Bureau of Standards Promotes Quality & Food Safety Systems

Contact: John Emmanuel

Tuesday, October 09, 2001 - Getting top-level management from the services and manufacturing sectors to recognize the importance of implementing quality management and food safety systems in their operations, is what the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards says was the underlining factor behind its convening of a one-day quality and food safety workshop.

Three leading local companies were invited to the workshop to provide testimonials on the success of implementing these quality and food safety systems. Director of the Bureau Dr. Alison Gajadhar-Plummer said that these companies were invited to allay fears that implementing the system may be costly and yield few results.

“You would appreciate the fact that anything that involves an initial cost of implementation will always dissuade management…This has created some difficulty and the misconception that quality is costly, but this is certainly not the truth. The overall benefits of quality in the long term would amount to success in both economics and productivity and in a number of other areas as well, ” said Dr. Plummer.

Management Systems Consultant Ronald Ramlal says implementing ISO 9000 standards would provide local businesses with the critical edge needed, especially in light of globalisation which fosters increased competition.

“The important thing about ISO 9000 is that it’s a worldwide standard that companies would follow in describing exactly how they want their business. It’s a management system that has little to do with quality of product but has more to do with the quality of people in an organization.”

According to the Trinidad and Tobago-based consultant and Certified Quality Lead Auditor, “having people that are empowered to perform would give an organization the competitive edge needed and in the long run guarantee the performance of their product, based on the fact that management is so committed.”

Financing for the implementation of the various quality systems has been made available via the ACP/European Union Business Assistance Scheme (EBAS). Manager of the Scheme Ronald Dubrisingh says over one hundred and fifty regional companies have already benefited from the venture.

“In the case of EBAS any company is eligible once it’s not a start-up company and (is) a private company. They would need to fill out an application forms providing their accounts and some other particulars and within three weeks or there about the application can be approved.”

Companies meeting the requirements can qualify for close to sixty-five thousand US dollars in assistance.

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