Summit secures international standards

UK-based Access platform and telehandler hire specialist Summit Platforms has achieved two international standards - ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety.

They are added to ISO 9001 for quality management, which the company already held, to create a suite of standards that give customers assurances about the quality, safety and sustainability of Summit Platforms’ services.

The company underwent a series of stringent external audits, including site visits, to achieve the ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 standards, which apply to all 10 Summit Platforms depots.

Summit Platforms MEWPs undertake steel erection. (Photo: Summit Platforms)

Andrew Cox, the company’s National Business Support Manager, managed the ISO standards application and audit process. He said, “Every colleague at Summit Platforms can feel proud of their contribution to achieving these standards. They’re closely aligned with how we want to do business, and how we serve our customers every day.

“For ISO 14001 we had to provide detailed evidence of the systems we have in place to protect the environment and work sustainably. The work we do to continuously improve performance in this area was key to our success.

“Occupational health and safety is a priority for us. But to achieve ISO 45001 we had to show our relevant policies and procedures are the correct ones and are used to deliver real results, which we were able to demonstrate.”

Summit Platforms Director Gordon McGill said: “These standards act as guiding principles for how we do business and should give our clients enhanced confidence in our services.

“Working at height has clear risks and operating a large hire fleet like ours creates significant environmental challenges. Using these standards to help us benchmark our daily performance and business strategy will be a significant help as we move forward.”

The requirements to achieve ISO 45001 are laid out in seven clauses: organisational context, leadership and participation, health and safety planning, support, operational control, performance evaluation, and having a process of continuous health and safety improvement.

ISO 14001 requires organisations to demonstrate they have robust systems in place, including an environmental monitoring system for key environmental controls including: resource use, energy, waste, and pollution.