News

Cherokee’s Shanghai Facility Certified to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001

June 12, 2007 by Jeff Shepard

Cherokee International announced that its Shanghai, China, facility has successfully completed the audit of International Standards Organization’s ISO 14001 certification for environmental practices by QMI, a management system registrar. In addition, the facility is now also certified to the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series OHSAS 18001. OHSAS is an internationally recognized standard for occupational health and safety management systems to address changing legislation and protect workforces.

"Our world-class facility in Shanghai is strategically located at the point of consumption for some of our largest customers who already have a manufacturing presence in China," stated Jeffrey M. Frank, President and CEO for Cherokee International. "With these last two certifications for our newly completed China plant, our customers can be assured that Cherokee International China Operations is compliant with the latest requirements for environmental practices and health and safety management."

ISO is a voluntary, global federation of national standards bodies. To encourage a pro-active approach to environmental management, the ISO 14001 guidelines provide organizations with an environmental management system designed to link sound environmental practices with the overall business strategy and practices. A comprehensive audit measures all corporate environmental impacts, creating a baseline for continual improvements. Environmental and economic benefits of ISO 14001 include an overall control of environmental affairs, cost savings through reduced energy consumption and waste, use of recoverable resources, and an educated and informed workforce that actively participates in continuous improvements related to the environment.

In order to facilitate the integration of occupational health and safety management systems by organizations, OHSAS 18001 was developed. This is an international occupational health and safety management system specification to be compatible with the ISO 9001 quality-management system and ISO 14001 environmental-management system standards. The OHSAS management system helps to eliminate or minimize risk to employees and other interested parties who may be exposed to risks associated with the company’s activities.