Jeffrey Nouwen is the manager QHSE of iPS. His mission: safe and healthy working conditions, compliance with the law, as well as ensuring support for QHSE among his colleagues. Jeffrey: ‘Constantly asking “why” helps to improve quality.’
QHSE stands for Quality, Health, Safety and Environment. A broad area that focuses on improving business processes and increasing customer satisfaction. The fact that QHSE are mentioned together has to do with the quality standards and certification which apply to all components and sometimes overlap. Jeffrey: ‘It’s not just about complying with the law, it’s about the constant desire to improve. At IPS we’re really good at that.
Jeffrey’s work largely consists of conducting research, measuring customer satisfaction, measuring risks and measuring efficiency. Jeffrey: ‘Monitoring customer satisfaction always provides points for improvement when it comes to efficiency, cost savings, simplifying working methods and adapting systems. We also conduct internal audits. If there is an incident or a bottleneck, a thorough analysis is carried out. Of course, even more important is preventing these things from happening. Prevention is an important part of my work.’
The H and E refer to occupational health and safety policy. It’s about the way you are sitting behind your desk, right up to the safety of iPS personnel on board. Do they have good work equipment, safe clothing? What risks are they exposed to and how is safety guaranteed?’ Jeffrey: ‘28 days after employment there is a safety check and again at the end of the job. We don’t do this just because of the certification. It is mainly for identifying risks and improving our services.’
Jeffrey makes sure he is well informed about QHSE worldwide. All branches have iPS staff working within this area and occasionally he visits all branch offices. ‘Through personal contact I am able to identify problems even better. It’s hard work and long hours meeting as many people as possible but you won’t hear me complaining: iPS is a great company to work for!’