Firm takes quality down to trenches

Hongkong Electric's decision to apply for ISO 9002 certification has paid dividends in terms of quality.

Although there is a requirement to obtain ISO 9000 certification before applying for government contracts, no such requirement exists for trench work.

However, in late 1994, Hongkong Electric decided to obtain ISO 9002 for trench work, one of three planned ISO applications within the Transmission and Distribution Division.

And, after pre-qualification, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) won a bid to act as consultant to all three.

Senior support engineer Eddy Wong wrote the quality manual in conjunction with HKPC consultants.

The company operating procedures were then co-ordinated by the training section of its Transmission and Distribution Division.

A working committee for preparation was established with team members from four separate departments within the company.

Specific work instructions were devised by members of the working committee, finalised by Mr Wong and approved by chief engineer Yuen Siu-see.

The scope of the ISO 9002 starts with the permit application and also includes trench excavation and reinstatement.

Mr Wong said that management commitment, a comprehensive internal audit system and a complete quality document system were important factors for the successful completion of ISO 9000 certification.