Sahara Group subsidiary, So Aviation, bags ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications

So Aviation Fuel Limited, a member of the Sahara Group, has been awarded the ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications after being audited and found to meet the requirements of the aforementioned management systems based on industry best practice and upholding globally acclaimed occupational, health, environmental and safety processes.

Sahara Group is a leading privately-owned Power, Energy and Infrastructure Conglomerate with operations in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

So Aviation, with its core business in the supply of aviation fuel, is the first Nigerian company in the aviation sector to achieve this feat which certifies the company as having the right competencies, processes and equipment required to ensure sustainable health safety standards for domestic, regional and international airline operators.

According to Mr. Alistair Morrison, Managing Director, So Aviation, the company is delighted with the certifications, having been a recipient of several other awards that reinforce So Aviation's commitment to being a foremost provider of the highest quality aviation fuel.

Morrison said So Aviation, which already has the ISO 9001:2008 certification that endorses its quality management systems, continues to present its operations and processes for ongoing audits to ensure total quality assurance. He also said the achievement was driven by the dedication and expertise of So Aviation's workforce.

'At So Aviation, just like every member of the Sahara Group, we are driven by the vision to continuously surpass our clients’ service delivery expectations by applying the best known standards in all our operations. So Aviation's unwavering commitment to service excellence has made us the benchmark for customer experience, earning us these important certifications as well as the patronage of leading domestic and international airlines. This is yet another huge achievement for us and we are happy to dedicate it to our existing and prospective customers,' Morrison said.

Morrison said So Aviation had before now, received several excellent reports from International Air Transport Association (IATA) and IATA Fuel Quality Pool (IFQP) thus becoming their strategic partners for over five years.

'In fact, IATA has acknowledged that So Aviation's quality standards are comparable with the best into plane fueling companies in the world. Our company's operations are regularly inspected and audited by the IATA Fuel Quality Pool (IFQP), International and local airlines and International Oil Companies to ensure that these standards are being maintained in accordance with global best practice,' the company's CEO stated.

The OHSAS 18001:2007 and ISO 14001:2004 are amongst the foremost international certifications that are very relevant to the Aviation industry.

The OHSAS 18001:2007 Certification ensures a proactive and preventive emphasis on risk control factors by identifying and assessing the likelihood of hazards in the workplace.

A strong occupational health and safety management system is necessary to decrease accidents and illnesses linked to the workplace.

An organization’s conformance to OHSAS 18001, safeguards employees, clients and other stakeholders from as few risks as possible, while third-party certification authenticates that an organization has taken steps to avoid accidents and hazardous situations using a comprehensive and effectively implemented system.

The ISO 14001:2004 is a management tool that enables an organization to Identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products and services.

It also helps to improve environmental performance continually, through the implementation of systematic objectives and ability to demonstrate that they have been met.

So Aviation has a healthy fleet of 17 bowsers with a total capacity of 735,000 liters across its West African network.

The company has one ofthe newest fleet of bowsers in Nigeria with an average age of two years in an industry where the age range is 5 to 10 years. The bowsers still remain the youngest fleet of bowsers in West Africa with the youngest being 3 months.

All the bowsers have the Jet Guard Particle Analyzer developed by Peco Facet installed on them. These analyzers detect water and solid particles and truncate fueling once detected.