Introduction of an eco-friendly mindset across the entire management area through ISO 14001 certification
To build an eco-friendly management system, the company acquired the certificate for ISO 14000 from Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) in 1996 when the ISO 14000 standard was established. After that, the company has been audited every three years, reaching the third renewal in 2007 by Korea Gas Safety Corporation (KGS).
While environmental issues have gained global attention since the Uruguay Round was launched in December 1993, Kumho Mitsui Chemicals has introduced an eco-friendly mindset proactively across
all sectors, including products, production, distribution, and services, for continuous improvement. Acquiring the ISO 14001 certificate was an opportunity to introduce a eco-friendly mindset across all sectors. Together with it, the company has gained various effects such as building autonomous environmental management systems at working sites, the settlement of a green management, the systemization of the development of environment-related technologies, and the development of efficient new technologies.
Certificates
ISO 14001 is one of those from the ISO 14000 series, an international standard established by TC 207 of ISO for the environment management system.
The ISO 14000 series, an international standard, includes an environmental management system (ISO 14001), an environmental auditing series (ISO 14010), an environmental labeling series (ISO 14020), an environmental performance evaluation (ISO 14030), and an entire process evaluation (ISO 14040).
Among those, ISO 14001 is considered to be the most critical. When an organization (or a business) acquires an ISO 14001 certificate, it means that the organization takes environmental management as the policy for business management based on the requirements of ISO 14001 and sets specific and detailed objectives and, after that, regulates organizations and procedures, and allocates workforce and physical resources efficiently to set up an organizing system systematically and improve the environment steadily.
Enhancement of the corporate image for “Prevention of Safety Accidents” by acquiring the OHSAS 18001 certificate
To realize sites with optimal safety and health, the company acquired the certificate for OHSAS 18001 from Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS), an international certification institute, in 2000, and has practiced the standard accordingly.
With the standard, the company has been able to reduce possible major accidents significantly in a short period. It is because the company has been capable of identifying and taking measures for risk factors. In addition, the company has been able to improve their corporate image by preventing accidents.
Certificates
OHSAS 18001 stands for Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001, which consists of specifications (18001) and guidelines (18002). It is designed to help companies generate profits and manage the safety of its members systematically by shifting from previous activities that focused on the safety manager to new activities, in which the CEO, all the members, and interested persons can participate, making it possible to predict and prevent risks that could occur during the activities. The British Standards Institution (BSI) plays a central role, and the auditing and standardization institutes of other major countries participate. In case of Japan, KHK (The High Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan) participated.
OHSAS 18001 stipulates the requirements for a safety and health management system for an organization to manage health risks and improve performance achievement.
In addition, CEOs of companies are required to establish policies for safety and health in their companies as well as relevant objects with regard to the implementation of the policies.
At the same time, the division of works of an organization, the endowment of responsibility and authority, and detailed procedures and instructions need to be established to allow all employees to perform their own tasks according to responsibility, authority, and work instructions, Companies need to respond to various regulations and restrictions.
In addition, they are also required to be responsible for groups of interested people.
This explains why the OHSAS 18001 certificate is required. By acquiring the OHSAS 18001 certificate, companies can manage the prevention of risks in the working sites of a company systematically, thereby helping reduce the rate of accidents due to disasters. This will lead to the increase of the operation rate of a facility, thereby increasing productivity.
