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Bureau of Standards Holds ISO 14000 Workshop

Contact: Primus Hutchinson

Tuesday, May 14, 2002 - The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, SLBS, is attempting to sensitize the local private and public sectors to a series of international standards relating to Environmental Management. To this end, the SLBS held a one day workshop at the Glen Castle Hotel Tuesday May 14, 2002, on ISO 1400 Family of International Standards and Environmental Management. These standards provide a framework for organizations to develop their environmental management systems, that would assist them to meet their environmental obligations and responsibilities.

Chairman of the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards environmental Management Technical Committee, Peter Norville explains that his committee is working along with the Bureau in terms of assisting and advising on how to proceed with the development of environmental standards.

“ We want to move ahead with public awareness and consensus activities, certainly to undertake reviews on a period basis on the whole implementation of these standards in the island and to collaborate with the Bureau on the establishment of the standardization infrastructure that will promote sustainable development and appropriate environmental development,” Norville said.

Director of the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, Dr. Allison Plummer noted that the question of developing standards is not a matter of choice anymore but one of obligation. She added that developing countries stand to benefit the most from international standards. Dr. Plummer said, while the developed world uses international standardization for industrial harmonization, developing countries are increasingly recognizing that standardization infrastructure is a basic condition for the success of economic policies aimed at achieving sustainable development.

Dr. Plummer emphasized the necessity to create such an infrastructure in developing countries. According to the Director of the SLBS, this will improve productivity, market competitiveness and export capability, which will allow for the transfer of the technical knowledge to countries like St. Lucia.

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