Oonagh O’Doherty, corporate health and safety officer, Derry City Council, Sharon O’Connor, Chief Executive, and Mayor Brenda Stevenson pictured with the 18001 certificate presented to Derry City Council (Photo – Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)
Derry City Council has become the first council in Northern Ireland to achieve the OHSAS 18001 standard in the area of Health and Safety management across its three council directorates.
The OHSAS 18001 standard is internationally accepted as a method of assessing and auditing occupational health and safety management system and is based on the most stringent legislation.
In order to achieve the standards stipulated by business standards company BSI, Council carried out a series of audits to first establish a baseline for health and safety performance, before refining and improving management processes and introducing stricter policies and controls to meet the rigorous health and safety management criteria.
Mayor of Derry Councillor Brenda Stevenson said the improved standards would favourably impact on both costs and services delivered right across the council.
She said: “I would like to acknowledge all the work that has gone into achieving this certification at every level of the council,” she said.
“The result will not only benefit our employees in terms of maintaining a safer working environment, it will also benefit the public in terms of using leisure facilities and accessing other council run properties and public events.
“Improved services also enhance efficiency which impacts on costs, so the benefits of this certification are significant on a number of levels.”
Derry City Council’s Corporate Health and Safety Officer, Oonagh O’Doherty said the award had set a new precedent for Council areas in the Northern Ireland.
She added: “The 18001 is an internationally recognised standard which organisations strive to achieve through the implementation of sound occupational health and safety practices.”
“We are delighted to have become the very first council to achieve this standard across all service areas.
“Staff at every level in the council have worked extremely hard to refine current practices in areas such as risk assessment, accident prevention, absenteeism, safe systems at work, and training for staff in health and safety.”
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