ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System

      ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System

What is ISO 14001?

A series of standards on environmental management tools and systems ISO 14000 will deal with a company’s system for managing its day-to-day operations as they have an impact on the environment.
The ISO 14000 family is primarily concerned with "environmental management". This means what the organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and to achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.
ISO 14001 is the standard used by a registrar to determine whether an organization will be certified. Similar in structure to ISO 9001, it outlines the requirements companies must meet if they want to obtain certification (registration) of their environmental management system. ISO 14001 was first published in 1996 and was revised in 2004.
Organizations had 18 months (until May 15, 2006) to upgrade their EMS to meet the requirements of ISO 14001:2004.

Who is developing the ISO 14001 standards?

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 207 The scope of TC 207 is standardization in the field of environmental management tools and systems. The standards apply to environmental management tools and systems; they are not product standards, nor do they specify performance or pollutant / effluent levels. Specifically excluded are: test methods for pollutants, setting limit values regarding pollutants or effluents, setting environmental performance levels, standardization of products.
TC 207 cooperates closely with ISO TC 176 on Quality Management (developers of ISO 9000) in the field of environmental management systems and audits.

What is covered by ISO 14001?

The ISO 14001 standard is based on the same plan-do-check-act (PDCA) structure as ISO 19001. The main elements of the standard are

1.                      Environmental Policy

2.                      Planning

3.                      Implementation & Operation

4.                      Checking and Corrective Action

5.                      Management Review

Environmental Management System and Environmental Auditing address a wide range of issues, including: top management commitment to continuous improvement, compliance and pollution prevention. Creating and implementing environmental policies, including setting and meeting appropriate targets, integrating environmental considerations in operating procedures, training employees in regard to their environmental obligations, conducting audits of the environmental management system. Many organizations have undertaken environmental "reviews" or "audits" to assess their environmental performance. On their own, however, these "reviews" and "audits" may not be sufficient to provide an organization with the assurance that its performance not only meets, but will continue to meet, its legal and policy requirements. To be effective, they need to be conducted within a structured management system and integrated with overall management activity. International Standards covering environmental management are intended to provide organizations with the elements of an effective environmental management system, which can be integrated with other management requirements, to assist organizations to achieve environmental and economic goals. These Standards, like other International Standards, are not intended to be used to create non-tariff trade barriers or to increase or change an organization's legal obligations.

ISO 14001 standard specifies the requirements of such an environmental management system. It has been written to be applicable to all types and sizes of organizations and to accommodate diverse geographical. cultural and social conditions. The success of the system depends on commitment from all levels and functions, especially from top management. A system of this kind enables an organization to establish, and assess the effectiveness of, procedures to set an environmental policy and objectives, achieve conformance with them, and demonstrate such conformance to others. The overall aim of ISO 14001tandard is to support environmental protection and prevention of pollution in balance with socio-economic needs.

What are the benefits of ISO 14001 System?

·                               Achievement of specific goals.

·                              Improved worker confidence and participation.

·                              Achievement of world’s best practice.

·                              Improved environmental compliance

·                              Prevention of pollution

·                              Improves Firm’s Image

·                              Eases Relations with the Authorities

·                              Minimize Trade Barriers

·                              Reduce Liability Risks

·                              Waste Reduction

·                              Increased operational efficiency

·                              Cost savings

·                              Improve relations with regulatory agencies.

·                              Reduce operating costs

·                              Reduce legal risk and potential liabilities

·                              Opportunity for Continual Improvement

·                              Recognition as a progressive leader

How do ISO 14000 standards relate to ISO 9000 standards? 

Like ISO 9000, the ISO 14000 standards are management standards and not performance specifications. Like ISO 9000, ISO 14000 are voluntary standards expected to have a big influence in the marketplace.

The ISO 14000 standards take much of their approach, structure and inspiration from the ISO 9000 standards. Just as ISO 9000 does not call for nor guarantee a quality product, ISO 14000 does not establish required performance levels. Organizations of all kinds are increasingly concerned to achieve and demonstrate sound environmental performance by controlling the impact of their activities, products or services on the environment, taking into account their environmental policy and objectives. They do so in the context of increasingly stringent legislation, the development of economic policies and other measures to foster environmental protection, and a general growth of concern from interested parties about environmental matters including sustainable development.

How can a company get ready for ISO 14001?

Focus on current environmental management systems and work to improve them. Because there are many parallels between the two series, companies interested in preparing for ISO 14000 should be familiar with ISO 9000.

How much will it cost and how long will it take to implement these standards?

Unfortunately there is no set answer. Each company is different. The answer really depends on

·                              Company main activities and scope of work

·                              How developed the company 's present system is

·                              What is the implementation strategy company wants to adopt

·                              Total number of employees

·                              Total number of offices or sites

What are the 14001 standard's requirements?

The ISO 14001 standard deals with environmental management, i.e. the management concerning the "living environment". The company that decides to obtain the Certificate confirming compliance with the requirements of this standard has to establish, document, apply and maintain an environment management system and to improve its efficiency continuously.

What are the steps that have to be taken?
To establish company's environmental policy and to communicate it to employees and to make it accessible by public.
To identify environmental aspects of the company's activities that might have a significant impact on environment.
To ensure observance of the existing and newly issued legal and other requirements related to environmental aspects identified by the company and incorporation of these requirements to the environmental management system.
To derive environmental goals and target values from the environmental policy for all the company's levels and positions.
To determine and implement environmental management programmes in order to meet these goals and target values.
To ensure training of employees and both the internal and external communication.
To monitor and measure the key features of the operation and activities with a possible impact on living environment and to take preventive and remedial measures in order to deal with the deviations and loss found.

ETA Consultancy EMS Services

ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System Development

A Turn Key solution will be designed to meet the needs of your company and can include the following:

·                              Gap Analysis

·                              EMS System Documentation Development

·                              Training - System & Internal Auditor

·                              System Implementation Assistance

·                              Conducting on-site Internal Audits

·                              Management Review Assistance

·                              Third Party Certification body Selection

·                              Certification Audits Assistance

ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System Administration

·                              Assistance to Management Representative.

·                              Maintain the environmental management system documents, including posting new and revised documents.

·                              Development of internal auditing schedule.

·                              Conducting of internal audits.

·                              Systems records maintenance, including Corrective & Preventative Actions, Internal Audits, and Management Review.

·                              Responsibility for all communications with certification bodies regarding audits and subsequent actions.

·                              On-site participation in certification body surveillance audits, internal auditing, management review, and other special meetings as required by management.

·                              Off-site consultant to assist mangers and others with documentation and other systems improvements