Integration of management systems

Quality management systems have become almost compulsory in many branches of industry in the last few years. A similar development seems to be possible for environmental management. In addition, maintenance of industrial health and safety standards must be considered by the management of any company. A main problem arise from this analysis: how is it possible to transfer and to apply these concepts to SMEs? The Euro Info Centre EIC/IT 378 charged the Research Centre for Quality and Environment of the University of Padova to conceive and realise a guide for SMEs aiming at the integration of the environmental management systems with the quality and the occupational health and safety ones. A second tool, an IMS self‐assessment guide, is now under realisation in order to achieve a European validation of the proposed model.