Dorin Holdings // +44 (0) 191 214 0360 // Dorin Construction, Gilwood Mast, D & K Plant Hire

Following two intensive audits, Kingston-Park based Dorin Construction, which employs 150 people, has become one of the first construction contractors of its size in the region to achieve the ISO 14001 award.

The company - which specialises in care homes, rehabilitation centres, school and hospital refurbishments, social housing and commercial developments - has implemented an environmental management system involving every aspect of the company’s activities which impact the environment.

It comes as clients are increasingly requiring companies to demonstrate, when tendering for new projects and during the implementation of schemes, their commitment to sustainable practices.

Contracts and environmental manager Paul O’Brien said: “It took a real team effort to gain accreditation. It required significant investment in respect of management and staff time, together with a substantial financial investment, to achieve the standard.

“Many clients, such as local authorities and health authorities are demanding you now have an environmental qualification that means you have policies in place to safeguard the environment and this is the highest you can achieve.”

In his report on Dorin, ISO 14001 assessor Steve Burt said: “A very well implemented system has been assessed. It has been particularly well designed, with excellent evidence of implementation and understanding of requirements at site level."

“The site managers who were assessed, and in particular the management representative, are to be commended.”

To achieve ISO 14001, a company has to show a certified system in place to monitor, manage and continuously improve its environmental management system.

For Dorin, this has meant all employees must be aware of how their job can impact the environment, the waste that is generated by its sites has to be carefully managed, and its workers need to understand about recycling and saving energy.

All construction staff have also been trained to NVQ Level 1in site waste management.

Periodic reviews of the system, by a third party, will take place to ensure that it continues to be effective in the future.

Mr O’Brien adds: “Every aspect of our work impacts the environment. To be able to achieve IS0 14001, to the standard you have to meet, demonstrates that we have a robust system to ensure our methods reduce this impact and safeguards the environment for the future.”

Ends

Notes to editors:
Issued on behalf of Dorin Construction by Fish Freelance Communications. For more information, please contact Sara Fisher. Tel: 01670 538 772/ 07966 937 963. Email: sara@fishfc.com.