Preparatory Environmental Review (PER) or GAP Analysis
A preparatory environmental review is an investigative exercise,a structured piece of detective work, which identifies all of the organization’s environmental aspects. Preparatory environment review is not mandatory and cannot be audited during the assessment and yet, if it is not performed, the whole environmental management system may not be soundly based. It is suggested that an organization with no pre-existing environmental management system should establish its current position, with regard to the environment, by a review An organization may have a clear vision of where it would like to be in terms of future environmental performance. Unless ‘snapshot’ of current performance is undertaken, the organization may act in an unfocused manner and not achieve this goal. So unless an organization knows where it is now with regard to its interaction with the environment, it may not be able to move in the correct direction in controlling and minimizing its environmental impacts. It is only after performing a preparatory environmental review that a meaningful environmental policy, with proper and relevant objectives and targets, can be set out. The preparatory environmental review may not be an auditable item on the external auditor’s checklist but, by examining the review, the auditor will get a measure of the environmental competence of the organization and an indication of the level of understanding of environmental issues by the organization. In short, a level of confidence will be gained which can only assist in the smooth conduct of the assessment process. If an organization decides to undertake this preparatory review, there are two options open:
Perform the preparatory environmental review using internally available resources.
Perform the preparatory environmental review using external consultants.
These options are considered below.
Internally available resources
Performing the preparatory environmental review using internally available resources has its merits in that the organization can use personnel experienced in the operations of its processes and, of some importance costs can be somewhat better controlled. Several options exist for this approach. One option is to send out questionnaires to each department head, requiring those individuals in charge to complete a series of questions, including, for example:
What materials are used
What quantities of materials are used
How much energy is used
The amount and type of waste streams
Possible emergency situations
Abnormal situations (frequency of start-ups and shut-downs, maintenance, breakdowns and incidents)
Any history of ‘out of the ordinary’ incidents
Any areas of training required
This will form a meaningful exercise by establishing the baseline to work from after analysis by management. Possible flaws in this approach are that staff employed to perform this task may not have the necessary expertise to carry out a meaningful review. In fact, Careful review of the answers in these completed questionnaires will indicate the level of training required in the person completing them. Management tools such as ‘brainstorming’, although they are of value, will not give the same answers as hard data collection and some investigative detective work. On occasions, organizations have made the mistake of basing their preparatory review on environmental projects that are currently up and running. The rationale is that if such projects are current, then they must be important, must focus on the significant environmental impacts of the organization and, therefore, must be a sound basis to start from.
Unfortunately, although such projects may have been started with the best of intentions, they may be based upon previous initiatives (for example, a project that was topical at the time, or a project that looked easy to fulfil). The project may have been used to give credence to an individual or the organization during a marketing initiative at that time. Or again, it may have been a project which tied in with everyone’s work schedules and was easy to manage, and with which everyone was comfortable because of the feeling that ‘they were doing something for the environment’. Such projects may well have been reducing environmental impacts and this is no reason to abandon them. Unfortunately, because of the haphazard nature and methodology of such projects, they will, in all likelihood, not be focusing on significant impacts – fundamental to ISO 14001 philosophy. It is essential if following this option that at least one senior manager in the organization has environmental expertise. If the expertise is not available within the organization, suitable existing staff might be trained by external consultants.
