Following the news that a bank robber disguised as a G4S security guard tricked staff at a Santander bank in Brixton to steal over £150,000, question marks over their processes and control are being raised by our Head of QHSE, Lynda Holbrey.
In this article, Lynda explains a number of ways that this could have been avoided and the measures that should have been in place.
I get to meet lots of people in my role as a tutor and consultant and I regularly have discussions about the need for processes and business management; Are they really necessary? How much control should be in place? What should I be looking to control?
I always ask what is the risk to the process? What would happen if you don’t or do put in a control measure, and what other parts of the operation could be affected?
When it comes to any management system, RISK is the key element to control. This is why Quality Assurance becomes the umbrella for all Management Systems.
I hear people regularly tell me that:
“Larger companies have this covered”. “We have good systems and processes in place.”
My question then is, how effectively are your processes being implemented?
Why do I question this? Well perhaps reading this article from the Daily Mail about the bank robbery will demonstrate why.
Surely, a well-known bank with strict processes on controls would never just hand over £150,000 to a poorly dressed fake security guard, or would they?
When looking at what we need in place it is important to consider how procedures are communicated, implemented and monitored.
Nonconformance procedures should help everyone to highlight if things aren’t as they should be on a daily basis.
Internal auditing is your safety net, it should be the final check to ensure everything is as it should be, but so often it is left to auditing to highlight the issues. Is this how it works in your organisation?
Ensure your staff are properly informed of the requirements of your business management system, and that your internal auditing team are professionally trained on the requirements to audit effectively.
Don’t let risk creep into your business.
To learn more about auditing, quality, health & safety and environmental management systems check out our accredited courses and apprenticeships.
