What is ISO 14000?

ISO 14000 is a series of international standards that have been developed to incorporate environmental aspects into business operations and product standards. ISO 14001 is a specific standard in the series for a management system that incorporates a set of interrelated elements designed to minimize an organization’s impact on the environment. Similar to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 14001 defines the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). In addition, ISO14001 incorporates the QMS ISO 9001 management system philosophy, terminology, and requirement structure, providing system compatibility.

What Does ISO 14001 Require?

Originally issued in 1996 and later revised in 2004, the ISO 14001 EMS standard is intended to address the identification, evaluation, and continual improvement of an organization’s activities, products, or services that interact with the environment. The ISO 14001 methodology is a systematic approach for continually improving environmental management through identification and evaluation of aspects and impacts, development of objectives and measurable targets, implementation of programs, and on-going monitoring and review.

What Is an Environment Management System (EMS) ?

An EMS can be described as a program of continuous environmental improvement that follows a defined sequence of steps drawn from established project management practice and routinely applied in business

management. In simple terms these steps are as follows:

• Review the environmental consequences of the operations.

• Define a set of policies and objectives for environmental performance.

• Establish an action plan to achieve the objectives.

• Monitor performance against these objectives.

• Report the results appropriately.

• Review the system and the outcomes and strive for continuous improvement.

Not every system will present these steps in exactly the same way, but the basic principles are clear and easily understandable.

The ISO 14000 series is a series of standards for different aspects of environmental management. A number of these standards relating to environmental management systems have been adopted formally by

the members of the ISO, while others are in different stages of preparation.

The standards that have been adopted are (as of early 1997):

ISO 14001-1996 Environmental management systems:

specification with guidance for use

ISO 14004-1996 Environmental management systems:

general guidelines on principles, systems, and supporting techniques

ISO 14010-1996 Guidelines for environmental auditing:

general principles of environmental auditing

ISO 14011-1996 Guidelines for environmental auditing:

audit procedures; auditing of environmental management systems.

ISO 14012-1996 Guidelines for environmental auditing:

qualification criteria for environmental auditors Standards currently available as draft international standards:

ISO 14021 Environmental labels and declarations:

self-declaration environmental claims; guidelines and definition and usage of terms.

ISO 14040 Environmental management: life cycle assessment; principles and framework

ISO 14050 Environmental management: vocabulary More than half a dozen others in this series have been drafted and are under discussion.

What is ISO 14000?

ISO 14000 is a series of international standards that have been developed to incorporate environmental aspects into business operations and product standards. ISO 14001 is a specific standard in the series for a management system that incorporates a set of interrelated elements designed to minimize an organization’s impact on the environment. Similar to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 14001 defines the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). In addition, ISO14001 incorporates the QMS ISO 9001 management system philosophy, terminology, and requirement structure, providing system compatibility.

What Does ISO 14001 Require?

Originally issued in 1996 and later revised in 2004, the ISO 14001 EMS standard is intended to address the identification, evaluation, and continual improvement of an organization’s activities, products, or services that interact with the environment. The ISO 14001 methodology is a systematic approach for continually improving environmental management through identification and evaluation of aspects and impacts, development of objectives and measurable targets, implementation of programs, and on-going monitoring and review.

ISO 14001 Standards Certification

ISO 14001 Standards Certification

ISO 14001 sets out a system that can be audited and certified. In many cases, it is the issue of certification that is critical or controversial and is at the heart of the discussion about the trade implications.

Certification means that a qualified body (an “accredited certifier”) has inspected the EMS system that has been put in place and has made a formal declaration that the system is consistent with the requirements of ISO 14001.

The standard allows for “self-certification,” a declaration by an enterprise that it conforms to ISO 14001. There is considerable skepticism as to whether this approach would be widely accepted, especially when certification has legal or commercial consequences. At the same time, obtaining certification can entail significant costs, and there are issues relating to the international acceptance

of national certification that may make it particularly difficult for companies in some countries to achieve credible certification at a reasonable cost. For firms concerned about having certification that carries real credibility, the costs of bringing in international auditors are typically quite high, partly because the number of internationally recognized firms of certifiers is limited at present.2

The issue of accreditation of certifiers is becoming increasingly important as the demand increases.

Countries that have adopted ISO 14001 as a national standard can accredit qualified companies as certifiers, and this will satisfy national legal or contractual requirements. However, the fundamental purpose of ISO is to achieve consistency internationally. If certificates from certain countries or agencies are not fully accepted or are regarded as “second class,” the goal will not have been achieved. It is probable that the international marketplace will eventually put a

real commercial value on high-quality certificates, but this level of sophistication and discrimination has not yet been achieved. It is essential to the ultimate success of the whole system that there be a mechanism to ensure that certification in any one country has credibility and acceptability elsewhere.

The ISO has outlined procedures for accreditation and certification (Guides 61 and 62), and a formal body, QSAR, has been established to operationalize the process. At the same time, a number of established national accreditation bodies

heavily involved in ISO have set up the informal International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to examine mechanisms for achieving international reciprocity through multilateral agreements (MLAs). However, these systems are in the early

stages, and many enterprises continue to use the established international certifiers, even at additional cost, because of lack of confidence in the acceptability of local certifiers.

Given the variability in the design of individual EMS and the substantial costs of the ISO 14000 certification process, there is a growing tendency for large companies that are implementing EMS approaches to pause before taking this

last step. After implementing an EMS and confirming that the enterprise is broadly in conformance with ISO 14001, it is becoming routine to carry out a “gap analysis” to determine exactly what further actions would be required to achieve

certification and to examine the benefits and costs of bringing in third-party certifiers.

ISO 14001 Standards Certification

ISO 14001 Standards sets out a system that can be audited and certified. In many cases, it is the issue of certification that is critical or controversial and is at the heart of the discussion about the trade implications.

Certification means that a qualified body (an “accredited certifier”) has inspected the EMS system that has been put in place and has made a formal declaration that the system is consistent with the requirements of ISO 14001 Standards.

