ISO 14001
OVERVIEW:
ISO 14001 is an internationally recognised standard for the environmental management of business. It prescribes controls for those activities that have an effect on the environment. These include the use of natural resources, handling and treatment of waste and energy consumption.
THE BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING ISO 14001
Implementing an Environmental Management System is a systematic way to discover and control the effects your company has on the environment. Cost savings can be made through improved efficiency and productivity. These are achieved by detecting ways to minimise waste and dispose of it more effectively and by learning how to use energy more efficiently. It verifies compliance with current legislation and makes insurance cover more accessible.
HOW DO YOU START TO IMPLEMENT ISO 14001? WHAT IS INVOLVED?
Firstly, you need to evaluate the effect your organisation has on the environment. You then need to prioritise ways in which you might reduce them. Next, identify the boundaries of your management system and document your procedures for implementing the requirements of ISO 14001. You will need to ensure these procedures are implemented and then audited. If you have ISO 9000 systems in place, many of the requirements of ISO 14001 will already be covered, or can be easily incorporated into them.
Once developed, internal audits are needed to ensure the system carries on working. The setting of targets for the environmental policy and continual measuring against it ensures the system is maintained.
ASSESSMENT TO ISO 14001
This will look at the company's evaluation of environmental effects and ascertain if targets set for the management program are measurable and achievable. This is followed at a later date by a full audit (stage 2) to ensure that records and working practices demonstrate that the company is following its procedures. After a successful audit and the issue of a certificate, there will then be surveillance visits (usually once or twice a year) to ensure that the system continues to work.