External environmental consultants
Quite often the individual chosen to lead the environmental management team and implement ISO 14001 is the quality assurance manager. The reasons for this choice are not always valid. Those quality assurance managers who have taken on this task invariably perform well, but usually after a painful and steep learning curve. Just because the two Standards, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 are now very much aligned, ISO 9001 implementing experience may not bridge the shortfall in the required environmental knowledge required by the individual tasked with implementing ISO 14001. There are of course commonalities between quality systems and environmental systems and a quality manager will certainly be comfortable in the areas of operating to documented management systems: the concept of objectives and targets and continuous improvement; the requirement for self-policing (auditing); the value of reviews; and a corrective and preventive action system to allow improvements to occur. But this does not necessarily equip the manager in question with the knowledge and skills in environmental issues required for ISO 14001. That said, the requirement for in-depth environmental knowledge from within the organization need not be onerous, and much of course depends upon the complexity of the organization’s environmental aspects. However, to commence from a standing start into the complex world of environmental issues and perform a meaningful preparatory review is something not to be undertaken lightly. In such cases, the organization is well advised to use the services of a consultant and ask them to perform a preparatory review prior to ISO 14001 implementation. A well-executed preparatory environmental review will generate a ‘specification’ for the organization in the form of a report setting out very clearly what steps are required. This will form the foundation for deriving a meaningful environmental policy and developing a robust EMS, capable of demonstrating environmental performance improvement. A typical format of a preparatory review is outlined below.
Steps to take – a checklist approach for a PER
The approach taken in PER should consider four key areas:
Legislative and regulatory requirements
Identification of significant environmental aspects
Examination of existing environmental practices and procedures
Assessment of previous incidents
Legislative and regulatory compliance
A fundamental requirement of ISO 14001 is that the organization complies with environmental law as a minimum standard. The review should identify which areas of the organization are covered by which laws. Any areas where there are breaches of legislation should be set as priority action areas.
Typical questions to ask are: a) Is all existing legislation and other requirements being adhered to? Invariably there will be legislation relating to pollution or contamination of the three mediums air, land and water. Thus:
Air emissions: If there is an authorized process, are the requirements for measuring, monitoring and recording being complied with?
Solid waste to land: Is a waste management licence required for the site? If solid waste is taken away to the landfill, do the operators of the landfill site have a licence? Does it cover the particular waste that is being removed? Does the carrier of the waste need a licence?
Water: Is there any groundwater extracted on-site? Is a licence required for this? Is any effluent discharged to streams, rivers, local authority sewage systems? Is a licence to discharge required? If so, are the conditions being met?
Other requirements: For example, does the site have any obligations to comply with any town and country planning consents or building regulations?
b) Is there any forthcoming legislation which may affect the business? For example, there may be legislation in the draft stage that, if enacted, could put the organization under heavy financial strain to comply. Therefore some investigative work is required.
c) Have there been previous incidents of breaches of legislation? Has the organization been prosecuted for any breach of environmental legislation? This may point to areas of weakness in the management system.
Evaluation of significant environmental aspects
An examination of an organization’s environmental aspects is a key requirement of an EMS because unless all are identified, a potentially significant impact may be overlooked. Thus the use of a checklist plus identification of the inputs and outputs of processes will be invaluable. Using an input-output type of diagram can assist in quantifying amounts of raw materials being used, energy consumption, levels of waste, etc. The input-output diagram could be performed for each office, each department or each process as appropriate.
Examination of existing environmental practices and procedures
There are many aspects to environmental management within an organization, especially management commitment. Such commitment is demonstrated in the environmental policy and documented procedures which are necessary to ensure such policies are known, understood and followed throughout the organization. The checklist illustrates the scope of the documented management system that needs to be in place, with some typical records that need to be retained to demonstrate a minimum level of an EMS.
Assessment of previous incidents
The preparatory environmental review should also include an assessment of previous incidents – under both abnormal and emergency situations.
Abnormal conditions generally include unexpected events and startup and shut-down of continuous processes.
Emergency conditions include fires, floods, chemical spillage and fugitive emissions of gases.
Therefore, typical questions to ask are:
Has a formalized risk assessment been carried out?
Are there emergency plans in place – especially concerning a major spillage or fire?
Are staff trained in operating such plans?
The outcome of the inputs and outputs exercise and the review checklist can be in the form of a report to the senior management of the organization.
