City railway jn bags IMS certification this yr too

Coimbatore: The city railway junction has bagged the integrated management system (IMS) certification for the second consecutive year in 2018. The station is one of 75 A1 grade stations in the country, thanks to its footfalls, earnings and the facilities it offers. The city railway junction was only the second station in the country to get this certification in the country in November 2017.
The IMS certification is a combination of ISO 9001, ISO 14,001 and OHSAS 18,001 certifications. “Each of the three certificates check the standards and quality of a particular aspect of the station,” said Sathish Saravanan, director, Coimbatore railway junction. “While ISO 9001 checks the quality of services we provide at the station, ISO 14001 certificate deals with the station’s efforts to reduce pollution and emissions and ensure safety, and OHSAS 18,001 checks the occupation and safety aspects in the station.”

The first station to get this certification was the Habibganj railway station in Bhopal. Habibganj was the first ISO certified railway station and it is being developed as a world-class station. The city railway junction was the next station to receive the honour. It is the first station in South India and southern railways to receive the certification.

Officials said it was difficult for stations to get OHSAS 18,001 certification as a lot of work taken up in the railway is manual. “The railway rules are actually on par with military rules. If they are followed, it is easy to get the certification. Since we are strict, we never had instances of people doing track patrol without footwear or safety jackets. They also wear gloves,” Saravanan said. “The railway has also supported us with adequate infrastructure.”

The IMS certification is awarded by taking into account various aspects of a station such as train operation, signal and telecommunication, parcel handling, maintenance and cleanliness, passenger ticket booking and provision of public utilities and amenities.