JESSUP, MD — Tate Access Floors, Inc. announced the ISO 14001:2004 certification of its Red Lion, PA, and Jessup, MD, manufacturing facilities. ISO 14001 is a voluntary international standard of the International Standard Organization that defines the requirements for establishing, implementing and operating an environmental management system (EMS). To meet the requirements of ISO 14001:2004, a company must implement an EMS that identifies and controls the company’s environmental impact, reduces the risk of pollution, ensures compliance with applicable regulations and commits the company to continual improvement of its environmental performance.

“We are proud to add ISO 14001 certification to a growing list of achievements that recognize Tate’s long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and accountability,” said Ralph Mannion, General Manager for Tate. “With increasing frequency, customers are demanding environmentally responsible products and services. The ISO 14001 certification assures Tate customers that as a company we take a proactive approach to environmental compliance and protection, operating facilities that meet some of the highest environmental standards in our industry.”

As part of the ISO 14001 certification process, a company is audited by a third party registrar. Tate was audited by Lloyd’s Register of Quality Assurance (LRQA), a leading business assurance company providing verification, certification and training services to a wide range of organizations around the world.

“Following ISO 9001:2000 certification for our Quality Management System we began the ISO 14001:2004 certification process. We already had systems in place to meet many of the ISO’s strict guidelines,” Ken Antani, Quality Director, for Tate explained. “By pursuing the ISO certification through LRQA, we acknowledged these ongoing efforts even as we moved beyond regulatory compliance to embrace a broader voluntary program of environmental responsibility.”