Management hierarchy and HSQE role assignments (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001)
CRGI Solutions operates as a 100% virtual engineering consultancy with no physical office. All contractors connect via Splashtop remote desktop to host computers located at the CEO's premises in Wrexham, UK. The workforce consists entirely of contractors engaged under service agreements.
Directors: Dragos Ciordas (CEO) and Phoebe Sudiro (Business Administrator) are the legal directors and co-owners of CRGI Solutions, forming the company's Top Management.
Operations Manager: Sean Ashton reports directly to Dragos Ciordas and is responsible for day-to-day operational management including HSQE coordination, quality management, and CDM Principal Designer duties.
Contractors: All contractors are engaged by CRGI Solutions and report to the Directors. Day-to-day project coordination and operational direction flows through the Operations Manager.
ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 require roles and responsibilities to be defined and allocated but do not mandate specific job titles or dedicated personnel. In smaller organisations like CRGI Solutions, it is appropriate for individuals to hold multiple management system roles. The key requirement is that responsibilities are clearly documented, communicated, and understood.
| HSQE Role | Assigned To | ISO Reference | Key Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Management | Dragos Ciordas (CEO) Phoebe Sudiro (Director) |
9001 5.1, 14001 5.1, 45001 5.1 | Leadership and commitment; policy approval; resource allocation; ensuring the IMS achieves intended outcomes; promoting continual improvement; management review participation |
| HSQE Manager | Sean Ashton | 9001 5.3, 14001 5.3, 45001 5.3 | Ensuring the IMS conforms to ISO requirements; reporting performance to Top Management; coordinating risk assessments; managing controls; policy implementation; compliance monitoring |
| Quality Manager | Sean Ashton | 9001 5.3, 8.1, 8.3 | Maintaining the QMS; design process oversight; customer requirements management; nonconformity control; customer satisfaction monitoring; supplier quality assessment |
| Environmental Coordinator | Sean Ashton | 14001 5.3, 6.1.2, 8.1 | Environmental aspect identification; compliance obligations; waste management oversight; environmental monitoring; pollution prevention; emergency preparedness (environmental) |
| Health & Safety Coordinator | Sean Ashton | 45001 5.3, 6.1.2, 8.1 | Hazard identification; OH&S risk assessment; worker consultation; incident investigation; emergency preparedness; CDM Principal Designer duties; workplace safety monitoring |
| Risk Owner (Strategic) | Dragos Ciordas (CEO) | 9001 6.1, 14001 6.1, 45001 6.1 | Accepting high and critical risks; approving risk treatment plans with significant cost or business impact; strategic risk decisions; residual risk acceptance |
| Risk Owner (Operational) | Sean Ashton | 9001 6.1, 14001 6.1, 45001 6.1 | Accepting low and medium risks; maintaining registers (HREG01-03); conducting risk assessments; implementing treatments; monitoring and reporting |
| Internal Auditor | Sean Ashton | 9001 9.2, 14001 9.2, 45001 9.2 | Planning and conducting internal audits; documenting findings; reporting to Top Management; verifying corrective actions; maintaining the audit programme |
| Document Controller | Sean Ashton | 9001 7.5, 14001 7.5, 45001 7.5 | Maintaining documented information; version control; document distribution; ensuring availability, suitability, and protection of records |
| Training Coordinator | Sean Ashton | 9001 7.2, 14001 7.2, 45001 7.2 | Competency assessment; training needs analysis; delivering HSQE awareness training; induction for new contractors; maintaining Training Matrix (HREG06) |
| Management Review Team | Dragos Ciordas (Chair) Sean Ashton |
9001 9.3, 14001 9.3, 45001 9.3 | Conducting management reviews; reviewing IMS suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness; decisions on improvement and changes to the IMS |
| Decision Type | CEO / Top Management | Operations Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Policy Approval | Approves all HSQEMS policies | Drafts policies; approves procedures |
| Risk Acceptance | High and critical risks | Low and medium risks |
| Design Approval | Final sign-off on high-value designs | Design review and verification; day-to-day quality checks |
| Environmental Decisions | Significant environmental aspects; investment decisions | Operational environmental controls; waste management |
| Health & Safety | CDM Client duties; high-risk activity approval | Risk assessments; RAMS approval; day-to-day H&S management |
| Incident Response | Critical incident escalation; RIDDOR decisions; client notification | Operational response; investigation; containment; corrective action |
| Purchases | Over £1,000 | Under £1,000 |
| Supplier Engagement | Supplier approval; contract authorisation | Supplier assessment; ongoing monitoring |
| Contractor Engagement | Contract approval; access authorisation | Onboarding; induction; training; day-to-day coordination |
The ISO standards require internal audits to be conducted by auditors who are objective and impartial. Given CRGI's small management structure, complete separation is not always practical. To address this:
All contractors engaged by CRGI Solutions have the following HSQE responsibilities: