Komatsu Australia has achieved ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 which reflect its commitment to safety and environmental management.
The two standards are internationally recognised standards for occupational health and safety management as well as environmental management respectively.
Komatsu executive general manager for safety and sustainability Henrietta Jukes said achieving the rigorous standards underlines Komatsu’s commitment to improving employee safety, reducing workplace risks and creating better environmental outcomes.
“Komatsu Australia’s certification underscores its dedication to integrating best-practice management across its operations,” she said.
“This certification says to our staff and our communities that we are looking after your safety and the environment and to our customers it says here is a business that is absolutely committed to best practice in every part of our operations.
“At Komatsu, safety is at the heart of everything we do. Achieving both these accreditations is a testament to our team’s unwavering commitment to continuous improvement in workplace health and safety and environmental management. This milestone reflects our proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks while fostering a culture of safety and sound environmental practices across all levels of our organisation.”
The certification process included extensive audits across multiple Komatsu Oceania sites, assessing the effectiveness of its safety and environmental management systems, policies and procedures.
A total of 22 sites were audited over a rigorous six-week period, during which independent assessors evaluated the company’s commitment to identifying hazards, mitigating risks and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The audit process also confirmed that Komatsu was already well aligned with the requirements of ISO 45001 prior to certification, highlighting the robustness of its existing safety management framework.
The environmental audit was conducted by different auditors, in parallel with the safety audits.
“The management system we had in place at Komatsu did already adhere to the principles of the Standards, because we genuinely do have a big focus on safety and environmental protection, but to actually achieve the certification is a big task,” Jukes said.
“We appointed a national HSSE assurance and systems manager to oversee the process; the organisation made a real commitment to doing this. We did a gap analysis first then we reviewed all our policies, our procedures and went through a process of updating 180 or so procedures to align them to legislation, align them to state requirements, and then also align them to best practice, most importantly.
“We have very few environmental incidents but there’s a lot of new initiatives that we’re starting from a sustainability perspective, especially around waste, because of this very rigorous management system.”
Helen Goudy oversaw the process as national HSSE Assurance and systems manager. She said the certification was the result of collaboration across the business.
“The audit process was incredibly thorough, with assessors closely examining our procedures, risk assessments and employee engagement in initiatives. We had the option just to go for head office certification, but we didn’t do that. We wanted certification for all of our branches,” Goudy said.
“The feedback from the audit confirmed that our systems not only meet but exceed the standard requirements. We are very proud of this milestone, which reinforces our responsibility to provide a safe and supportive workplace for all, with a firm focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility.”
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