RIOS for Scrap Recyclers
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) has approved an accreditation program to support the Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS) at the request of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI).
Driven by the members of ISRI, RIOS was designed to help scrap recycling companies manage the quality, environmental, and health & safety issues in their operations. It combines them into a single, unified system and provides guidance to help recycling plants achieve measurable continual improvement. RIOS is based on ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001, and concentrates on aspects appropriate to scrap recycling. The six elements of RIOS cover general requirements, policy, planning, implementation, checking and corrective action, and management review. RIOS is designed to be flexible in that its different parts can be implemented in separate stages.
RIOS will benefit scrap operations in many ways. Since it integrates quality, environment, and health & safety in a single management system, scrap recyclers do not have to pay to implement separate systems in those areas. While the specific benefits will vary from facility to facility, in general the standard could:
- Control or lower your environmental expense
- Enable you to produce quality products more consistently
- Increase consumer confidence
- Improve your safety performance and reduce your operating and insurance costs
- Increase the efficiency, consistency, and productivity of your operations
- Give your RIOS-certified firm a competitive advantage in the marketplace
RIOS is intended for scrap companies of all sizes and commodity lines. It is as appropriate for small firms as it is for large ones and equally applicable to metal processors, paper packers, and electronics recyclers, as well as many others.
ANAB’s accreditation program will become available to certification bodies later this year. The first RIOS certifications are expected to occur in the first half of 2007. There are three yards just beginning a pilot program, and this summer, the first market version of the RIOS Implementation Guide will be available to RIOS members to help them develop and implement RIOS at their yards. Implementation is expected to take about one year for most.
If you are interested in RIOS membership, please contact Vicky Angresano at 724-934-9000 ext 640.