Birmingham Airport (BHX) has recently been awarded certification to BS OHSAS 18001, the international standard for occupational health and safety management.
The vigorous assessment and audit of BHX by the UK certification body ISOQAR (part of the Alcumus Group), is evidence of the airport’s continued commitment to assuring the safety and well-being of the airports 500 employees and the 9 million passengers who pass through its doors annually.
By implementing BS OHSAS 18001 BHX can now confidently demonstrate that it has structured processes in place to manage and mitigate health & safety risks across its diverse operations. External verification by a UKAS accredited certification body such as ISOQAR provides assurance to stakeholders that the airport is operating in accordance with an industry recognised framework to better manage its legal and regulatory obligations.
Example health & safety risks faced by BHX include: incidents from aircraft turn-round activities, hazards associated with baggage handling tasks, perils related to personnel working at height and within confined spaces, machinery and plant equipment as well passenger slips, trips and other incidents within the airport concourse.
Nikki Samme, Director of Group Marketing at Alcumus Group said: “Demonstrating a robust health & safety management framework across such a challenging operation is a fantastic achievement. By formalising processes and systems in line with this internationally recognised standard, BHX is outwardly showcasing its commitment to continual improvement. I highly commend the team’s engagement and drive to achieving certification to this standard within such a demanding time frame of just eight months.”
Russel Drakeley, Health & Safety Manager at BHX said: “BHX is extremely proud of its safety record which we attribute to both the controls we put in place, as well as our operational culture. The achievement of BS OHSAS 18001 certification builds upon our existing best practice management processes and our commitment to protecting people within such a potentially hazardous environment. The focus on employee engagement, common goals and effective communication has cemented the ‘one team’ ethos shared by our staff in maintaining our impressive safety record.”
Compliance with the internationally recognised standard is expected to deliver further business benefits to BHX including:
· Reduction in the number of accidents and incidents
· Improved reporting and integrity of risk assessments
· Minimised risk of legal claims and penalties
· Enhanced reputation as an employer and responsible service provider
BHX is also in discussion with ISOQAR about evolving the management system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (enviornmental management).
For more information about the Alcumus Group and its products and services visit www.alcumusgroup.com
