As most of you are aware we are already registered as ISO 9001:2008 which is the Quality Management System standard, you will also have seen the logo on our vans.

Quite often when Companies decide to put this Environmental standard into practice it can take 12 – 18 months to introduce and complete. You probably will not be surprised to hear that after setting the system up in January, setting our environmental targets, we had our Stage I audit in March, this is where independent auditors from the British Standards Institute look at the system we have put in place to monitor our environmental progress and for them to identify issues or areas they would like us to improve or alter.

We had our stage II audit (final audit) on the 11th and 12th July and demonstrated that we had a good overall system in place and had implemented the observations that the auditors had highlighted from the initial audit along with good CoSHH practices in place as well as our environmental objectives.

Part of the stage II audit was actually carried out on site at both Park House and 123 Victoria Street. The site engineers spoken to by the auditors demonstrated an understanding of environmental issues, emergency preparedness (spill kits at the ready) and instructions of what to do in the event of a spill as well as a good understanding of CoSHH and appropriate dosing PPE.

Our ISO 14001:2004 certificate was finally issued in August and the logo will take its place alongside the ISO 9001 stickers on the vans.

From an Environmental point of view we just need to think about recycling before throwing things away, so if you have printer cartridges that were supplied by the office we have a recycling box for them at Bermondsey so collect them up and give them back to me when I come to site. Some jobs have been recycling batteries for a while now, saving the old ones up and giving them to me when I call.

All of our 25 litre drums are recycled and collected by the manufacturer, waste paper, cardboard, drinks cans and plastic bottles are being recycled at both Staines and Bermondsey offices.

We all do our bit for the environment, I’m sure most of you recycle things at home without even thinking about it so it makes sense to continue it at work. Next time you’re in the contractors office see if they have a paper recycle bin.

Pete Richards