P=priority C=possibility of environmental complaints G=best or good practice
Emissions:
P- Comply with the requirements of the coating process permit. P- Maintain documented monitoring requirements of visual and of factory survey as required by the permit to operate. P- Compile register of legislative and regulatory requirements. C- Continue to research and review the potential use of alternative coating processes to reduce VOC emissions by using water-based paints and inks. C- Develop codes of practice for sub-contractors arriving on site for the proposed extension to the factory to reduce fugitive dust emissions. G- Monitor and control external noise emissions and intrusive lighting as appropriate, to reduce disturbance to adjacent sensitive amenity areas.
Discharges:
P- Ensure continual compliance with trade effluent consents to discharge. C- Determine the precise route and discharge outfall of the surface water drainage system in order to establish if there is a pathway for solvent spillages from the main chemical stores. C- Ensure that all site drains are mapped and covers to the surface water and foul sewer are painted different colours to aid identification. G- Carry out regular inspection and maintenance of surface water interceptors and draw up an operational control to manage this.
Waste management:
P- Monitor and ensure regulatory compliance with regard to maximum allowable storage requirements of dry wastes. P- Ensure all waste disposal facilities are appropriately licensed. G- Clearly label all waste collection areas to assist in the segregation of waste.
Storage facilities:
P- Establish whether bunds at the tank farm have 110% capacity. G- Provide adequate labelling of hazardous raw material stores. G- Investigate the feasibility of storing chemical drums undercover to prevent water ingress and reduction of risk of damage by vandals. G- Perform regular inspections and maintenance of bulk storage tanks. G- Perform an energy audit and draw up measures for heat conservation in warehouses. G- Limit the variety of packaging used to facilitate easier segregation of waste.
Suppliers:
P- Increase the environmental awareness of key suppliers through questionnaires and assistance with ISO 14001 implementation where appropriate.
Customers:
G- Provide customers with environmental performance criteria of finished products; increase their understanding of their duty to inform end-users of the safe and appropriate disposal at end of life of products.
ISO 14001:2015 Clause 7.5 Documented information has eliminated the long-standing distinction between documents and records. Now they’re both referred to as “documented information”. Why ISO chose to abandon two common-sense concepts and replace them with one that is needlessly awkward and esoteric is not entirely clear. According to ISO’s definition, the term documented information refers to information that must be controlled and maintained. So, whenever ISO 14001 2015 uses the term documented information it implicitly expects you to control and maintain that information and its supporting medium. An annex to the new ISO 14001 2015 standard further says that “this international standard now uses the phrase ‘retain documented information as evidence of’ to mean records, and ‘maintain documented information to mean documentation other than records.” So, whenever the new ISO 14001 standard refers to documented information and it asks you to maintain this information, it is talking about what used to be referred to as documents, and whenever it asks you to retain this information, it is talking about what used to be called records. So sometimes documented information must be maintained and sometimes it must be retained. So, while the official definition of the term documented information abandons the distinction between documents and records, through the use of the words “maintain” and “retain” and because of what this means (according to Annex A), the main body of the standard actually restores this distinction. In other words, while documents and records were officially kicked out the front door, they were actually allowed back in through the back door.
The old ISO 14001 standard asked organizations to establish a wide range of procedures. These included an environmental aspects procedure, a legal requirements management procedure, an awareness procedure, a communications procedure, a documents procedure, an operational procedure, emergency preparedness, and response procedure, a monitoring and measurement procedure, a compliance evaluation procedure, a nonconformity management procedure, a record-keeping procedure, and an audit procedure. Now, only one procedure is left. The new ISO 14001 2015 standard asks you to establish an emergency preparedness and response procedure in section 8.2, and that’s the only one. Instead of asking you to write procedures, the new standard expects you to maintain and control a wide range of documents (i.e., documented information). Since the new standard doesn’t tell you what to call these documents, you can call them procedures if you like. And, of course, you still need to have documents except that now they’re called “documented information”. So, while on the surface this looks like a radical change, it probably isn’t.
