unification of quality procedures demanded by clients such as Network Rail and Electricity Alliance, and, by aligning its own processes to those of ISO, HBPW continues to ensure that designs and details are delivered on time and to programme constraints, by a well-trained and capable team focussed on quality.