ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications

WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE PARKS RECEIVE HIGHEST INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY CERTIFICATIONS
- Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo are first zoological institutions in Southeast Asia to achieve both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications

Singapore, March 18, 2009 – All three Wildlife Reserves Singapore (“WRS”) parks – Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo - are the first zoological institutions in Southeast Asia to be awarded the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications. Only two other zoos – Aalborg Zoo in Denmark and Beijing Zoo in China - had the rare distinctions of receiving both certifications. Hence, WRS’ three parks have become the third, fourth and fifth zoological institutions to have received these double honours.

The ISO 14001 is the highest international accreditation for commitment to and adoption of a system of best practices in environmental management while the OHSAS 18001 is the highest international certification awarded for implementation of stringent specifications for occupational health and safety management system.

Out of the more than 1000 zoological institutions in the world, WRS’ three parks are amongst the first few zoological institutions to receive international certification of compliance with the highest standards in environment, health and safety standards.

“At WRS, we strive to be an ecological-intelligent organisation. Our goal is to achieve world-class standards in health and safety, reduction of environmental impact, efficient resources management, community engagement, and employee and guest satisfaction. We all live in an infinitely connected world with finite resources. To save our wildlife, we cannot afford the luxury of ignoring the impact our actions have on the environment. The way forward is to adopt a sensible and sustainable lifestyle,” says Ms Fanny Lai, Group CEO, Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Implementation of Environmental, Health and Safety Management Systems

As strong proponents of conservation, the three parks have continuously supported and promoted conservation and sustainability through public education. They have formed an internal “Green Team” to constantly look for ways to improve their environment footprint.

Some of the parks’ conservation initiatives include adopting environment management as a business strategy; reducing energy as well as water consumption and the amount of waste sent to the landfill to reduce pollution. In addition, infrastructure design and operation standards utilise materials from natural resources efficiently.

Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce

Internally, Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo have embarked on numerous environmentally-friendly measures. Everyday, the parks harvest 150 kg of browse to feed its animals, and seeds on the ground are collected to germinate plants. Staff are encouraged to practise the 3Rs – recycle, reuse and reduce. Photocopying is kept to a minimal and sugar cane paper is used for photocopying. To save energy, air-conditioning in offices is automatically switched off during lunch time. All air-conditioners are set at 24 degrees and all computers are installed with hibernation modes. As for takeaway staff meals, instead of using plastic bags it is replaced with the use of paper lunch boxes made of corn and yam fibre.

Benefits of ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001

The benefits of having attained both accreditations are numerous as it will not only go towards inspiring employees to be proactively involved in environmental protection but will also improve efficiency in monitoring the results of the parks’ conservation initiatives. With the certification, WRS parks will continue to keep abreast of new environmental legislation in a speedier manner.

“We believe that it is essential to have a framework established so that we are better equipped to embark on a continuous journey to improve the environment. The framework will also aid in reduction of wastage, energy and materials which help trim the parks’ operating costs,” Ms Lai adds.

The certifications by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance are the universally recognized standards for environmental, health and safety management systems. They are awarded to companies audited and proven to have implemented environmentally friendly and have good occupational health practices.

About the Certification

The ISO14001 is a universally recognized environmental standard, awarded to companies that show a commitment to being environmentally friendly. The OHSAS 18001 is an Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series for health and safety management systems.

The certification is by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance which operates across a wide range of industry sectors with assessors of specialist environmental experience and knowledge. A surveillance audit will be done every six months and the certification will be reviewed and renewed every three years.

About Wildlife Reserves Singapore

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) is the parent company of award-winning attractions Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo. WRS parks strive to be world-class leisure attractions, providing excellent exhibits of animals and birds presented in their natural environment for the purpose of conservation, education and recreation. In 2008, Jurong Bird Park served 900,000 visitors, the Night Safari, more than 1.1 million visitors and Singapore Zoo welcomed more than 1.6 million visitors.

WRS parks have been conferred the Best Leisure Attraction Experience Award at the Singapore Tourism Awards 18 times. The record achievement affirms WRS parks’ status as Singapore’s premier leisure venues. In the areas of conservation and research, WRS parks have undertaken multiple projects, which focus on species such as the oriental pied hornbill, pangolin and orang utan, through collaborations with various organisations and institutions. Recent conservation efforts include hosting a regional Asian pangolin conservation workshop. All WRS parks are designated wildlife rescue centres by the governing authority.