Len Talif (fifth left) hitting a gong to open the seminar.
SIBU: A seminar on ‘Awareness on Environmental Management System ISO 14001:2015 and its Legal Requirement’ was held here recently to create awareness on the need for industries to establish an environmental management system.
BN candidate for Kuala Rajang Datu Len Talif Salleh said the conservation of the environment was of paramount importance to prevent the extinction of flora and fauna to ensure balance of the ecosystem.
He said that in the face of modernization towards Vision 2020, the preservation of the environment was a core responsibility of all parties.
“Environmental management system ISO 14001:2015 is a management system that can assist organisations in ensuring compliance with the existing legislation as well as assessing the impact of management’s commitment in the preservation of environmental aspects of sustainable development,” he said when officiating at the opening of the seminar in Tanjung Manis.
Also present was National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Certification Training Manager Muhammad Fadhil Abu Bakar.
Quoting statistics from the Department of Standards Malaysia as of December last year, Len Talif said a total of 1,274 environmental management system (ISO14001) certification had been issued compared with 7,240 quality management system certification (ISO9001).
According to him, the implementation of ISO14001 was a systematic approach which encompassed commitment, objective, programme, aspects, impacts, legal compliance and continuous improvement.
With the ISO14001 certification, he said, an organization was qualified for recognition in compliance with the standards that had been set.
“In addition, the state government encourages industries to establish an environmental management system (ISO14001) which is comprehensive and to receive certification through the system.
“The establishment of this management system in an organization can raise awareness among employers and employees and in turn can reduce the dependency of compliance through enforcement,” he said.
Len Talif also said that the systematic approach and commitment from employers, the setting of the objectives, targets and programme, evaluation through internal audit and audit certification bodies would be able to improve the level of compliance within the industry.
In Malaysia, he said that the management and conservation of the environment was carried out in the context of sustainable development that rested on economic development, social development and environmental protection.
He said good environmental management would provide a competitive advantage for businesses to compete in the global market.
“It can also emphasise the need for human resources to increase productivity, morale and efficiency of the staff in terms of environmental management and help comply with the legal requirements as stipulated in the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127) and regulations,” he added.