Official accreditation of NSAI OHSAS 18001

NSAI Certification Allows Irish Companies Trade and Compete Anywhere in the World

NSAI has received official accreditation of its OHSAS 18001 health & safety certification service by INAB (Irish National Accreditation Board). This consolidates NSAI’s position as a global provider of certification services and the additional accreditation means that NSAI now has global recognition to the top five management standards in the world. 

Adding health & safety to the already accredited quality, environmental, food and energy management systems standards ensures that Irish companies can have a certified presence, compete, and operate efficiently anywhere in the world. These five standards also provide a competitive edge and open new markets for Irish companies. Certification with NSAI offers enhanced opportunities for Irish companies’ as they enter international markets and compete in tender processes where certification to global standards is becoming the expected norm.

NSAI’s membership of the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) means that construction companies who are certified by NSAI to OHSAS 18001 have a competitive advantage in tender competitions. This is particularly important in the UK, where many tender competitions cite 18001 certification recognised by SSIP as a pre-requisite to comply with Health and Safety conditions and third party certification.

“The market is getting more competitive as Irish businesses enter new and international markets to gain market share. Global recognition ensures that companies can tender, trade, and operate effectively in these new markets. Irish companies are seeing the benefit of having certification to standards and believe they are more likely to create new jobs as a result. NSAI works with Irish companies to achieve these important standards and gain that competitive edge,” said Fergal O’Byrne, Head of Business Excellence, NSAI Certification.

John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd, a member of the SISK Group, is an international construction company who has been operating in the construction sector for 150 years. One of the factors that allow the SISK Group to go from strength to strength in the current difficult climate is their certification to international standards. SISK are working on the Cross Rail Project in London where being registered to these globally recognized standards is a pre-requisite.

“NSAI’s international recognition of their standards is adding value to our business and it allows us to continue to operate in international markets. Crossrail is currently one of the largest civil engineering projects in Europe and it demands best practice so NSAI’s continued investment in their standards makes it possible for us to continue working on this and other similar important project,” said Tony Sheridan, HSEQ Manager, SISK.

The European Commission recognises accreditation as the preferred mechanism for the elimination of technical barriers to trade and sees it as essential for the correct operation of a transparent and quality-oriented market. NSAI’s management and certification schemes conform to national, European and international standards / specifications. The wide range of certification services and NSAI’s global presence, (NSAI is accredited by three bodies - all of which are members of the International Accreditation Forum - IAF) enables Irish companies to tender for contracts in Ireland and on international markets.

Resent research commissioned by NSAI surveyed 351 Managing Directors and CEO’s of Irish businesses about attitudes to standards. The research showed that 4 out of 5 companies see the benefit of standards.

Some highlights from the research are:

• 57% of companies that use standards believe they are more likely to create new jobs than companies that don’t;
• 82% of companies believe multinationals are more likely to do business with an Irish company that adheres to internationally recognised standards;
• Compliance with standards is becoming a pre-requisite in tender competitions according to 72% of Irish companies.

 

Links

• NSAI OHSAS 18001 health & safety certification
• SSIP Safety Schemes in Procurement

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NSAI Press Officer
Tel: 01 807 3804
Email: info@nsai.ie