The standard allows for “self-certification,” a declaration by an enterprise that it conforms toISO 14001 Standards. There is considerable skepticism as to whether this approach would be widely accepted, especially when certification has legal or commercial consequences. At the same time, obtaining certification can entail significant costs, and there are issues relating to the international acceptance

of national certification that may make it particularly difficult for companies in some countries to achieve credible certification at a reasonable cost. For firms concerned about having certification that carries real credibility, the costs of bringing in international auditors are typically quite high, partly because the number of internationally recognized firms of certifiers is limited at present.2

The issue of accreditation of certifiers is becoming increasingly important as the demand increases.

Countries that have adopted ISO 14001 Standards as a national standard can accredit qualified companies as certifiers, and this will satisfy national legal or contractual requirements. However, the fundamental purpose of ISO is to achieve consistency internationally. If certificates from certain countries or agencies are not fully accepted or are regarded as “second class,” the goal will not have been achieved. It is probable that the international marketplace will eventually put a

real commercial value on high-quality certificates, but this level of sophistication and discrimination has not yet been achieved. It is essential to the ultimate success of the whole system that there be a mechanism to ensure that certification in any one country has credibility and acceptability elsewhere.

The ISO has outlined procedures for accreditation and certification (Guides 61 and 62), and a formal body, QSAR, has been established to operationalize the process. At the same time, a number of established national accreditation bodies

heavily involved in ISO have set up the informal International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to examine mechanisms for achieving international reciprocity through multilateral agreements (MLAs). However, these systems are in the early

stages, and many enterprises continue to use the established international certifiers, even at additional cost, because of lack of confidence in the acceptability of local certifiers.

Given the variability in the design of individual EMS and the substantial costs of the ISO 14000 certification process, there is a growing tendency for large companies that are implementing EMS approaches to pause before taking this

last step. After implementing an EMS and confirming that the enterprise is broadly in conformance with ISO 14001 Standards, it is becoming routine to carry out a “gap analysis” to determine exactly what further actions would be required to achieve

certification and to examine the benefits and costs of bringing in third-party certifiers.

General Description of ISO14001 Standards

General Description of ISO14001 Standards

ISO14001 Standards requires an Environmental Policy to be in existence within the organisation, fully supported by senior management, and outlining the policies of the company, not only to the staff but to the public. The policy needs to clarify compliance with Environmental Legislation that may effect the organization and stress a commitment to continuous improvement. Emphasis has been placed on policy as this provides the direction for the remainder of the Management System.

Those companies who have witnessed ISO9000 Assessments will know that the policy is frequently discussed during the assessment, many staff are asked if they understand or are aware of the policy, and any problems associated with the policy are seldom serious. The Environmental Policy is different, this provides the initial foundation and direction for the Management System and will be more stringently reviewed than a similar ISO9000 policy. The statement must be publicised in non-technical language so that it can be understood by the majority of readers. It should relate to the sites within the organisation encompassed by the Management System, it should provide an overview of the company’s activities on the site and a description of those activities. A clear picture of the company’s operations.

The preparatory review and definition of the organization’s environmental effects is not part of a ISO14001 Assessment, however examination of this data will provide an external audit with a wealth of information on the methods adopted by the company. The preparatory review itself should be comprehensive in consideration of input processes and output at the site. This review should be designed to identify all relevant environmental aspects that may arise from existence on the site. These may relate to current operations, they may relate to future, perhaps even unplanned future activities, and they will certainly relate to the activities performed on site in

the past (i.e. contamination of land).

The initial or preparatory review will also include a wide-ranging consideration of the legislation which may effect the site, whether it is currently being complied with, and perhaps even whether copies of the legislation are available. Many of the environmental assessments undertaken already have highlighted that companies are often unaware of ALL of the legislation that affects them, and being unaware, are often not meeting the requirements of that legislation.

The company will declare its primary environmental objectives, those that can have most environmental impact. In order to gain most benefit these will become the primary areas of consideration within the improvement process, and the company’s environmental program. The program will be the plan to achieve specific goals or targets along the route to a specific goal and describe the means to reach those objectives such that they are real and achievable. TheEnvironmental Management System provides further detail on the environmental program. The EMS establishes procedures, work instructions and controls to ensure that implementation of the policy and achievement of the targets can become a reality. Communication is a vital factor, enabling people in the organisation to be aware of their responsibilities, aware of the objectives of the scheme, and able to contribute to its success.

As with ISO 9000 the Environmental Management System requires a planned comprehensive periodic audit of the Environmental Management System to ensure that it is effective in operation, is meeting specified goals, and the system continues to perform in accordance with relevant regulations and standards. The audits are designed to provide additional information in order to exercise effective management of the system, providing information on practices which differ to the current procedures or offer an opportunity for improvement.

In addition to audit, there is a requirement for Management Review of the system to ensure that it is suitable (for the organization and the objectives) and effective in operation. The management review is the ideal forum to make decisions on howe to improve for the future.

The Development of EMS Standards

The world’s first standard for environmental management systems (EMS) – BS 7750 – wasdeveloped and published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 1992. This standard was the model for the ISO 14000 Series developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO 14001, which establishes the requirements for an EMS, was finalized in 1996. BS 7750 was also the basis for the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit scheme, known as EMAS.

ISO is an international standard and therefore must incorporate the different interests ofmany countries. This standard clearly has the weakest requirements. By contrast, EMAS is the most stringent and detailed standard reflecting the high environmental standards of German interests and companies which played a key role developing it.

Because ISO 14001 and EMAS are both based on BS 7750, all three standards arequite similar in their approach. If your organization complies with BS 7750 today, little effort will be needed to fullfill the requirements of ISO 14001 or EMAS. Be aware however, that EMAS emphasizes public environmental reporting.

Today there are two major areas in the evaluation of environmental management practice.One area focuses on organizational issues, and the other on products, services and processes.

