The Standards
Latest News
Parkway Newbury secures environmental certification
Parkway, Newbury, a new shopping and residential development in the heart of the West Berkshire town, has secured certification to ISO 14001:2004, the internationally recognised environment management standard. The standard was awarded by Certification International – a UKAS accredited organisation providing assessment, analysis and certification services to companies of all sizes across a wide range of standards.
Parkway is a 475,000 sq ft mixed-use development owned by Standard Life Investments and is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle. The certification demonstrates its commitment to reducing its environmental impact. Jones Lang LaSalle manages many retail centres across the UK, and Parkway is just one of many to achieve ISO 14001 certification. The company is working with Certification International to roll out environmental certification across a number of other sites.
Neil Carter, centre manager at Parkway, comments: “In line with the environmental policy set by managing agents Jones Lang LaSalle, Parkway has an overarching environmental statement which puts the environment at the heart of everything we do. All our policies and procedures take into account the centre’s impact on the environment and outline how we can reduce this. Newbury is an area liable to flooding which means we need to be vigilant to ensure our activities at Parkway do not affect the local habitat and wildlife. Certification to ISO 14001 demonstrates our commitment to managing Parkway in an environmentally responsible way, and
sets the benchmark that we expect our staff, tenants, residents and visitors to achieve. The principal benefit is that everyone who comes into contact with us can see we take our environmental responsibilities seriously. It is also useful when managing our contractors and suppliers as they know the standards they need to maintain; many of our preferred contractors have been or are working towards certification and we continue to encourage them to do so. It is vitally important to have a strong
environmental focus as protecting the environment is good for our customers, employees, contractors and residents.”
Certification International’s UK business manager Emma Fawcett-Jones comments: “By achieving certification for ISO 14001, the management team at Parkway Newbury clearly demonstrates they have a strong commitment to reducing the centre’s impact on the environment. The framework provided by ISO 14001 will allow them to monitor progress and further improve performance in this key area.”
Health and safety a high priority, says Certification International
Certification International, a leader in the field of assessment and certification services to internationally recognised standards, says figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)* show companies are taking health and safety seriously.
Certification International believes the ongoing falling trend in the number of people being injured or made unwell in the work place is due to organisations implementing occupational health and safety management systems and gaining certification to OHSAS 18001:2007 – a standard designed to clarify an organisation's impact on health and safety issues.
Certification International is accredited by UKAS to assess companies to OHSAS 18001:2007 – the latest health and safety standard. The standard can be adopted by any organisation wishing to implement a formal procedure to reduce the risks associated with health and safety at work and aid legislative compliance. It is compatible with a number of other management systems including ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 27001 (information security).
Certification International’s managing director John Pymer says: “It’s good news that the number of people being injured or made ill at work is falling. But there is still a lot of work which can be done to reduce this further. The most effective way of doing this is by gaining certification to OHSAS 18001:2007. Having a formal health and safety system in place minimises the risk employees and outside parties may be exposed to. If employees feel safe in the environment they work in it can improve overall business performance. Achieving OHSAS 18001 also means businesses can be confident that their procedures meet the requirements of health and safety legislation. OHSAS 18001 is becoming increasingly important and some contracts stipulate organisations must have it as proof that they can carry out work safely and efficiently. If companies don’t have formal certification for health and safety, it is something they should look at to safeguard themselves and the safety of their employees.”
Certification International is a global organisation which provides assessment, analysis and certification services to companies of all sizes across a wide range of standards.
Certification International strengthens UK team
Certification International has strengthened its UK team with the appointment of a new member of staff. Ben Salter joins the technical team as a Certification Officer.
As Certification Officer, Ben is responsible for providing assistance to the Group Head of Certification at Certification International UK and management of certification schemes. His role involves approval of auditors and technical advisors, overseeing technical reviews and queries, conducting internal audits throughout the Certification International group, providing auditing support and implementing the policies of UKAS, alongside those of Certification International UK.
Before joining Certification International, Ben was self employed providing health and safety internal audit services to a variety of clients. He also spent five years working at civil engineering, earthworks and waste management contractor MJ Church Plant Ltd.
To prepare Ben for his new role, Certification International has provided relevant training and he has already attended an internal auditor’s course for quality management systems. He’ll also be attending a recognised lead auditor’s course
John Pymer, managing director of Certification International, says: “As a growing organisation we needed to strengthen our team to continue to offer a first class service. By appointing someone from outside the certification business, it will bring a fresh approach to what we do. Ben has considerable experience which will not only benefit our clients but also Certification International offices around the world.”
Certification International is a UKAS accredited organisation with more than 5,000 clients in 26 countries. It provides assessment, analysis and certification services to companies of all sizes across a variety of standards.
Certification International sets the standard for energy management
With organisations becoming more conscious about soaring energy prices and their environmental impact, Certification International, the leader in the assessment and certification of international, national and industry standards, has launched a scheme in line with a new energy management standard.
By working in partnership with Certification International, companies of all sizes and in all sectors can integrateenergy performance into their existing management systems. Aside from promoting best practice in energy efficiency, the scheme can be integrated with a number of other management systems addressing standards such as ISO 9001 (quality), IS0 14001 (environment) and OHSAS 18001 (health and safety).
The scheme is part of Certification International’s commitment to helping clients meet the latest industry standards, and ISO 50001:2011 will become an additional scheme covered by UKAS accreditation.
Managing director John Pymer comments: “As a leader in our field, we’ve grown through the exploration of new markets, and we continuously review the services we offer. This approach enables us to meet the requirements of our clients in all areas of their business. As energy costs rise and the impact a business has on the environment increases in importance, we recognise the need to offer certification for energy management systems.
“The launch of our latest scheme has many benefits and can substantially improve an organisations’ energy efficiency. It also reinforces their commitment to environmental issues. Although the scheme has yet to gain UKAS accreditation we expect this to happen in the near future. Subsequently clients applying for certification now should only need to undergo the auditing process once as we intend to retrospectively issue certificates bearing the UKAS logo once our scheme has been accredited.”
Surrey Chauffeur UK Ltd leads industry with Certification International
Surrey Chauffeur UK Ltd has achieved certification to three important management standards through Certification International – a leader in the assessment and certification of international, national and industry standards.
Surrey Chauffeur UK Ltd has 35 years experience in providing corporate and private clients with a dedicated executive car service. By working in partnership with Certification International it has been certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001. The compatibility of the three standards allows Surrey Chauffeur UK Ltd to integrate quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems throughout its operations.
Ed Halil,of Surrey Chauffeur UK Ltd, says: “Our objective is to provide high quality services to our customers. The process of achieving certification to each standard was made easier by working with Certification International. Its approach of working alongside clients helped us understand what was required at each stage of assessment and where we required change or development. We continually review and improve our quality, environmental and health & safety procedures in order to maintain exceptional quality standards, prevent and mitigate environmental pollution and promote safe working practices throughout the organisation.”
Emma Fawcett Jones, UK Business Manager at Certification International, says: “Acertification mark is valuable to any company, and Certification International works with its clients so standards can be achieved through a logical and user-friendly process. This journey helps companies achieve the certification they are looking for, as demonstrated by the success of Surrey Chauffeur UK Ltd. In achieving ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 it shows they are committed to continuous improvement of their business.”
Certification International is a UKAS accredited organisation with more than 5,000 clients in 26 countries. It provides assessment, analysis and certification services to companies of all sizes across a wide range of standards. For more information visit www.cert-int.com.