Documented Information has the following sub-clauses:
7.5.1 General 7.5.2 Creating and Updating 7.5.3 Control of Documented Information
7.5.1 General
The organization’s environmental management system must include documented information required by ISO 14001:2015 standards and also those determined by the organization as being necessary for the effectiveness of the environmental management system. The extent of documented information for an environmental management system can differ from an organization to another due to the size of the organization and its type of activities, processes, products, and services, the need to demonstrate fulfillment of its compliance obligations, the complexity of processes and their interactions and the competence of persons doing work under the organization’s control.
7.5.2 Creating and updating
When creating and updating documented information, the organization must ensure appropriate identification and description (e.g. a title, date, author, or reference number) and format (e.g. language, software version, graphics) and media (e.g. paper, electronic); It must also ensure appropriate review and approval for suitability and adequacy.
7.5.3 Control of documented information
Documented information required by the environmental management system and ISO 14001:2015 Standard must be controlled to ensure that it is available and suitable for use, where and when it is needed. It must is adequately protected from loss of confidentiality, improper use, or loss of integrity. For the control of documented information, the organization must address the following activities
distribution, access, retrieval, and use;
storage and preservation, including preservation of legibility;
control of changes (e.g. version control);
retention and disposition.
Documented information of external origin determined by the organization to be necessary for the planning and operation of the environmental management system must also be identified, as appropriate, and controlled.
Access can imply a decision regarding the permission to view the documented information only, or the permission and authority to view and change the documented information.
As per Annex A (Guidance on the use of ISO 14001:2015 standard) of ISO 14001:2015 standard it further explains: An organization should create and maintain documented information in a manner sufficient to ensure a suitable, adequate, and effective environmental management system. The primary focus should be on the implementation of the environmental management system and on environmental performance. not on a complex documented information control system. In addition, an organization may choose to create additional documented information for purposes of transparency, accountability, continuity, consistency, training, or ease in auditing. Documented information originally created for purposes other than the environmental management system may be used. The documented information associated with the environmental management system may be integrated with other information management systems implemented by the organization. It does not have to be in the form of a manual.
Explanation:
In the ISO 14001:2015, the term “documented information” is meant to describe any Information that is required to be controlled and maintained by the organization, and the medium on which it is contained. Documented information can refer to the Environmental Management System and its processes, documentation, and records. So, in brief, it includes anything that you require to be recorded to make sure your EMS functions properly and that you can demonstrate that this is the case. In this, the requirements for documented information are captured, and they are fairly basic. A document is an information that is written or recorded on some medium such as paper or computer. A document may specify requirements for e.g. a drawing or technical specification, may provide direction for e.g. Occupational Control Procedure, or show results or evidence of activities performed for e.g. records. The term “Documented Information” is used for all document requirements in ISO 14001:2015. For specific terminology used in ISO 14001:2004 such as “document” or “documented procedures”, “Environmental manual” or “EMP”, ISO 14001:2015 defines requirements to “maintain documented information”. In ISO 14001:2004 the term “records” was used to denote documents needed to provide evidence of conformity with requirements. In 14001:2015 this is now expressed as a requirement to “retain documented information”.Clause 7.5.1 specifies all the different types of documentation needed for your QMS. The need to have additional documentation beyond those specified in this standard may depend upon – Compliance obligations including regulatory requirements and your own organizational requirements. Other factors to consider may include the complexity of products/Services and processes, type of activities, environmental issues, significant environmental aspects, economic risk, effectiveness and efficiency, the competence of personnel. There is no need for manual or procedures for ISO 14001:2015. This information is expected to be tailored to your company because it is noted that the extent of the documented information can differ due to the size of the organization, the complexity of the organization, and the competence of the people. The organization is responsible for determining what documented information needs to be retained, the period of time for which it is to be retained and the media to be used for its retention. The requirement to “maintain” documented information may also include the possibility that the organization can “retain” that same documented information for a particular purpose, for e.g. to retain previous versions of it. Lastly, there are requirements for the control of documented information, particularly how:
it is available and suitable for use,
it is adequately protected,
it is distributed applicably, and
access, retrieval, use, storage, and preservation are controlled.
