City Developments Limited (CDL) is the first private sector developer in Singapore to achieve the ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) certification for setting benchmarks for environmental, health and safety (EHS) performances in property development and project management.
Commenting on CDL’s pioneering achievement, Mr Eddie Wong, CDL General Manager (Projects) said. “CDL believes that protecting the environment and providing safe and healthy worksites is a social responsibility of corporate citizens. As a major developer, we want to offer a living environment that is conducive for a healthy and comfortable lifestyle. Our emphasis on EHS issues highlights our commitment to providing a better quality of life to our community. Very often, environmental issues are left to be addressed by the contractors at the construction stage. However, our System exemplifies a client-driven approach where we influence both our consultants and contractors to produce environmentally friendly buildings that are easy to maintain and efficient to operate."
CDL's commitment to an effective environmental management system is seen in its rigorous planning and implementation. To ensure a "Safe and Green" Culture, CDL has formulated an EHS Policy to monitor and control the organisation's impact of its activities on the environment. EHS issues are addressed throughout the planning, procurement and construction stages. The core of CDL’s ISO14001 and OHSAS18001 Management System lies in “CDL 5-Star Field Assessment System”, where independent auditors are appointed to audit CDL’s contractors in terms of EHS compliance, training, communication and etc. The contractors are graded on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. The results of the quarterly audits are shared with all contractors and consultants, with good and bad practices highlighted, to create awareness and encourage continual improvements among them. (Refer to Annex A for details of CDL’s EHS Management System).
"CDL's implementation of an environmental and OHS management system for their projects sets an example for all parties in the construction value chain (developers, consultants, contractors) working together to strive towards safe and green construction,” said Mr Tan Tian Chong, BCA’s Director of Technology Development.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and Defence, Mr Koo Tsai Kee presented the certification to CDL at the Opening Ceremony of Baucon Asia 2003 on 19 Nov 2003.
Annex A
Details of City Development Limited’s (CDL) ISO14000 and OHSAS18000 Management System<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
CDL’s ISO14000 and OHSAS18000 Management System covers the planning, procurement and construction phases of property development.
1) Planning
During the planning phase, CDL requires consultants to consider the design aspects which may have an impact on the environment. Maintainability of the buildings is conscientiously looked into. In addition, design considerations take into account minimisation of the occupational health and safety risks during construction and subsequent occupation.
2) Project Procurement
Specification reviews are conducted to determine the environmentally friendly systems and materials to be used. Contractors are required to align their environmental and safety objectives to those of CDL. Before commencement of construction work, each contractor is required to present an EHS plan addressing CDL’s EHS requirements.
3) Performance Assessment and Continuous Monitoring
During construction, CDL monitors the EHS performance of all the contractors with a unique EHS assessment system (“CDL 5-star EHS Assessment”). This System employs a grading system to measure the level of environmental and safety performance of the contractors. The Assessment is conducted quarterly by independent auditors appointed by CDL. Following each assessment, a Review Seminar is held to share the assessment results and the good and bad practices. The Seminar encourages friendly competition amongst the contractors to spur them to continually improve their EHS performances.