1. Organization Evaluation

a. Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001, 14004)

b. Environmental Performance Evaluation (ISO 14014, 14015, 14031)

c. Environmental Auditing (ISO 14010, 14011, 14012, 14013, 14014)

2. Products, Services and Processes

a. Life Cycle Assessment (ISO 14040, 14041, 14042, 14043)

b. Environmental Labeling (ISO 14020, 14021, 14022, 14023, 1402X)

c. Environmental Aspects in Product Standards (ISO 14060)

Conducting An Initial Environmental Review For EMS

Conducting An Initial Environmental Review in ISO 14001 EMS
An initial environmental review covers all the aspects of an EMS. As a result of this review the organization knows its strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities regarding the current status of its EMS. The gap between the requirements of the EMS standard and the actual status of the organization shows which aspects the organization should focus its efforts on to improve the system. This leads directly to the development of an environmental management program that should fill the gaps.
The Environmental review should focus on three key areas:
- Examination of existing environmental management practices and procedures
- Identification of significant environmental impacts and their priority
- Identification of legal and regulatory requirements
1. Examination of Existing Environmental Management Practices and
Procedures
The methodology for assessing existing environmental management practices and procedures is proposed here using a questionnaire. The review team fills out this questionnaire by interviewing appropriate people, by analyzing existing documents and procedures dealing with environmental issues and by collecting information about environmental aspects of the organization’s operations, products and services.
By conducting the initial environmental review, an organization-specific profile of strengths and weaknesses can be drawn up. Because the score in each EMS area shows the effort needed in terms of financial and human resources,the organization knows where to focus its efforts when building up an EMS and where the largest effort is needed.

2. Identification of Significant Environmental Aspects and their Priority
An environmental policy requires top management to set priorities regarding environmental aspects. An initial review clearly shows where to set priorities regarding the EMS itself. But, it does not help to set priorities among different environmental problems. Many top managers feel pressure to do something for the environment and thus embark on some form of ?Eenvironmental activism?E often containing many isolated activities, but no clear direction. One way to solve this problem is to develop a so called ?Environmental exposure portfolio?E
The first step of this portfolio analysis is to assess the exposure and therefore the importance of different environmental aspects for an organization’s overall performance.
The appropriate perspective and priorities of the environmental policy will differ depending on this preliminary analysis. The analysis should be conducted from the perspective of the stakeholders of the organization, their needs and their importance for the success of the organization. The degree of exposure to different environmental aspects should guide the involvement and perspective of an organization when implementing an EMS. Evaluating exposure to environmental aspects is important, because this exposure is likely to influence the organization’s success sooner or later, either through new legislation, public or consumer perception and behavior or otherwise.
The analysis of the expected exposure of an organization to different environmental problems and the weight given to these aspects by various stakeholders enables management to focus on environmental issues that are a high priority to the organization. This is represented in the quadrant in the upper right corner of the environmental exposure portfolio. However, the two quadrants on the left must also be observed, although less vigorously. Issues with low public priority, to which the firm contributes heavily become a problem as soon as the perception of the stakeholders and the public environmental policy changes (the quadrant in the upper left corner of the portfolio). That this can happen very rapidly is obvious, for example from Shell`s ?Brent Spar?Edumping case (detailed information about this case is available from Shell or Greenpeace at their respective WWW-sites). Investments in new production technology, products and services can increase the environmental impact of the organization when not anticipated early enough. In this case, a problem ranked in the lower right corner of the portfolio would shift to the field with the highest priority. Problems ranked in the lower left corner are of no priority. No measures should be taken here.

3. Identification of Legal and Regulatory Requirements
The identification of legal and regulatory requirements assesses two levels of an organization:
- production-related environmental regulations
- product- and service-related environmental regulations
The former addresses the production department while the latter addresses the marketing
and R&D departments. Basically, three questions must be answered:
- Which are the relevant environmental regulations? (= target)
- Is the current situation in the organization known? (= actual)
- Does the organization comply with relevant regulations? (=gap)
The methodology used here is a questionnaire. To obtain information about environmental regulations the following information sources can be used:
- governmental authorities
- industry associations
- daily newspaper
- university publications (law departments)

Evaluation Of Compliance Of ISO 14001 EMS

The requirement to establish a procedure for periodically evaluating compliance with applicable legal and other requirements falls short of specifically requiring regulatory compliance audits but, in fact, a system of regular regulatory compliance audits may be the most practical means for meeting this requirement of the standard. In the U.S., determination of whether to conduct a compliance audit will be governed in part by the particular jurisdiction’s approach to allowing a legal privilege for the self-assessment audit.

Evaluation vs. Audit – The difference between an evaluation and audit can only be determined by looking outside of ISO 14001. Consulting a dictionary reveals that an evaluation involves a determination of value or worth and that an audit is an examination of accounts done by persons appointed for the purpose. A better definition `is the more specific ISO 19011:2002, Guidelines for Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems Auditing, which defines an audit as a “systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled.” Many organizations do not have a system for evaluating regulatory compliance other than their own records and the inspections of regulatory officials. This lack of a verification system can be a risky way to operate. Reports of enforcement actions and consent agreements show that many organizations are blindsided by rogue employees who violate rules and falsify documents to cover up environmental misdeeds. Although ISO 14001 does not prescribe a specific approach to evaluation of regulatory compliance, organizations should consider methods for going beyond verification of records by collecting and evaluating physical evidence.

Business benefits of ISO 14000

Business Benefits Of ISO 14001

Any manager will try to avoid pollution that could cost the company a fine for infringing environmental legislation. But better managers will agree that doing only just enough to keep the company out of trouble with government inspectors is a rather weak and reactive approach to business in today’s increasingly environment-conscious world.

There is a better way. The ISO 14000 way. The ISO 14000 standards are practical tools for the manager who is not satisfied with mere compliance with legislation – which may be perceived as a cost of doing business. They’re for the proactive manager with the breadth of vision to understand that implementing a strategic approach can bring return on investment in environmentrelated measures. Implementing an ISO 14000-based
environmental management system, and using other tools from the ISO 14000 family, will give you far more than just confidence that you are complying with legislation.