Finally, there needs to be control of changes, retention of documented information, and disposition when these documents are removed from use. If you look closely, you will see that these requirements are very much the same as those already in place for documented procedures and records, only merged into one set of requirements. Many people make the mistake of changing the definitions that they use in their management system to match those in the standard when this is not a requirement. The standard is not there to dictate what you will call something, or even how you will number any documents that are in your system (matching the document numbers in the EMS to the ISO 14001 standard is also something people sometimes do unnecessarily). If you want to continue to use the terms “procedure” and “record” because this is what the people in your company understand, then go ahead. The requirements of the ISO 14001 standard are there to give you a framework to build an Environmental Management System that works the best for your company in your effort to meet legal requirements and improve your environmental performance. So, if you see a benefit in replacing some of your current procedures, or merging your two procedures for documents and records because it is simpler – then do so. However, if the procedures you have in place are working for you, then don’t change them just for the sake of change. While the purpose of an EMS is to create improvements in your company, and all improvement requires change – not all changes are improvements. Make the changes that help you improve, and leave the things that are already working well. In this way, you get the benefits that you want from your Environmental Management System.
While ISO 14001:2015 does not require a documented procedure for creating, updating, and control of documented information, still we need a procedure for creating, updating, and ultimately control of documented information. Your system for managing documented information doesn’t itself have to be documented, which is a big change from ISO 9001:2008, which required documented procedures for both document control and control of records, documenting them will act as evidence that adequate organization knowledge is available with the organization regarding creation, updating, and control of documented information. ISO 14001:2015 doesn’t require you to write a procedure for how you control documented information. Should you do it anyway? Yes! It’s a potentially complicated topic that should be communicated in a consistent manner. Describe your system within maintained documented information (i.e., a documented procedure) and you’ll have much less confusion. You have to ensure the following practices are in place when you create and update documented information:
Identification: Documents and records must have titles, document numbers, or something that indicates their identity. As long as you can differentiate between different documented information, knowing which ones address which topics, then you’ve met this requirement.
Format: The documents must be usable for their purpose. The format must be appropriate to the purpose and users, and the media must be accessible and understandable. For example, if the medium is electronic, then users would need to have access to a computer or other interface that can display the electronic media. Another example might relate to a company that has a high percentage of employees who speak Marathi their documentation would need to be graphically formatted (to make language irrelevant) or translated into Marathi, the language predominantly spoken by the employees.
Review and approval for suitability and adequacy: Somebody must review and approve the documented information before it’s used. Who performs this function is completely up to you. There are many ways to signify review and approval: signatures, initials, email approval, electronic signatures, meeting minutes, or click-box approval within a document control program. Review and approval do have to be traceable, meaning it must be clear who performed it. It should also be secure, which means the organization has prevented imposters from making reviews/approvals under somebody else’s name.
Once the documented information exists, the next logical step is controlled. Here are the control requirements from ISO 14001:2015:
Availability: The documented information exists where it’s supposed to exist. The organization has dedicated the resources to create the documented information and the information is suitable for the need it was intended to fill.
Protection: The documented information is protected from tampering, unauthorized changes, and damage. People who shouldn’t see the documented information are prevented from seeing it. Appropriate safeguards put in place by the organization to ensure information isn’t misused in any way. System passwords and employee training are two ways to accomplish this.
Distribution: You can assess the documented information. Employees don’t struggle to find it, and they understand how to interpret its meaning. If a computer or program is necessary to access the documented information intended for employees, then employees can operate it. In the case of retained information (e.g., records), they can be retrieved within a reasonable amount of time.
Storage: The organization specifies where the documented information is located. This applies to retained documented information (records) and maintained documented information (documents). The location is accurate and verifiable, and there are controls to preserve the information.
Preservation could include periodic backups of computer files and periodic monitoring to ensure continued legibility. The controls for “preservation” are very similar to the controls for “protection,” described above.
