The East London Industrial Development Zone SOC Ltd (ELIDZ) has been recertified for the three International Organisation for Standardisation – (ISO) standards for Environmental Management, Occupational Health and Safety Management and Quality Management (SHEQ Management).
The recertification to the respective ISO 14001:2015 EMS, the ISO 45001:2018 OHSMS and the ISO 9001:2015 QMS versions of the standards, comes after successful completion of two surveillance audits and a re-certification audit conducted by independent SHEQ Management Systems accredited auditors over a three-year period.
The ISO certifications are an indication of the ELIDZ’s commitment and compliance to internationally recognised standards of best practices in terms of Environmental, Occupational Health & Safety and Quality management.
“We are very excited to be announcing, yet again, that we have been successful in maintaining our ISO certification status. In the wake of increasing developmental and operational activities, this is a massive achievement for the organization,” said Manager: Safety, Health, Environmental & Quality, Vernon Moonieya.
“These ISO standards are internationally recognised and demonstrate the organisation’s commitment to delivering superior quality products and service to all our stakeholders,” added Moonieya.
In addition to ISO SHE Management Systems being the global standard for best practice, it provides the requirements for an organisation seeking to prioritise sustainability so that it does not negatively impact the environment, community, or society as a whole. In this way, the viability of future generations is not compromised by the impacts of current developmental and operational activities. The ISO 14001 EMS is particularly critical to achieving environmental sustainability for sustainable industrial development.
The ISO 45001 OHSMS similarly supports sustainability by addressing risks and opportunities and providing the organisation with a best practice approach to managing the health and safety of its employees, service providers, construction contractors and other persons who may be affected by its activities. This responsibility includes protecting both physical and mental health of employees who are also economically active bread winners in their respective communities throughout the Buffalo City Municipal Metro.
The ISO 9001 QMS on the other hand, is globally recognised as the world’s best-known standard for Quality Management. It provides the organisation with a best practice approach to fulfilling customer needs and expectations with respect to quality of products and services, comprehensive risk management, ensuring that sales revenues and profitability targets are met, prioritizing the establishment and maintenance of corporate governance protocols, as well as employee satisfaction.
Maintaining SHEQ Management Systems ISO certifications requires sustained Top Management commitment as well as the continued dedication and cooperation of internal and external stakeholders. Collectively, they all have a major contribution to the year in and year out maintenance of these standards.
“Our commitment to continual improvement has a far-reaching effect on maintaining our ISO certification status. The ultimate goal is to have an integrated process approach with systems in place that consistently, efficiently and effectively support the of the organisation’s mandate,” concluded Moonieya.