National accreditation

November 28th 2017

Eton Environmental Group has achieved an internationally recognised health and safety standard.

Eton have been certified, by the British Standards Institution (BSI), to the occupational health and safety management system OHSAS 18001:2007.

It is in recognition of the policies, procedures and controls the company has put in place to achieve the best possible working conditions and workplace health and safety, aligned to internationally recognised best practice.

This is very important to Eton given its staff are responsible for carrying out surveys to identify potentially-deadly material such as asbestos in buildings or legionella in water systems.

Andrew Graham, Eton’s Quality Manager, said: “As a company working in fields we do, the health and safety of our staff, and customers, is of paramount importance.

“We already had very robust procedures and policies in place to protect our staff at work, but over the past 18 months we have been working towards achieving BSI accreditation, which further underlines our commitment to ensuring we have the very best occupational health and safety management system in place.”

Every year, an estimated 2.78 million people die across the world from an accident at work or an illness caused by work activities – more than 7,500 every day.

A huge proportion of these deaths – 2.4 million – are from work-related diseases, including cancer. In addition to the terrible human cost, the burden of occupational injuries and diseases is significant, both for employers and the wider economy, resulting in losses from early retirements, staff absence, rising insurance premiums, lost reputation and lower productivity.

In addition to the OHSAS 18001:2007 standard, Eton is already accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) to carry out asbestos surveys and laboratory testing. It is also an accredited contractor on the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment (CHAS) scheme, which demonstrates to public and private sector organisations that it meets all necessary health and safety requirements.

Andrew added: “We never rest on our laurels when it comes to health and safety and are committed to continually improving employee health and safety, reducing workplace risks and creating healthier, safer working conditions.”

Eton employs 55 staff working in its head office in Darlington and from other offices in the North West, Midlands and South. Its clients include Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Willmott Dixon, Pizza Hut, River Island, Safe Style, The Crown Estate, Capita and CBRE.