The ISO 14000 approach forces you to take a hard look at all areas where your business has an environmental impact. And this systematic approach can lead to benefits like the following:

a. Reduced cost of waste management
b. Savings in consumption of energy and materials
c. Lower distribution costs
d. Improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public
e. Framework for continuous improvement of your environmental performance.

The manager who is “too busy managing the business” to listen to good sense
about environmental management could actually be costing the business plenty. Just think, for example, of the lost opportunities for achieving benefits like those above.

The ISO 14000 standards are management tools that will help your business
achieve environmental goals that go way beyond acquiring a mere “green sheen”.

Five Steps to Implementing ISO 14001:2004

ISO 14001 provides a logical, common-sense approach for

businesses to adopt. To start it is recommended to carry out an

environmental review of the business and the Annex to the Standard

provides guidance on the approach required. The Standard then

requires a management system to be developed that addresses the

key environmental issues that were identified by the review as being

relevant to the business, through a rational programme of control and

continual improvement.

There are five key steps to ISO 14001 EMS implementation, and

subsequent operation which are clearly laid out in just three pages of

text.

The five key steps are:

1. Environmental Policy

2. Planning

3. Implementation and Operation

4. Checking and Corrective Action

5. Management Review

Step 1. Environmental Policy

The company or organisation must write an environmental policy

statement which is relevant to the business activities and approved by

top management. Their full commitment is essential if environmental

management is to work. The ISO 14001 Standard clearly sets out

what to cover in the policy. Often a one page document is sufficient.

Produce a first issue and expect to amend it several times before

assessment and registration as knowledge grows in the company.

Step 2. Planning

Plan what the EMS is to address.

Environmental aspects

First make lists of the environmental aspects (issues) that are relevant

to the business. The environmental review mentioned earlier should

provide most of this information and the Annex to ISO 14001 provides

guidance on the format for doing this.

Consider the inputs, outputs and processes/activities of the business in

relation to;

a) emissions to air

b) releases to water

c) waste management

d) contamination of land

e) use of raw materials and natural resources

f) other local environmental and community issues

Consider both site (direct) and offsite (ie. indirect) aspects that you

control or have influence over (such as suppliers) and in relation to

normal operations, shut-down and start-up conditions and reasonably

foreseeable and emergencies situations.

A simple written procedure is then required to determine which of the

aspects identified are really or probably significant (important) and

training needs, outline the key stages of the project and dates that will

lead to the target achievement).

Gradually apply environmental management programme thinking to

such things as the introduction of new products, new or improved

processes and other key activities of the business. In particular,

ensure existing projects become environmental management projects

where there is a significant environmental impact involved, so that the

EMS becomes company wide. This is a frequent oversight found

during ISO 14001 assessments. The EMS must cover the whole

business – like a net thrown over the whole business and for example

including such things as engineering and maintenance

Step 3. Implementation and Operation

Structure and responsibility

Appoint one or more people, depending on the size of the business, to

have authority and responsibility for implementing and maintaining the

EMS and provide sufficient resources. (It’s worth monitoring costs

carefully and benchmarking these against key consumption figures so

that improvements delivered by the EMS become apparent).

Training, awareness and competence

Implement a procedure to provide environmental training appropriate

to identified needs for management, the general workforce, project

teams and key plant operators. This can have far reaching benefits

on employee motivation. The workforce is usually very supportive of

moves to achieve genuine environmental improvement. Every

company has its share of cynics but even some of these can be won

over with time. Training will vary from a general briefing for the

workforce to detailed environmental auditor training.

Communication

Implement procedures to establish a system of internal and external

communication to receive environmental information and respond to it

and to circulate new information to people that need to know. This will

include: new legislation, information from suppliers, customers and

neighbours and communications both with employees and for

employees about progress with the EMS. This process can often

generate worthwhile ideas from employees themselves for future

environmental improvements.

Environmental management system documentation

The EMS itself needs to be documented with a manual, procedures

and work instructions but keep it brief and simple. The Standard

clearly states where procedures are required. Eleven system

procedures are required to maintain the EMS, plus operating work

instructions but if you already have ISO 9000, this will cover most of six

of the procedures required and a quality system can certainly be

expanded to cover ISO 14001 as well. Cross reference the EMS

manual to other environmental and quality documents to link the EMS

and to integrate it with existing business practices.

Operational control

Implement additional operating procedures (work instructions) to

control the identified significant (important) aspects of production

processes and other activities. Some of these will already exist but

may need a ‘bit of polish’. Don’t forget significant aspects that relate to

goods and services from suppliers and contractors.

Emergency preparedness and response

Implement procedures to address reasonably foreseeable

emergencies and to minimise their impact should they occur. (eg. Fire,

major spillages of hazardous materials, explosion risks etc.)

Step 4. Checking and Corrective Action

Monitoring and measurement

Implement procedures to monitor and measure the progress of

projects against the targets which have been set, the performance of

processes against the written criteria using calibrated equipment (verify

monitoring records) and regularly check (audit) the company’s

compliance with legislation that has been identified as relevant to your

business. The most effective way of doing this is through regular

progress meetings.

Nonconformance and corrective and preventive action

Implement procedures to enable appropriate corrective and

subsequent preventive action to be taken where breaches of the EMS

occur (eg. process control problems, delays in project process, noncompliance

with legislation, incidents etc.).

Records

Implement procedures to keep records generated by the

environmental management system. The Annex to the Standard

suggests those that are likely to be required.

Environmental management system audit

Implement a procedure to carry out audits of each part of the EMS and

company activities and operations to verify both compliance with the

EMS and with ISO 14001. Audit results must be reported to top

management . A typical audit cycle is one year but more critical

activities will require auditing more frequently.

Step 5. Management Review

At regular intervals (typically annual), top management must conduct

through meetings and record minutes of a review of the EMS, to

determine that it is still appropriate and effective or to make changes

where necessary. Top management will need to consider audit

results, project progress, changing circumstances and the requirement

of ISO 14001 for continual improvement, through setting and achieving

further environmental targets.