Change control: The organization is able to ensure that the correct versions of documented information are available. When documented information is revised, the revisions are incorporated into the information in use (after review and approval). There are safeguards in place to prevent employees from incorrectly accessing and using obsolete information.
Retention: We say how long we retain documented information. Remember, the term “retain” refers to records, so this is the requirement for establishing a retention time. Every record in your system could conceivably have a different retention time, and ISO 14001:2015 provides no guidance on the appropriate retention times of records. This is completely up to the organization and its needs.
Disposition refers to what happens to the record after the retention times has elapsed. Typical dispositions include archive, shred, or recycle.
Finally, ISO 14001:2015 addresses external documents and preventing unintended alterations of retained information. An external document is published outside the organization and used within the scope of the management system. Examples of external documents possibly requiring control include:
Troubleshooting and/or calibration manuals published by equipment manufacturers
Test procedures, specifications, and/or engineering drawings published by Regulatory bodies or supplier
Reports, Communication, Notices received from Regulatory bodies or External Consultants
Standards published by industrial organizations applicable to the organization
International standards such as ISO 14001
Once external documents have been determined, they must be identified, and they must be controlled. Like internal documents, there must be a title, document number, or other unique identifiers. Such identification typically comes from the source that publishes the document, and the organization simply adopts it. Make sure that all the other aspects of “control” are applied to external documents.
The last requirement provided by ISO 14001:2015 concerns retained documented information that provides evidence of conformity. In other words, records that prove you met requirements. The organization must ensure that people can’t make unauthorized changes to records. This is a restatement of the protection and preservation requirements already discussed.
Organizations themselves can decide that they need additional documented information.
Clause
Documentation requirement
4.3 Determining the Scope of Environmental Management system
The scope shall be maintained as documented information and be available to interested parties.
5.2 Environmental Policy
The environmental policy shall be maintained as documented information
6.1.1 General
The organization shall maintain documented information of its:
– risks and opportunities that need to be addressed;
– processes needed in 6.1.1 to 6.1.4, to the extent necessary to have confidence they are carried out as planned.
6.1.2 Environmental aspects
The organization shall maintain documented information of its:
– environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts;
– criteria used to determine its significant environmental aspects;
– significant environmental aspects.
6.1.3 (Compliance obligations)
The organization shall maintain documented information on its compliance obligations.
6.2.1 Environmental objectives
The organization shall retain documented information on the environmental objective.
7.2 Competence
The organization shall retain appropriate documented information as evidence of competence.
7.4.1 Communication – General
The organization shall retain documented information as evidence of its communications, as appropriate.
7.5.1 Documented information – General
The organization’s environmental management system shall include:
a) documented information required by this International Standard;
b) documented information determined by the organization as being necessary for the effectiveness of the environmental management system.
NOTE The extent of documented information for an environmental management system can differ from one organization to another due to:
– the size of organization and its type of activities, processes, products and services;
– the need to demonstrate fulfilment of its comlaince obligations
– the complexity of processes and their interactions;
– the competence of persons.
8.1 Operational planning and control
The organization shall maintain documented information to the extent necessary to have confidence that the processes have been carried out as planned.
8.2 Emergency preparedness and response)
The organization shall maintain documented information to the extent necessary to have confidence that the process(es) is (are) carried out as planned.
9.1.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation – General
The organization shall retain appropriate documented information as evidence of the monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation results.
9.1.2 Evaluation of compliance
The organization shall retain documented information as evidence of the compliance evaluation result(s).
9.2.2 Internal audit programme
The organization shall retain documented information as evidence of the implementation of the audit programme and the audit results.
9.3 Management review
The organization shall retain documented information as evidence of the results of management reviews
10.1 Non-conformity and corrective action
The organization shall retain documented information as evidence of:
• the nature of the nonconformities and any subsequent actions taken;
• the results of any corrective action.
Furthermore, the new standard in several places uses the wording “shall determine”. In Appendix A3 it is explained that “determine” means to establish or find out. There is no explicit “documentation” requirement, but where “determine” is used the organization should at least be able to demonstrate and give confidence of completeness and control of such activities/processes.
