Atlas Copco Compressors has achieved three new certifications for its operations in the UK following the completion of a nationwide training programme focusing on the management of quality, health and safety and environmental impact. The triple certification comprises ISO 9001for quality, ISO14001 for environment and OHSAS18001 for safety.
Steve Matthews, Atlas Copco’s newly appointed QSHE manager said: “Achieving these global benchmark standards adds to the company’s credibility and boosts confidence in its products and services. It demonstrates the company’s determination to deliver quality systems through tested procedures, while ensuring its management systems provide staff focus and discipline within a compliant framework.”
Achieving triple certification has enabled Atlas Copco Compressors to adopt a systematic approach to continual management improvement within its operations in the UK, thereby reducing waste, improving resource efficiency and minimising running costs.
The ISO 9001 standard relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organisations ensure that, while meeting statutory and regulatory requirements related to their products, they are able to increase customer and stakeholder satisfaction through the delivery of quality products and services.
The ISO 14001 standard is an integral part of the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which concerns performance improvement, legal compliance and reporting duties. This environmental management standard is designed to help organisations minimise how their operations and processes negatively affect the environment and to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other requirements.
OHSAS 18000 is an international occupational health and safety management system specification, designed to minimise risk to employees and implement improvement to an existing OH&S management system. Central to achieving OHSAS certification are strong policies and procedures to demonstrate a company’s due diligence and provide assurance on all health and safety issues.
Atlas Copco has also set its sights on achieving ISO 50001 and plans to help customers secure a 20% improvement in energy efficiency by 2020. Additional training packages are already in place for management and staff to meet the new international standard for energy management, building upon the original BS 16001 standard. Its purpose is to enable an organisation to follow a systematic approach in achieving continual improvement in energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy security, energy use and consumption. The standard aims to help organisations continually reduce their energy use, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