ISO 14001:2004 Standards Contents

ISO 14001:2004 Standards

ISO 14000 is a series of international standards on environmental management. It provides a framework for the development of an environmental management system and the supporting audit programme.

The main thrust for its development came as a result of the Rio Summit on the Environment held in 1992.

ISO 14000 is an Environmental Management System (EMS), which requires that an organization consider the environmental aspects of its products and services.

Iso14000 approach forces you to take a hard look at all areas of your business that has an environmental impact.

Iso14000 is the world’s first series of Internationally accepted Standards for Environmental Management Systems (EMS).

Iso14000 elevates Environmental Management to a Strategic Level that can be applied to any organization, from any industry, anywhere in the world.

ISO 14000 is a series of voluntary standards and guideline reference documents.

The part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy.

Iso14000 is the world’s first series of Internationally accepted Standards for Environmental Management Systems (EMS).

Iso14000 elevates Environmental Management to a Strategic Level that can be applied to any organization, from any industry, anywhere in the world.

ISO 14000 is a series of voluntary standards and guideline reference documents.

The part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy.

ISO 14000 is an Environmental Management System (EMS) who’s purpose is:

· A management commitment to pollution prevention.

· An understanding of the environmental impacts (reducing) of an organization’s activities.

A commitment (pollution prevention) to employees, neighbors and customers

ISO 14001 is the corner stone standard of the ISO 14000 series. It specifies a framework of control for an Environmental Management System against which an organization can be certified by a third party.

The environment cannot be protected by our convictions or goodwill alone. Efforts to protect the environment must be planned, coordinated and organized into a system, such as ISO 14001.

ISO14001 requires an Environmental Policy to be in existence within the organisation, fully supported by senior management, and outlining the policies of the company, not only to the staff but to the public. The policy needs to clarify compliance with Environmental Legislation that may effect the organization and stress a commitment to continuous improvement. Emphasis has been placed on policy as this provides the direction for the remainder of the Management System.

Those companies who have witnessed ISO9000 Assessments will know that the policy is frequently discussed during the assessment, many staff are asked if they understand or are aware of the policy, and any problems associated with the policy are seldom serious. The Environmental Policy is different, this provides the initial foundation and direction for the Management System and will be more stringently reviewed than a similar ISO9000 policy. The statement must be publicised in non-technical language so that it can be understood by the majority of readers. It should relate to the sites within the organisation encompassed by the Management System, it should provide an overview of the company’s activities on the site and a description of those activities. A clear picture of the company’s operations.

The preparatory review and definition of the organization’s environmental effects is not part of a ISO14001 Assessment, however examination of this data will provide an external audit with a wealth of information on the methods adopted by the company. The preparatory review itself should be comprehensive in consideration of input processes and output at the site. This review should be designed to identify all relevant environmental aspects that may arise from existence on the site. These may relate to current operations, they may relate to future, perhaps even unplanned future activities, and they will certainly relate to the activities performed on site in the past (i.e. contamination of land).

The initial or preparatory review will also include a wide-ranging consideration of the legislation which may effect the site, whether it is currently being complied with, and perhaps even whether copies of the legislation are available. Many of the environmental assessments undertaken already have highlighted that companies are often unaware of ALL of the legislation that affects them, and being unaware, are often not meeting the requirements of that legislation.

The company will declare its primary environmental objectives, those that can have most environmental impact. In order to gain most benefit these will become the primary areas of consideration within the improvement process, and the company’s environmental program. The program will be the plan to achieve specific goals or targets along the route to a specific goal and describe the means to reach those objectives such that they are real and achievable. The Environmental Management System provides further detail on the environmental program. The EMS establishes procedures, work instructions and controls to ensure that implementation of the policy and achievement of the targets can become a reality. Communication is a vital factor, enabling people in the organisation to be aware of their responsibilities, aware of the objectives of the scheme, and able to contribute to its success.

As with ISO9000 the Environmental Management System requires a planned comprehensive periodic audit of the Environmental Management System to ensure that it is effective in operation, is meeting specified goals, and the system continues to perform in accordance with relevant regulations and standards. The audits are designed to provide additional information in order to exercise effective management of the system, providing information on practices which differ to the current procedures or offer an opportunity for improvement.

In addition to audit, there is a requirement for Management Review of the system to ensure that it is suitable (for the organization and the objectives) and effective in operation. The management review is the ideal forum to make decisions on howe to improve for the future.

The newly revised ISO 14001:2004 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system (EMS), which provides a framework for an organization to control the environmental impacts of its activities, products and services, and to continually improve its environmental performance. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organization can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. It does not itself state specific environmental performance criteria. ISO 14001:2004 is applicable to any organization that wishes to:

· implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system

· assure itself of its conformance with its stated environmental policy

· demonstrate such conformance to others

· seek certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization

· make a self-determination and self-declaration of conformance with this international standard.

All the requirements in this standard can be incorporated into any environmental management system. Having been revised, the improved ISO 14001 is now expected to bring the benefits of implementing an EMS to more businesses than ever. The standard is now easier to understand and use and has more detailed checklists for inputs and outputs from the management review and has increased compatibility to ISO 9001. Organizations who are currently registered to ISO 14001:1996 will have an 18-month transition period to register to ISO 14001:2004.

ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS AND IMPACTS

ISO 14001 Environmental Aspects And Impacts

The fundamental purpose of the EMS is to control and reduce the environmental impacts of your facility’s processes and products. For this reason, a critical element of the EMS involves identifying and prioritizing the environmental aspects and impacts associated with your facility. An environmental aspect is an element of an organizations activities, products, or services that can interact with the environment. For example, chrome plating is a metal finishing activity and an associated aspect is chrome air emissions.
This aspect may have an impact on the environment in several ways, for example, ambient air quality degradation.
The environmental aspects and impacts of your metal finishing operations can be identified, prioritized, and documented in several ways. This Template includes two approaches, either of which can be used during EMS implementation. Use the approach that works best for your circumstances. This process is important because high-priority environmental aspects and impacts will be considered when environmental objectives and targets are established.

