On completion of a successful project, Draka UK Ltd has been awarded certification to ISO 14001 standard for Environmental Management. The awarding body, SGS, carried out a three-stage assessment process including: Initial Assessment; Document Review; and Final Audit, prior to recommending the site for registration to the internationally-recognised environmental standard.
Accomplishing the ISO 14001 certificate completes stage two of a three-stage process to achieve a fully integrated management system encompassing Quality (ISO 9000), Safety (ISO 18001) and Environment (ISO 14001).
According to Russell Salt, Draka’s Quality, Safety and Environment Manager, “Achieving ISO 14001 required a considerable team effort and significant investment in the company’s oil, water and waste management systems and procedures”.
Following achieving ISO 14001 status he says: “Our customers have an expectation that good businesses demonstrate their commitment to improvement through the adoption of best practice principles defined within British and International standards. Previously, the market focus was on product quality, which ultimately led to the introduction of the ISO 9000 series of standards.” He continues: “Now with the increase in global environmental awareness and social responsibility it is recognised that industry needs to take a leading role in assessing its environmental aspects and controlling its impacts on the world around it.”
ISO 14001 has been written in the same vein as ISO 9000 and introduces best management practice into environmental controls across all types of organisations. Objectives and targets are set and regularly reviewed via continuous improvement strategies required to maintain certification. Russell reminds us that, “Certification is reliant on successful surveillance audits and we realise that our teams are the key to maintaining and improving all our activities within the integrated management system framework. Our people are our most important asset, hence our commitment focuses next on achieving certification to OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety).”
The 18001 standard has been developed to provide businesses with the elements of an effective Occupational Health and Safety system that help achieve health, safety and economic objectives. It has been written specifically to integrate with existing systems, such as ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 14001 (Environment).”
Russell concludes: “Achieving our integrated management system goal is essential to our business; the bringing together all of the company’s systems and processes into a single framework will allow us to work as a single unit with a common set of objectives. Every department and every individual employee will be working towards improving the performance of our site and the entire supply chain.”
Draka UK is the country’s leading designer and manufacturer of fire performance cables, zero halogen power cables and building wires. The company is part of Netherlands-based Draka Holdings NV, which has over 9,000 employees worldwide. Further details are available by telephone on +44 (0) 1332 345431, by fax on +44 (0) 1332 331237, and via email at sales@draka.com. The company’s website can be found at www.drakauk.com.
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