CLAUSE
DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENT
4.1 Understanding the organization and its context
The organization shall determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and that affect its ability to achieve the intended outcome(s) of its environmental management system. Such issues shall include environmental conditions being affected by or capable of affecting the organization.
4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
The organization shall determine:
• the interested parties that are relevant to the environmental management system;
• the relevant needs and expectations (i.e. requirements) of these interested parties;
• which of these needs and expectations become its compliance obligations.
4.3 Scope
The organization shall determine the boundaries and applicability of the quality management system to establish its scope.
6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities
6.1.1 General
When planning for the environmental management system, the organization shall consider:
the issues referred to in 4.1; the requirements referred to in 4.2;the scope of its environmental management system;and determine the risks and opportunities, related to its:environmental aspects (see 6.1.2);compliance obligations (see 6.1.3);other issues and requirements, identified in 4.1 and 4.2 that need to be addressed to:give assurance that the environmental management system can achieve its intended outcomes;
prevent, or reduce, undesired effects, including the potential for external environmental conditions to affect the organization;
achieve continual improvement.
Within the scope of the environmental management system, the organization shall determine potential emergency situations, including those that can have an environmental impact.
6.1.2 Environmental aspects
Within the defined scope of the environmental management system, the organization shall determine the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services that it can control and those that it can influence, and their associated environmental impacts, considering a life cycle perspective.
The organization shall determine those aspects that have or can have a significant environmental impact, i.e. significant environmental aspects, by using established criteria.
6.1.3 Compliance obligations
The organization shall:
a) determine and have access to the compliance obligations related to its environmental aspects;
b) determine how these compliance obligations apply to the organization.
6.2.2 Planning to achieve objectives
When planning how to achieve its environmental objectives, the organization shall determine:
• what will be done;
• what resources will be required;
• who will be responsible;
• when it will be completed;
• how the results will be evaluated, including indicators for monitoring progress toward achievement of its measurable environmental objectives
7.1 Resources
The organization shall determine and provide the resources needed for the establishment, implementation, maintenance and continual improvement of the environmental management system.
7.2 Competence
The organization shall:
determine the necessary competence of person(s) doing work under its control that affects its environmental performance and its ability to fulfill its compliance obligations.
determine training needs associated with its environmental aspects and its environmental management system
8.1 Operational planning and control
Consistent with a life cycle perspective, the organization shall:
a) determine environmental requirements for the procurement of products and services, as appropriate;
9.1.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation – General
The organization shall determine:
what needs to be monitored and measured
the methods for monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation, as applicable, to ensure valid results;
the criteria against which the organization will evaluate its environmental performance, and appropriate indicators;
when the monitoring and measuring shall be performed;
when the results from monitoring and measurement shall be analyzed and evaluated.
9.1.2 Evaluation of compliance
The organization shall determine the frequency that compliance will be evaluated;
10 Improvement
10.1 General
The organization shall determine opportunities for improvement (see 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3) and implement necessary actions to achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system.
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ISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It provides a framework that an organization can follow, rather than establishing environmental performance requirements. Part of the ISO 14000 family of standards on environmental management, ISO 14001 is a voluntary standard that organizations can certify to. Integrating it with other management systems standards, most commonly ISO 9001, can further assist in accomplishing organizational goals.
The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) defines an environmental management system as “part of the management system used to manage environmental aspects, fulfil compliance obligations, and address risks and opportunities.” The framework in the ISO 14001 standard can be used within a plan-do-check-act (PDCA) approach to continuous improvement.
ISO 14001:2015 should be used by any organization that wishes to set up, improve, or maintain an environmental management system to conform with its established environmental policy and requirements. The requirements of the standard can be incorporated into any environmental management system, the extent to which is determined by several factors including the organization’s industry, environmental policy, products and service offerings, and location. ISO 14001:2015 is relevant to all organizations, regardless of size, location, sector, or industry.