Aspects and Impacts Form A — The first approach uses the experience and judgment of
employees familiar with facility processes to identify the top five environmental issues
currently facing the facility. These issues and their specific aspects and impacts should
be summarized using Aspects and Impacts Form A.

Aspects and Impacts Form B — The second approach uses detailed, structured matrices
to list and prioritize environmental aspects and impacts according to the following
categories:
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Wastewater
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Air Emissions
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Hazardous and Solid Waste
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Raw Materials
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Water and Energy

The matrices that comprise Form B will help facility staff identify and document environmental aspects and impacts. The matrices also provide criteria for prioritizing environmental aspects and impacts; this process is important because high-priority environmental aspects and impacts will be considered when environmental objectives and targets are established. One possible way to prioritize environmental aspects and impacts using Form B is described as follows:
Step 1:
For each aspect and impact, score each prioritization criterion on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates the criterion is very important or relevant to that aspect (for example, the aspect is strictly regulated, is the subject of compliance violations, or is a waste generated in large uantities), and 5 indicates the criterion is relatively unimportant or irrelevant to that aspect (for example, the aspect is an unregulated waste, is generated infrequently, and is inexpensive to manage).
Step 2:
Add the scores of all criteria for each aspect and write the total in the right-most column of the form.
This number indicates the relative priority of the aspect compared to other aspects and impacts in the same category. The lower the total score, the higher the priority.
Purpose Of This procedure is used to identify, document, and update the environmental aspects and impacts of facility processes and operations.

Step 1 The environmental manager and other facility personnel selected by the environmental manager are responsible for identifying and prioritizing the environmental aspects and impacts of facility operations during EMS planning and development.
Environmental aspects are characteristics of facility processes and products that interact with the environment. Only environmental aspects the company can control or influence will be considered. Environmental impacts are the effects of an organization’s activitie , products or services on the environment.

Step 2 Environmental aspects and impacts will be documented and prioritized.
Environmental aspects and impacts will be associated with the following categories:
• Wastewater
• Air emissions
• Hazardous and solid waste
• Raw materials
• Water and energy
High-priority environmental aspects and impacts will be considered when environmental
objectives and targets are set.

Step 3 The environmental manager and other facility personnel will review and update
the environmental aspects and impacts documentation annually.

Step 4 Environmental aspects and impacts documentation will be retained at the facility
for at least 2 years.

Responsible Person: _____________________________________
Signature and Date: ______________________________________

ISO 14001 – Certification/Registration

ISO 14001 – Certification/Registration

Similar to the organized approach to problem solving contained in ISO 9000

and ISO 14000, an organized approach is necessary to achieve certification. Although the written requirements contained in ISO 14001 are straightforward and brief, the level of effort required to conform with the requirements should not be underestimated.

If an environmental review of the facility‘s operations has not been conducted, it is important to retain a qualified consultant to conduct the review. which should focus on the requirements of ISO 14000 versus programs currently in use. This activity is known as a Gap Analysis.?EAfter the Gap Analysis is completed, the environmental status of the operation should be known and the level of effort necessary to develop the ISO 14000 program understood.

It can easily take six months to a year to develop a program that meets EMS requirements. Staff should develop the EMS program as they will ultimately be required to manage it. If staff is inadequate to develop the program, a consultant can be retained to provide guidance to staff as the program is being developed.

But, retaining a consultant will not resolve the problem of long term program maintenance. The ultimate goal of developing the EMS is to obtain certification/registration. Aside from the internal benefits offered by the ISO 14000 series of standards, external benefits may be derived through the certification/registration process. The certification/registration process only applies to ISO 14001, and this is the only standard to which the audit process applies. For the purposes of certification/registration, all other ISO 14000 standards are considered guidance. Certification can either be by a self declaration?Eor by an independent registrar.

Obviously the use of an independent registrar would give more credibility to those looking at an organization from outside.

Registrars have individual preferences about how the requirements should be administered. A registrar should be selected early in the process to help ensure that the program being developed is consistent with the registrars preferences. When the program is fully prepared and implemented, the registrar will be notified and a formal program audit undertaken. This audit will not result in a denial of ISO 14000 certification, but it may result in either approval or a list of deficiencies that must be corrected before certification.

Environment Policy In ISO 14001:2004

Environment Policy In ISO 14001:2004

To develop a successful and effective EMS, five key tasks that must be undertaken by management:
a. Select an EMS Coordinator
The selection of an EMS Coordinator is crucial to the success of your EMS. This person will be responsible for developing and implementing the environmental policy and the EMS. Great care must be taken to ensure that the person chosen is well qualified to handle the responsibilities associated with the EMS.
b. Perform a gap analysis
A gap analysis determines the differences, or gaps, between one system and another. Not only will this analysis identify the gaps, but it also should etermine the size of the gaps. These findings will lead to recommendations, project plans, and the identification of necessary resources for filling the gaps.

c. Prepare a budget, and obtain the appropriate resources
After conducting a gap analysis, the EMS Coordinator will develop a budget that covers the necessary resources to complete an EMS that conforms with ISO 14001. For some organizations, this may mean establishing a budget for the entire process; other organizations may only need to update certain portions of their existing management system.

ISO 14001 Section 4.4.1 requires top management to provide the essential resources to implement, control, and manage the EMS.

d. Select an EMS Team
Top management and the EMS Coordinator may consider creating an EMS Team to assist in developing and implementing the system. This decision should be based on the size of the organization or facility that will be implementing the EMS.

This team should consist of key individuals from various divisions, departments, and operating work areas within the organization who are familiar with the facility, the various processes, and its environmental requirements. Diversity among team members will bring together a pool of expertise and ideas from which to develop and implement the EMS.

e. Develop an environmental policy
The environmental policy is an essential part of an organization’s EMS. Theenvironmental policy must establish the overall direction of the organization in terms of its commitment to environmental responsibility. A policy should also set the foundation and framework for meeting the environmental objectives and targets for the organization.

