Businesses around the world are positioning themselves for the green economy. This article presents Part 3 of a 3-Part series. It provides elements required to acheive sustainability for your business under the ISO 14001 standard (Environmental Management System).
Monitoring and Measurement:
• There must be a procedure to monitor and measure, on a
regular basis, the key characteristics of the operation that
can have a significant environmental impact.
• Calibrated or verified monitoring and measuring equipment
must be used and associated records must be maintained
• Lessons learned: Monitoring and measuring can be directly
tied to objectives and targets
Evaluation of Compliance:
• New clause in the ISO 14001:2004 edition
• There must be a procedure established, implemented and
maintained for periodically evaluating applicable legal
requirements
• Records of these periodic evaluations must be kept
Nonconformity, Corrective Action and Preventive Action:
The organization must establish, implement and maintain a procedure for dealing with actual and potential nonconformities and for taking corrective and preventive action.
• Common pitfalls: Over-documenting corrective actions.
• Not documenting preventive actions
• Failure to determine true cause of nonconformity
• Forgetting to review the effectiveness of corrective and
preventive actions
• Forgetting to “Prioritize” the nonconformities of greatest
magnitude
Records:
The organization shall establish and maintain records as necessary to demonstrate conformity to the requirements of the EMS. There shall be a procedure for the identification, storage, protection, retrieval, retention and disposal of records.
• Lessons learned: Eliminate paper records whenever
possible.
• Pitfalls: No defined method of disposal.
• No defined retention period or overstated retention
period
Internal Audit:
Internal audits must be conducted at planned intervals to determine whether the EMS conforms to planned arrangement and has been properly implemented and maintained.
• Lessons Learned: Define up front the qualification of
auditors
• Base audits on results of previous audits
• Pitfalls: “Across the board” scheduling
• Poor documentation of audit reports
• Incomplete audit of elements
Management Review:
Ingredients for the Management Review
• Results of internal audits
• Communication from external interested parties, including
complaints
• Environmental performance of the organization
• Extent to which objectives and targets have been met
• Status of corrective and preventive actions
• Follow-up actions from previous management reviews
• Changing circumstances, including developments in legal
and other requirements related to its environmental aspects
• Recommendations for improvement
Key Management Review Issues:
• The Management Representative is NOT the top manager
unless so appointed
• Management review should clearly stipulate
whether or not the EMS is suitable, adequate and effective
• The Management Review should be the basis for the
continuation of the “plan-do-check-act” cycle
Parts I, II and III completes how to develop an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. Now, its up to you.
