Manufacturing processes have come a long way in the last 20 years and green manufacturing is something that is clearly becoming increasingly important as customers demand products that meet the sustainability agenda. At the same time, dealing with ever tightening health and safety requirements must form a key part of this process.

With this in mind, Baggeridge Brick is spearheading the use of recycling in both the products and processes from its Rudgwick factory and also achieving new levels of health and safety performance.

Having become the first brick manufacturer to be awarded the highest health and safety standard, OHSAS 18001, Baggeridge has demonstrated that its working processes also take into account employee safety.

Greener manufacturing is a hot topic as a result of a rapid increase in interest in climate change issues. Baggeridge is helping to address environmental issues by not only using 19 per cent recycled material in products from its Rudgwick factory, but it also uses 100 per cent recycled water during the brick manufacturing process.

John Sandford technical director at Baggeridge Brick comments: “The Rudgwick factory really is ahead of its time in terms of the sustainability credentials of its manufacturing procedure.It has for many years been able to recycle the water collected in its quarry and it prides itself on the high recycled material content of its bricks, which incorporates coke breeze and low grade sand.

“We are also thrilled to be awarded the OHSAS 18001 health and safety award, as it’s something we have worked very hard to meet. It proves our clear commitment to the British Ceramic Confederation Health and Safety Pledge which is a collaborative effort between the manufacturers, the Trade Unions and the Health and Safety Executive towards improving workplace safety in the ceramic industry”

The prestigious OHSAS 18001 health and safety award demonstrates the brick manufacturer has a high level health and safety management system in place, and comes after a stringent external audit by CICS.

CICS is a self-funding, non-profit independent subsidiary of CERAM founded to provide specialist certification services to the UK ceramics industries.

April 2007