The ISO 14001 standard establishes certain requirements that an organization’senvironmental policy must meet. If your organization already has an environmental policy, review this section to ensure it meets the ISO 14001 requirements.

The first requirement is that top management must establish and define the environmental policy. Note that ISO 14001 does not specifically state that top management must write the policy, only that it be committed to the policy and ensure its implementation.

These actions are essential in constructing a firm foundation for an effective EMS.

ENVIRONMENTAL and HEALTH & SAFETY COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST

Self-Audit Procedures

The following checklist should be used as an aid in reviewing your facility’s compliance with industry environmental and health & safety regulations and requirements.

Additional Information: This checklist is based on the current laws and regulations as of the date of publication. Regulations frequently change.

Therefore, you should review current laws and regulations for any recent changes in the requirements. Some of the items you should check include:

Additional Requirements: In addition to recent changes in the requirements, you should also consider additional Cal/OSHA standards that might apply to your facility.

These might include any of the following:

Employer postings; ergonomics; process safety management; use of asbestos, formaldehyde, or lead containing substances; blood borne

pathogens; welding operations; use of compressed air and gases; boiler operations; use of power tools, hoists and grinding equipment; spray coating; elevated platforms; aisle way, ramp, door and exit requirements; fire sprinkler requirements; and seismic requirements.

Legal Authority : The compliance requirements provided on the following pages are taken from the respective laws and regulations, as indicated in the references column. In addition to the statutory and regulatory requirements, some compliance items that reflect improved and accepted management practices have been included. These management practices have been included because of their overall industry acceptance and their potential to reduce environmental risk and improve compliance.

ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS AND IMPACTS

ISO 14001 Environmental Aspects And Impacts

The fundamental purpose of the EMS is to control and reduce the environmental impacts of your facility’s processes and products. For this reason, a critical element of the EMS involves identifying and prioritizing the environmental aspects and impacts associated with your facility. An environmental aspect is an element of an organizations activities, products, or services that can interact with the environment. For example, chrome plating is a metal finishing activity and an associated aspect is chrome air emissions.
This aspect may have an impact on the environment in several ways, for example, ambient air quality degradation.
The environmental aspects and impacts of your metal finishing operations can be identified, prioritized, and documented in several ways. This Template includes two approaches, either of which can be used during EMS implementation. Use the approach that works best for your circumstances. This process is important because high-priority environmental aspects and impacts will be considered when environmental objectives and targets are established.

Aspects and Impacts Form A — The first approach uses the experience and judgment of
employees familiar with facility processes to identify the top five environmental issues
currently facing the facility. These issues and their specific aspects and impacts should
be summarized using Aspects and Impacts Form A.

Aspects and Impacts Form B — The second approach uses detailed, structured matrices
to list and prioritize environmental aspects and impacts according to the following
categories:
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Wastewater
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Air Emissions
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Hazardous and Solid Waste
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Raw Materials
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts: Water and Energy

The matrices that comprise Form B will help facility staff identify and documentenvironmental aspects and impacts. The matrices also provide criteria for prioritizing environmental aspects and impacts; this process is important because high-priority environmental aspects and impacts will be considered when environmental objectives and targets are established. One possible way to prioritize environmental aspects and impacts using Form B is described as follows:
Step 1:
For each aspect and impact, score each prioritization criterion on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates the criterion is very important or relevant to that aspect (for example, the aspect is strictly regulated, is the subject of compliance violations, or is a waste generated in large uantities), and 5 indicates the criterion is relatively unimportant or irrelevant to that aspect (for example, the aspect is an unregulated waste, is generated infrequently, and is inexpensive to manage).
Step 2:
Add the scores of all criteria for each aspect and write the total in the right-most column of the form.
This number indicates the relative priority of the aspect compared to other aspects and impacts in the same category. The lower the total score, the higher the priority.
Purpose Of This procedure is used to identify, document, and update the environmental aspects and impacts of facility processes and operations.

Step 1 The environmental manager and other facility personnel selected by the environmental manager are responsible for identifying and prioritizing the environmental aspects and impacts of facility operations during EMS planning and development.
Environmental aspects are characteristics of facility processes and products that interact with the environment. Only environmental aspects the company can control or influence will be considered. Environmental impacts are the effects of an organization’s activitie , products or services on the environment.

Step 2 Environmental aspects and impacts will be documented and prioritized.
Environmental aspects and impacts will be associated with the following categories:
• Wastewater
• Air emissions
• Hazardous and solid waste
• Raw materials
• Water and energy
High-priority environmental aspects and impacts will be considered when environmental
objectives and targets are set.

Step 3 The environmental manager and other facility personnel will review and update
the environmental aspects and impacts documentation annually.

Step 4 Environmental aspects and impacts documentation will be retained at the facility
for at least 2 years.

Responsible Person: _____________________________________
Signature and Date: ______________________________________

ISO 14001 – Specifications With Guidance for Use

ISO 14001 – Specifications with Guidance For Use

Given the number of international participants involved in the process of developing the ISO 14001 Specifications, it is amazingly brief, consisting of five pages. This includes a Scope, Definitions, and EMS requirements.

The heart of the specification is in the EMS Requirements, the principles of which are summarized below:

Principle #1 – Commitment and Policy Top management must make a commitment to the program.

Principle #2 – Planning To be successful, the program must be organized. This includes an organizational structure, open communications, both internal and external, and a mechanism for identifying issues.

Principle #3 Implementation Program must be undertaken, including training, writing process descriptions, and establishing prevention programs.

Principle #4 Measurement and Evaluation Create a mechanism for assessing performance and progress toward goals.Principle #5 Review and Improvement? ISO 14004, Section 4, Environmental Management System (EMS)

Reference: ISO 14004, Section 4, Environmental Management System (EMS)Principles and Elements.

ISO 14001:2004 – Documentation

SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO ISO 14001:2004

ISO 14001:2004 aims to clarify the 1996 edition and align it more closely with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Some clauses have not been modified for content but have been rewritten to align ISO 14001:2004 with the format, wording, and layout of ISO 9001:2000 and to enhance the compatibility between the two standards.

