OSHA News

NORFOLK ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE SERVICES – THE JOURNEY TO COMPLIANCE

Norfolk Environmental Waste Services (NEWS) is a leading waste management company in East Anglia, UK, at the forefront of innovative new approaches to the handling and management of waste.  From their pioneering approach to recycling, reuse and composting through to landfill design, construction and operation, NEWS delivers a complete range of waste management solutions.

Its facilities are among the most modern in Europe.  NEWS also operates commercial collections of general trade and recyclable waste, WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and hazardous waste collections.

Since 1993, NEWS has been an arms-length Company of Norfolk County Council (a  so-called LAWDC), operating landfill, transfer stations, a modern recycling plant - taking all of Norfolk’s collected recyclables, and is “Preferred Bidder” for a residual waste treatment contract for Norfolk - which will handle 150,000 tonnes of residual waste per year, going live in 2011.

Justin Galliford is the Operations Development Manager at NEWS, brought in to integrate environmental, health and safety and quality management systems, gain certification for each (to ISO14001, OHSAS18001 and ISO9001) and create a software framework that could bring tangible business efficiencies as well as enable future expansion as the business grows from the current six sites, which are anything up to fifty miles apart.

Justin realised that there were three key drivers for the project:-

1. The need to streamline ways of working (internal performance and efficiency drivers) whilst rolling out the NEWS “culture”;
2.  An increasing requirement in the market-place for certified management systems, that is, NEWS’ commercial waste collection prospective customers were insisting that compliance to recognised standards gave them assurance, and without it they could not bid for some new business; and                                   3.   To retain existing clients, differentiation from competitors in the form of systems certified to 14k, 18k and 9k was an advantage.

 Says Justin, “It was obvious that the use of technology to help gain and maintain triple certification was the route to follow, so we instituted a formal tender process, short-listing to 3 companies, of which Entropy Software was one.

After presentations and capabilities demonstrations, Entropy Software was chosen by the Board as the successful bidder, as they offered several years’ experience, expertise and domain knowledge, as well as overall value for money.  Being part of BSI Group was also important, as it provided further credibility and financial stability as we move forward and potentially expand the project.  We are now beginning to implement the software platform and have had initial kick-off and training sessions with Entropy project specialists who will be helping to ensure project success.”

Justin reports to David Beadle, MD of NEWS, who says, “I am excited by this project, and am hopeful that within twelve months it will be delivering tangible commercial benefits, to show an attractive payback period which will justify the original compelling business case”.

For more information, contact:-

Paul Stanfield, Entropy Software      Justin Galliford, NEWS

paul.stanfield@bsigroup.com           justin.galliford@norfolk-waste.co.uk

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