Integrated Certification of ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 mark a first for Dubai Duty Free

The retail operation has spent the past nine months reviewing the existing ISO 14001 environmental procedures and integrating the health and safety procedures of the OHSAS 18001 into one Integrated Management System.

Commenting on the certification, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation, Dubai said: "Dubai Duty Free was one of the first government organisations to achieve ISO14001 certification three years ago and has now taken a major step forward by integrating health and safety standards into the existing system, thereby setting a new operational benchmark."

The ISO 14001 and OHSAS18001 certification was presented by SGS Gulf, a division of SGS International, one of the most respected certification bodies worldwide.

"The certification signals the introduction of new operational procedures in Dubai Duty Free," said Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director. "As an operation, we move over two million items of stock every year to our various outlets. This certification has helped us focus and improve certain procedures, such as secure stacking, forklift regulations and the use of protective clothing by our staff. I would like to thank all of our staff for achieving this new milestone and in particular the in-house certification team of Anne Smith and Osama Al Gergawi who worked so hard to ensure that the criteria was met."

As part of its certification policy, Dubai Duty Free, which employs over 1,000 staff, will continually monitor and reduce environmental impacts and health and safety risks in order to provide a safe and environmentally friendly environment for its employees, customers and neighbours.