References in Annex A of the standard are aligned with the numbering in the standard for ease of use. Annex B of the standard identifies similarities and associations between ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004.

An important change in wording throughout the revised standard appears in requirements that previously stated that an organisation shall “establish and maintain”; these have now been changed to “establish, implement and maintain”.

Throughout the standard the word “personnel” in the original standard is replaced with “persons working for or on behalf of the organisation” in the revised standard. This is included to ensure that external contractors and applicable suppliers are included under the requirements of certain clauses.

In developing, implementing and maintaining the organisation’s EMS, significant environmental aspects, applicable legal requirements and other requirements to which the organisation subscribes must be considered, and management must ensure the availability of resources.

There are additional paragraphs in the introduction, which generally cover:

• the aim of the ISO 14001:2004 standard is to enhance compatibility with ISO 9001:2000;

• alignment is improved between clause references and supporting Annexes. For example, 4.3.3 and A.3.3 both deal with objectives, targets and programme(s), and 4.5.5 and A.5.5 both deal with internal audit;

• an explanation of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model used in ISO 9001:2000;

• the use of the process approach is promoted in alignment with ISO 9001:2000;

• possible alignment and integration with other management systems is reviewed.

Role of Governments in ISO 14001 Standards

Role of Governments in ISO 14001 Standards

Although ISO 14001 is a set of voluntary standards that individual companies may or may not choose to adopt, governments can clearly have a role in providing information, establishing the necessary framework and infrastructure, and, in some cases, helping companies to develop the
basic capabilities to adopt ISO 14001. There are wo particular areas in which government action would be useful:
(a) providing information on he sectors and markets where ISO 14001 certification s a significant issue and assisting sector rganizations to develop appropriate responses, and
(b) helping to establish a certification framework, ased on strengthening national standards organizations and encouraging competitive private sector provision of auditing and certification
services. At present, the World Bank is having discussions with a number of countries about how assistance could be provided with these issues.

Governments should see EMS approaches as part of a broad environmental strategy that includes regulatory systems, appropriate financial incentives, and encouragement of improved industrial performance. Such encouragement can really only be effective where there is cooperation at the government level between the relevant departments, including industry and trade, as well as environment. There is a growing interest in integrating environmental management issues into productivity or competitiveness centers designed to promote SME performance, but little information exists on experience to date.

How To Implement ISO 9001 Standards Using Template & Softwares

There are few ways of implementing the ISO 9000 in a particular organization. One of the easy way is hiring a ISO 9000 consultant in a turn key project basis. This definitely will incur cost. However, some of the organization will appoiint an employee to start up the ISO 9000, by learning thru seminar, preparing the ISO 9000 Quality Manual, Procedure & Form by using some of the ISO 9000 Template sell at internet. Some of the provider such as http://www.iso-consults.com & http://www.quality-template.com are providing such services.

Normally, the template provide will provides the ISO 9000 Quality Manual Template, Standand Procedure & also sample form for the ISO 9000 implementation. One of the provider like http://www.e-wia.com give a very complete set of the ISO 9000 Templates, which will help an organization to implement the ISO 9000 easily.

There are also some ISO 9000 Softwares which helps the organization in the ISO 9000 implementation. Some of the ISO 9000 Software are listed below:

a. Document Control Software – Software which Helps the organization to keep track & control of the ISO 9000 Documents.

b. Audit Control Software – Software which helps the organization to keep track of internal & external audit events.

c. Training Record Management Software – Software which helps the organization to keep track of Training records in a system.

d. Calibration Software – Software to maintain the calibration records for tool & machinery.

More Sites on ISO 9001 Standards Template & Softwares are as below:

http://www.iso9001store.com

http://www.iso14000store.com

How To Implement ISO 9001 Standards Using Template & Softwares

There are few ways of implementing the ISO 9000 in a particular organization. One of the easy way is hiring a ISO 9000 consultant in a turn key project basis. This definitely will incur cost. However, some of the organization will appoiint an employee to start up the ISO 9000, by learning thru seminar, preparing the ISO 9000 Quality Manual, Procedure & Form by using some of the ISO 9000 Template sell at internet. Some of the provider such as http://www.iso-consults.com & http://www.quality-template.com are providing such services.

Normally, the template provide will provides the ISO 9000 Quality Manual Template, Standand Procedure & also sample form for the ISO 9000 implementation. One of the provider likehttp://www.e-wia.com give a very complete set of the ISO 9000 Templates, which will help an organization to implement the ISO 9000 easily.

There are also some ISO 9000 Softwares which helps the organization in the ISO 9000 implementation. Some of the ISO 9000 Software are listed below:

a. Document Control Software – Software which Helps the organization to keep track & control of the ISO 9000 Documents.

b. Audit Control Software – Software which helps the organization to keep track of internal & external audit events.

c. Training Record Management Software – Software which helps the organization to keep track of Training records in a system.

d. Calibration Software – Software to maintain the calibration records for tool & machinery.

More Sites on ISO 9001 Standards Template & Softwares are as below:

http://www.iso9001store.com

http://www.iso14000store.com

IS0 14001 – HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

Firstly ISO 14000 environment system standards was prepared in June of 1992 year in Rio at world apex and this standard brooks decisions of this world apex and Rio contract principles. After 1 year, ISO established one technique committee which is yielded by 50 different country representatives to prepare international environment management system in 1993 year. ISO 14001 environment management system standard was issued in September of 1996 year with works of this committee. ISO 14001 standard is used as voluntary now but ISO 14001 will be burden by coercions of societies, international organizations, states in the future. Levels which environment management system passed are the following briefly:

= Europe community countries issued I action plan in 1973 year (to practice protecting preventions of environment )
= BS 7750 Standard in 1992
= Rio Declaration in 1992 year
= ISO/TC 207. Environmental management technique committee was established in 1993 year to develop ISO 14000 family standards
= TS 9719 standard (environment management system – General features) in 1994 year
= ISO 14001 standard in 1996 year
= ISO 14001 current version in April of 2005 Nisan 2005