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ISO 14001 Executive Briefing
ISO 14001 Executive Briefing
Environmental Management
ISO 14001 Certification
Getting Started
Taking Each Stage of the Process
Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Environmental Management 4
ISO 14001 5
Taking Each Stage of The Process 6
ISO 14001 Certification 7
Getting Started 8
2 Executive Briefing on ISO 14001
Businesses of all types and sizes are increasingly being expected to demonstrate
environmental responsibility.
Legislation protects all the environmental media - air, Other groups such as employees, local communities
water and land. Examples of specific legislation include and environmental groups also expect businesses to
regulations covering: emissions to air and water; waste act responsibly.
disposal and management; packaging; storage of oil;
removal, transport and disposal of asbestos. This unit provides an overview of current
environmental concerns, and briefly describes the key
Finally, there are external ’stakeholders’: issues that managers should be aware of. It
summarises the requirements of ISO 14001, the
• Customers are increasingly asking their main International Standard for environmental
suppliers to demonstrate good environmental management, and discusses the certification process
management. and how to get started with an environmental
• Many large corporate organisations require management system.
their subsidiary companies to implement good
environmental systems.
Investors, insurers, banks, and others with a financial
stake in a business, also expect good environmental
management. This is partly to ensure that the risk of
financial penalties for pollution is minimised, but also
because good financial and environmental
performance usually go hand in hand.
4 Executive Briefing on ISO 14001
“That’s all very well, but I’ve got a business to run. It’s not my job to save the
planet!”
ISO 14001
ISO 14001 is good management practice applied to
environmental issues.
Taking Each Stage of The Process implementing a programme of objectives and targets
to improve performance.
If an organisation does not currently have an
environmental management system in place, ISO Implementation and Operation
14001 expects that before developing a policy the The implementation and operation process turns the
organisation should undertake an initial review. The policy and plans into practice through a programme of
review aims to establish the current position regarding training, communication and procedures.
the environment, including identifying environmental
Checking
aspects, applicable legal requirements, existing
Checking and corrective actions determine how well
environmental practices and procedures and an
the system performs against your plans and put right
evaluation of previous emergency situations and
any problem areas. Internal audits are carried out to
accidents.
monitor and measure your performance and progress.
The Environmental Policy
Management Review
This is a statement of commitments and intentions
Finally, the senior management review - typically held
regarding the organisation’s environmental
once or twice a year - gives the opportunity for the
performance. It is a publicly available document that
management team to consider how well the EMS has
describes what you want to achieve.
achieved its purpose.
Planning
The cycle then starts again to ensure that you can
The planning stage helps you to understand what is
continue to maintain a programme of continual
involved in terms of good environmental performance.
improvement, and compliance with your policy
It is at this stage that you ensure that you understand
commitments.
all the applicable regulatory and other requirements.
You will also assess the impacts that your operation has
on the environment, decide which of these are the
most significant, and how you can set about
7 Executive Briefing on ISO 14001
ISO 14001 Certification It will normally take you between six months and a
year to develop a system, depending on how complex
You don’t have to have your system certified by an your organisation is, and how much resource you can
external body, but, if you do, it enables you to devote to the process.
demonstrate your environmental performance to any
interested party throughout the world. Assessment by the Certification Body
The assessment process by the certification body
Once development of your EMS has started, you covers two main parts:
should decide on a certification body. You may already
have a certification body for your quality system. You • The first stage looks at the documents and
do not necessarily need to use the same one for your arrangements that are in place, and ensures
EMS, although there could be cost benefits from doing that sufficient development of the EMS has
so. You should, however, ensure that they are an taken place to enable a full assessment to take
accredited body, and you can check this by looking at place.
the UKAS website www.ukas.com or by contacting • The second stage involves a detailed review of
them on 020 8917 8400. how the organisation is addressing all the
elements of ISO 14001, and whether it has
been appropriately applied taking account of
the nature of the organisation.
You don’t have to have your system certified by an external body, but, if you do, it
enables you to demonstrate your environmental performance to any interested
party throughout the world.
Ensure that all of your senior management agree with the plan. Commitment
throughout the organisation is essential if an effective system is to be put in place,
which is of benefit to the business.
9 Executive Briefing on ISO 14001
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