International standards play a significant role in the maritime construction industry. Whether your company builds vessels, provides parts for vessels, or manages the construction of vessels, such standards likely guide your processes and deliverables, and often serve to meet the minimum requirements of your customers. What do you do when a customer provides technical specifications that require adherence to one

Consistent, clear, and usable process documentation, including a clear chain of responsibility and management of change, is a key aspect of any management system. Documentation allows companies to monitor and audit processes, streamline business practices, and continually improve products and services. When processes change, document revisions clearly communicate and track the change. International standards, such as ISO 9001 and 2923,

As we covered in a prior post, incorporating a standard, such as API, into your business practices greatly improves your ability to assess and manage risk. Risk assessment reduces costs, improves customer satisfaction, and opens up new business opportunities. There are a number of standards that may apply to your business and industry. For example, the American Petroleum Institute (API)

The dry season is upon us in the Puget Sound region. If you are a stormwater permittee, you may be tempted to relax your implementation of stormwater best management practices (BMPs). However, it is just as important to keep up with your BMPs during the summer as you would in any other season. Dry conditions generate and build up sediment.

Any organization, regardless of industry, size, or sector, deals with risk. Risk can vary in type, severity, and degree of certainty, but when it’s uncontrolled, negative consequences, whether economic, environmental, societal, or other, are likely. It is impossible to eliminate all risk—the world is full of uncertainties—but we can take steps to minimize it. This is where risk management and

A new Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2015. Permit holders, who receive coverage under the ISGP, must reapply for coverage by July 1, 2014. To reapply, complete a new Notice of Intent (NOI) online or download and fill out the NOI form. The changes to the ISGP include the following: Facilities that