Businesses are much more aware
nowadays of the need to follow environmental best practice, whether
it’s disposing of waste correctly, recycling or keeping within the
increasing raft of environmental regulations. It’s only sensible to
treat the planet carefully. But it also makes very good economic
sense to make sure that whatever a business does, it is doing it
safely from an environmental point of view.
Companies who use chemicals or
manufacturing processes that produce hazardous waste will not only
be breaking the law if they don’t comply with regulations; they may
also find themselves excluded from tendering for work because they
do not have the right practices in place. This is especially true
of smaller businesses which offer their services to bigger
contractors. Those contractors now expect smaller companies they
work with to have some sort of environmental accreditation. Even if
they assign work to businesses that are not accredited they will
still expect those businesses to have some sort of environmental
management system in place.
“Being accredited puts you at the top
of the pecking order when it comes to tenders,” says Ray McCabe,
Environmental Consultant with Mentor. “If you have your
accreditation in the form of a BSI logo on your letterhead it tells
people that you are fulfilling the criteria and they are much more
likely to consider you for work.” Ray recently helped a husband and
wife decorating company, doing decorating work for local
authorities and also as sub-contractors to other firms. Steve and
Paula Hill, of SG Hill Decorators in Reading, realised they were in
danger of missing out on valuable work because they did not have
ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard of good
environmental management. They were already ‘signed up’ with Mentor
for Employment Law and Health & Safety. “I saw that Mentor was
now offering an environmental service,” says Paula, “so I asked if
they could help us.”
Steve attended a one-day environmental
awareness course and then Ray McCabe visited the business to see
what they needed and designed an environmental management system
(EMS), working with Paula over a period of months to implement the
system. “Because we’re using paint,” explains Paula, “we had
already set up a collection service from all our paint suppliers
for empty paint pots. We also have an ICI washout system for
cleaning brushes and rollers because we can’t let any paint get
into water courses. Now, the EMS helps Paula to identify
legislation she needs to comply with, to set objectives and targets
for compliance and recognise areas of the business that create an
environmental impact.
Eventually, after audits from BSI, SG
Hill Decorators were awarded 14001 certification, which they now
proudly display on their letterhead. Paula was delighted with the
service she received from Mentor and now feels that the business is
in a much better position to win contracts in the future. “This
accreditation is quite a new thing,” she says, “but with the way
things are going and the way that environmental issues are
impacting them, companies are going to get more concerned and aware
of who they use with regard to environmental issues.”
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how
RBS
Mentor could
help your business in situations like this and many
others, contact
us today. If you already subscribe
to Mentor, please call the Advice
Service.