RMC granted environmental and health and safety certifications

Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) has been granted the ISO 14001 (Environmental management) and ISO 45001 (Occupational health and safety) certifications. The achievement is a testament to the company’s emphasis on socially responsible behaviour. RMC considers environmental and occupational health and safety aspects in all its operations and fulfils requirements as set by the standard. In practice, this includes a proactive stance on occupational health and safety measures, as well as on minimising non-recyclable waste.

On Monday 10 June, 2019, Rauma Marine Constructions received the ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications for the company’s commitment to environmental management and occupational health and safety. RMC was previously granted the ISO 9001:2015 certificate, demonstrating the company’s quality management and quality assurance.

The requirements included in the standard extend to all areas of operations, from vessel design to construction, as well as management and leadership.

“Achieving certifications always requires a great effort and is a noteworthy achievement,” states Janne Hihnala, Lead Welding Auditor, Bureau Veritas.

“These certifications demonstrate that RMC’s operations adhere to a socially responsible standard throughout the entire organisation and tools for the managing and controlling of everyday operations have been created on the basis of the standards,” continues Hihnala.

Emphasis on environment and health and safety above all

“In practice, being ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified means that RMC considers the environment along with sustainable development, for example by minimising landfill waste and ensuring safe working conditions together with its partner companies,” says Jarkko Merilä, QHSE Manager, Rauma Marine Constructions.

“In addition to the ISO 14001 standard, RMC also adheres to the environmental requirements set by Rauman Meriteollisuuskiinteistöt Oy (the company that oversees the properties located at the Seaside Industry Park). Furthermore, in addition to the requirements included in the standard, we also assess the environmental risks of our own operations, as well as those of our partner companies which may have an impact on us,” Merilä adds.

Considerable emphasis is also placed on the health and safety of RMC’s personnel, as well as other stakeholders. For example, all visitors are obliged to wear protective equipment around the production area and guided safety tours are carried out together with network partners.

“Ensuring safe working conditions at the shipyard is of utmost importance to RMC. This includes providing safety tours aimed at proactively preventing any accidents and ensuring safe working conditions, along with an ongoing active process to further develop safety measures at the shipyard. We always strive to detect any safety-related issues proactively and avoid accidents altogether. We have drafted an occupational healthcare action plan, along with an occupational safety and health action programme together with personnel representatives, occupational safety representatives and occupational healthcare representatives,” says Merilä.

Aim of continuous improvement

Being granted the certifications also means that the company has a plan to continuously improve operations moving forward. Achieving the ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications was included in the company’s strategy for the year 2019. RMC was previously granted the ISO 9001:2015 certificate.

“A certified system ensures that a high standard is met concerning our new builds, maintenance and conversion projects, and steel work for our customers. The certifications verify the reliability of our current system. Our customers can be certain that operational environmental risks concerning both the acquisition of equipment and production are minimised and constantly monitored. In addition, the environmental awareness and expertise of our personnel is key to the development work, which is also something we will place great emphasis on in the future,” concludes Merilä.

ISO 14001

• ISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system, created by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO).
• It is a tool for the management of environmental issues and a result-oriented development of actions
• The standard is based on the PDCA model (plan, do, check, act), which emphasises the systematic planning of operations, management, measuring and improving. It implements environmental issues to be an integral part of an organisation’s operations and aims to continuously improve operations.

ISO 45001

• ISO 45001 is an International Standard that specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, created by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO).
• It is a tool to improve occupational health and safety, minimise occupational risks and create healthier and safer working conditions.
• The ISO 45001 standard is also based on the PDCA model.