US – The OEM announced that it now has more manufacturing facilities certified with Occupational Health and Safety Series (OHSAS) 18001:2007 and International Oganization for Standardization (ISO) 50001:2011 than any other automotive company in North America. In less than 24 months, an accredited third party assessed 31 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FAC) facilities which account for 98% of total energy use across the OEM's manufacturing operations.
Greg Rose, director – Environment, Health & Safety (EHS), FCA North America, highlighted the role of ground-level workers: “Our facilities are able to sustain the ISO and OHSAS certifications because employees are using consistent practices to maintain the standards in production and non-production capacities.” He added: “By changing how employees view their workplace, we increase the probability of a long-term commitment to these standards.”
In 2013, the FCA Sustainability Plan established a company-wide goal to certify plants operating in 2012 to OHSAS 18001 and ISO 50001 by December 2014. The EHS and energy groups worked with cross-functional teams to develop a systematic approach based on World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodology. The combination of WCM, OHSAS and ISO resulted in 33% fewer injuries and 8% less energy consumed at US plants in the first year of the programme.
Each FCA facility in the US now has a dedicated team for maintaining these standards, and conducts annual audits. The plants are re-certified every three years by an external registrar.