The Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR) awarded Ence’s biofactory in Pontevedra the ISO 45001: 2018 certificate, which recognizes the integration of Occupational Health and Safety in all plant processes.
After several months of effort and collaboration between the Health and Safety, Quality and Environment and Continuous Improvement teams, together with the workers’ representatives through the Safety Committee, the human team of the Lourizán biofactory was able to respond to the requirements requested in the Corrective Action Plan, thus completing the migration from the OHSAS 18001 certificate to this new certification.
Thanks to this recognition, Ence reaffirms itself as a company with a desire for continuous improvement in the area of Health and Safety at Work, managing to manage its risks in an effective way and reducing accidents and illnesses, which allows increasing operability, decreasing emergency situations and sick leave. In fact, the Pontevedra biofactory closed 2019 with a Frequency Index value of 2.42, a figure much lower than the average value of the index for the pulp, paper and card sector in Spain, which is stands at 18.93.
Ence continues to advance in the best international preventive practices consolidated in recent decades in the area of Occupational Risk Prevention, thanks to the fulfillment of such important aspects as the leadership and commitment of senior management, the elimination of hazards and the minimization of risks to through measures in constant improvement or the consultation and participation of workers at all levels of the organization.
Safety, at Ence, is part of the essential management variables of the company and is one of the pillars that underpin its commitment to sustainability, in order to contribute to improving people’s well-being, promoting economic and social development of the communities in which it is present and create sustainable value over time.
The iSO 45001: 2018 certificate is added to others already granted to the Pontevedra plant such as the ISO 1400 for Medium or the ISO 9001 for Quality. The biofactory is also voluntarily adhered to the European Eco-management and Audit System (EMAS). It was recognized with the Nordic Swan ecolabel, the official eco-label of the Scandinavian governments, and the Gold Distinction from the European Commission for its environmental performance. In 2019, it received the “Zero Waste” certificate from AENOR for its efficient management and recovery of waste.
