OHSAS 18001:2007 Certification for Medica

January 2009

Medica Packaging, Crewe, Cheshire, the pharmaceutical packaging facility of the Benson Group, has announced that it has attained the standard required for Occupational Health & Safety Management System 18001:2007, as applicable to the manufacture of printed, folding cartons. This latest award upgrades the certification at Medica, which had previously gained the 18001:1999 version of the standard. The award follows a similar achievement at Benson Group's headquarters in Bardon, Leicestershire.

The award represents an international occupational health and safety management system specification, embracing BS8800, AS/NZ 4801, NSAI SR 320 and a number of other publications. OHSAS 18001 has been developed to be compatible with the ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 14001 (Environmental) management systems standards, in order to facilitate the integration of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems by organizations, should they wish to do so.

The OHSAS specification gives requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, to enable an organisation to control its OH&S risks and improve its performance. "The standard provides a comprehensive specification to ensure that all aspects of the business are considered and managed," said Mark Kerridge, Managing Director of Benson Group.

"Whilst gaining this accreditation has involved considerable effort on our part, we believe that our customers will derive many benefits from the work that we have put in. By driving out risk and eradicating hazards within the company we are effectively reducing downtime and improving our workflow. It is about creating the least risky and most efficient way of working."

The OHSAS specification is focused on continuous improvement, and the company has put plans in place to regularly measure the effectiveness of the standard on a regular basis. "18001 illustrates to customers that we as a business are working to world class standards on a day-to-day basis, and therefore we are working both safely and effectively. Consistency in these areas leads to consistency of output, and that is a major benefit for our customers," added Andy Clough, Health & Safety Adviser at Medica, who successfully guided the business through the programme.