ISO 14001 accreditation for Prater

Prater, one of the UKs largest building envelope contractors, has been awarded ISO 14001 by DNV Certification Ltd for the company’s outstanding commitment to reducing its impact on the environment.

The award follows a 15 month process of developing an Environmental Management System There was a determined effort to involve all employee’s from reception to the management team, securing their commitment to actively reducing the company’s waste and carbon emissions.

“Achieving the certification marks an extremely positive step for Prater” commented Chris Leach, Environmental Director “It commends two years of hard work for everyone in our business, and enables us to demonstrate our high environmental standards to our clients and supply chain”.

A continuous programme of awareness workshops, tailored for each department’s needs, will ensure all employees throughout the company continue to be aware and actively involved in the company’s environmental performance.

Prater began developing this process in October 2007 using the guidelines in BS 8555 and attending workshops arranged by leading contractor Sir Robert McAlpine. This led to certification to all phases of BS 8555 by April 2008 and certification to ISO 14001 in December 2008.

Prater already has certfication to ISO 9001:2000, the internationally recognised standard for quality management systems, which along with OHSAS 18001 and their Investors in People recognition, ensure the company is always striving to develop both procedures and staff.

“Our processes and our people are at the heart of everything we do”, continues Chris “To be recognised in both areas is a significant achievement, and demonstrates our ability to balance maximising our productivity and reducing the impact of our activities on the environment”.

First published as a standard in 1996, ISO 14001 sets out the requirements for an Environmental Management System, applying specifically to those aspects which the company has control over and can influence. Moving forward, Prater will be continually improving the management programme through defined objectives and targets.