I can provide authoritative, comprehensive and value-added consulting, training and certification services for either new certification for ISO 14001:2015 or helping organizations migrate from ISO 14001:2015 standard.
I provide awareness training, implementation training, internal auditor training, and lead auditor training to impart a required level of skill, knowledge, and competence for the employees on this revised Environment Management System standard.
I also provide a complete set of consulting services to help your organization identify requirements as per the ISO 14001:2015 new standard and map the compliance requirements as per ISO 14001 revision to your current processes.
Start your ISO 14001:2015 certification journey today in the most effective manner. Contact at preteshbiswas@gmail.com to get started with ISO 14001 revision, ISO 14001 up-gradation and ISO 14001:2015 certification.
Benefits of ISO 14001:2015
The improved environmental performance led by top management commitment
Cost savings can be achieved through improved efficiencies in energy and water usage and through waste minimization
Reduced risk of pollution incidents and other releases to the environment and therefore avoidance of unnecessary clean-up costs and/or enforcement action by regulatory bodies
Compliance with legislation through the identification of new legislation in adequate time to address appropriate issues
Reduced risk of non-compliance with legislation and subsequent costs/prosecution
Improved brand image as customers will see an organization that is in control of its impact on the environment
Improved business focus and communication of environmental issues
Improved profitability through cost reductions and improved customer satisfaction.
How to achieve ISO 14001:2015 certification – ISO 14001:2015 implementation / Certification steps
I can offer a well-defined and globally proven implementation methodology for ISO 14001:2015 certification.
Gap Analysis
Awareness Training
Process Identification and Definition
Documentation Design and finalization
Implementation
Internal Auditor Training and conduct of the internal audit
Management Review Meeting
Review of Implementation
Pre-assessment
Stage 1 – certification audit
Stage 2 – certification audit
Award of ISO 9001 certification
Continual improvement of the system through value-added consulting and training services
What are the requirements of the ISO 14001 standard?
An Environmental Management System requires a documentation system to collect, analyze, register, and retrieve information
An EMS Documentation System should:
Describe the core elements of EMS
Provide directions to related documents
Support employee awareness
Facilitate evaluation of the system and environmental performance
What are Documents?
Documents offer guidance or explain actions to be carried out. Documents are materials that provide management directions. Environmental policy, internal standards and operating procedures, Process information, Organization charts, and Emergency plans Records are a special kind of document which verifies things that have happened. Environmental records include training records, audit results, reviews, monitoring records, waste disposal records, etc. Records must be maintained to demonstrate conformance to EMS requirements.
Some of the documents and records you may be associated with ISO 14001: 2015
Environmental Policy
Environmental objectives and targets
Roles, responsibilities, and authority for EMS
Communications from external interested parties
Procedures essential for operational control
Monitoring and measurement of key operations that have potentially significant impacts
Compliance with laws and regulations
Management review
Integrate ISO 14001 with other management system standards
ISO 14001 is designed to be compatible with other management systems standards and specifications, such as OHSAS 18001, ISO 22000, ISO 17025, ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and other ISO standards. They can be integrated seamlessly through the Integrated Management system approach. They share many principles so choosing an integrated management system can offer excellent value for money and an easier approach to implement, manage and improve multiple standards simultaneously.
What is offered in the field of ISO 14001 standards and certification?
I can provide unmatched expertise and technical competence to ensure that your ISO 14001 environment management system certification project adds value to your organization.
I provide consulting, training, internal audits, pre-assessment audits and facilitation during ISO 14001 certification audits.
We offer our global knowledge moulded locally to bring in the best results for our clients and partner their journey of standardization, compliance, growth, success and continual improvements.
Contact now, to get your organization ISO 14001-2015 certified most effectively and efficiently while realizing the true benefits of the certification using our specialized ISO implementation methodology that is less time-consuming, fast, easy to understand and implement, result-oriented, time-bound and cost-effective. Get ISO 14001 certified now
