If you’re considering ISO 14001 certification, but aren’t sure if you’re ready to commit to the project, it may help to have a look at our blog which explains how the process works.
In the meantime, I’m sure it would be helpful to get an idea of the requirements of ISO 14001, and the key documentation and processes you’ll be working on. Luckily, we’ve put together a quick guide:
What Does ISO 14001 look like?
There are 10 clauses, most of which overlap with other standards in the Annex SL structure (a structure of clauses designed to help integrate standards together). The key requirements to be aware of are:
- a policy (to state what you are doing and why),
- the control of processes (ensuring they are at their best and everyone is doing things the same way),
- identifying interested parties (people and organisations who may affect or be affected by your organisation and EMS),
- identification and planning to address risks and opportunities (to help prepare you for potential risks that may affect the organisation and opportunities that might arise),
- objectives (or targets, designed to ensure the organisation keeps improving in line with its ISO certifications),
- identification of aspects and impacts (the things your organisation does that may affect the environment, the way they may affect the environment, a scoring system to identify priority, and an action plan of what you are doing to reduce the impact),
- Emergency preparedness and response (planning and raising awareness of how to respond to emergency situations such as fire, flood, chemical spillage and discovery of hazardous materials)
- compliance (with legislation, statutory requirements etc),
- non-conformance management (identifying when something goes wrong, what caused it, and ensuring it is sorted out and re-occurrence is prevented).
If these requirements sound like the kind of project your organisation could benefit from, but you aren’t sure quite where to start, get in touch with us. We’d be happy to provide guidance and support to see you through your ISO journey comfortably.
