Kuwait City: The region's fastest growing ground handling company National Aviation Services (NAS) is now formally certified t the standards of EMS (Environmental Management Systems and OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety. With these certifications, NAS becomes the only aviation company in Kuwait to get an EMS and OHSAS approval.
A team of auditors from Bureau Veritas Quality Assurance audited the National Aviation Services EMS and OHSAS Systems and found the practices to be in compliance with international Quality standards, which resulted in the award of both certificates.
EMS stands for Environmental Management System and is referred to as ISO14001 standard. It is primarily a management system which addresses the full spectrum of environmental issues.
OHSAS stands for Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series and is referred to as OHSAS 18001 standard. It is an international standard giving requirements related to health and safety management systems. It enables organizations to have control over, and knowledge of, all relevant hazards resulting from normal operations and abnormal situations, and improve its performance.
"Our EMS certification proves that we are a company that puts a major emphasis on the impact we as a company have on the environment." quoted Naji Al-Ajmi, CEO of NAS. "Thanks to this certification, we will try and maintain a balance between the economy and the environment through a structured approach towards planning and implementing our growth strategies without impacting the environment negatively and this would include disposal of waste material, solids and liquids as well as emissions from motorized equipment." he added.
"Our OHSAS Certification on the other hand reinforces our commitment to protecting the safety of our employees while simultaneously improving the competence of our operations." he commented on the OHSAS Certification." Through OHSAS we will be have better control and reduce accidents, minimize hazards and increase efficiency thus enabling our customers to benefit from a focused service." he affirmed.
"Many of our airline customers are now dealing with environmental legislation from their respective countries. By achieving this standard we are meeting our customer's requirements and at the same time we are doing our part in regards to protecting the environment by following both national and international standards." said Bruce Richterkessing, Director of Operations at NAS.
"The addition of these two management systems indicates the clear commitment of NAS management to be proactive within our industry and to go beyond the minimum standard in all phases of our operation. In simple terms it reinforces our slogan of "Total Commitment Towards Quality." he concluded.
The EMS and OHSAS approvals were the fruition of many months of hard work put in by Mr. Adel Farrag, Bruce Richterkessing, Mr. Ravishankar Venkata and the NAS team under the executive sponsorship of the NAS senior management.
-Ends-
About National Aviation Services:
Based in Kuwait, NAS is a private airline ground handling company providing core airline services like Ground Support, Passenger Handling, Cargo Management, Engineering and Airport Lounges along with a host of value added services like meet and assist, ticketing & travel and airport facilitation services at the airports in Kuwait, Jordan and India. NAS is a member of the IATA Ground Handling Council (IGHC), GASA (Gulf Airport Services Agencies) & IAHA (International Aviation Handlers' Association) is approved by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and follows internationally adapted practices and procedures.
About "Bureau Veritas"
Bureau Veritas, founded 1828, is an international group with a core business of conformity assessment, applied in the areas of quality, health, safety, environment and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is present in 140 countries through its network of more than 700 offices and laboratories. Every day, more than 23,000 staff members, including many experts, serve over 280,000 customers throughout the world. Bureau Veritas is recognized and accredited by the largest national and international bodies.
For more information please contact:
National Aviation Services:
Rana Massouh
Media Relations Executive
Tel: +965 437 2301
Fax: +965 4372313
Email: ra.massouh@nas.com.kw
URL: www.nas.com.kw
Press Release 2008
