ISO 14001 is a systematic tool that enables an organization in any market sector to focus on their situation, identify the relevant environmental issues and to lessen their impact to their benefit and the environment. It is part of a global response to the recognition that we are damaging the environment in which we all live. The cause and effect of the foremost world environmental issues, which are all due to mankind, are generally too vast and too intangible for us to grasp and so the slightly cliché expression ‘think global, act local’ is very relevant. Once the EMS is implemented and to become registered to ISO 14001, the external auditor will assess your EMS in two separate stages, on site. The first stage to understand your business activities and determine formal readiness for assessment and the second to check practical compliance with ISO 14001. After registration he will return at regular intervals every year to verify continual improvement and regulatory compliance, against your set objectives and your EMS. The external auditor should be seen as a wise friend, not a policeman. He should certainly explain his findings and assist the company to find ISO 14001 registration is not a cure for all environmental problems but I hope I’ve demonstrated that it is a worthwhile, if not essential business initiative that could enable your management to better manage your business, gain commercial advantage and minimize its environmental impact.
Showing posts with label iso 14001. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iso 14001. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 Standards and the environment
The ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 Standards and the environment
The ISO 14000 family of International Standards on environmental management is a relative newcomer to ISO’s portfolio – but enviroment-related standardization is far from being a new departure for ISO.
In fact, ISO has two-pronged approach to meeting the needs of business, industry, governments, non-governmental organizations and consumers in the field of the environment.
On the one hand, it offers a wideranging portfolio of standardized sampling, testing and analytical methods to deal with specific environmental challenges. It has developed more than 350 International Standards (out of a total more
than 12000) for the monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water and soil. These standards are means of providing business and government with scientifically valid data on the environmental effects of economic activity.
They also serve in a number of countries as the technical basis for environmental regulations.
ISO is leading a strategic approach by developing environmental management system standards that can be implemented in any type of organization in either public or private sectors (companies, administration, public utilities). To spearhead this strategic approach, ISO establish a new technical commitee, ISO /TC 207, Environmental management, in
1993. This followed ISO’s successful pioneering experience in management system standardization with the ISO 9000 series for quality management.
ISO’s direct involvement in environmental management stemmed from an intensive consultation process, carried out within the framework of a Strategic Advisory Group on Environment (SAGE),set up in 1991, in which 20 countrie, 11 international organizations and more than 100 environmental experts participated in defining the basic requirements of a new approach to environment-related standards.
This pioneering work was consolidated with ISO’s commitment to support the objective of “sustainable development” dicussed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Today, delegations of business and government experts from 55 countries have participate actively within TC 207,
and another 16 countries have observer status. These delegations are chosen by the national standars institute concerned and they are required to bring to TC 207 a national consensus on issue being addressed by the commitee.
This national consensus is derived from a process of consultation with interested parties.
From its beginning, it was recognized that ISO/TC 207 should have close cooperation with ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, in the areas of management systems, auditing and related terminology. Active efforts are under way to ensure compatibility of ISO environmental management and quality management standards, for the benefit of all organizations wishing to implement them.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
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.
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.
Environmental Aspects (ISO 14001:2004, 4.3.1)
The requirement of 4.3.1 of ISO 14001 is to establish and maintain procedures
1) for identifying the environmental aspects of the organization’s activities, products, and services that it can control and those that it can influence and
2) for determining which of those aspects have or can have a significant impact on the environment. Understanding the requirement of this element of ISO 14001 is central to understanding the concept of an environmental management system.
1 .A single manufacturing facility has potentially hundreds of environmental aspects. How far must it go in identifying its environmental aspects to satisfy the terms of the requirement? ISO 14001 specifies that the organization is to identify those aspects that it can control and those that it can influence and that it must also take into account planned or new developments and new or modified activities, products, and services. These stipulations in the requirements, without actually drawing boundaries on how far the organization must go in identifying environmental aspects, at least establish some categories of aspect that must be considered. Beyond this principle, each organization must identify its aspects comprehensively enough so as to not fail to identify a significant aspect or a legal requirement. An objection to comprehensive identification of aspects is that the organization may become so immersed in aspects identification that it loses sight of the end objective of the procedure, which is to determine significance.
2. Significant impact is not a stand-alone term in ?4.3.1.
It is accompanied by the phrase impact on the environment_ and environment_ is a defined term (see definition of environment, ?3.5). Significant aspects, then, are those environmental aspects that have or can have significant impacts on air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, and humans. The organization determines, using its own criteria, what magnitude of impact on these seven environmental receptors constitutes a significant impact. Whether an aspect is regulated is not intended to be a factor in determining significance.
3. Proper execution of the environmental aspects procedure is important, in part, because it lifts environmental management out of the regulatory compliance mode and into the mode of systematically identifying environmental aspects and impacts and considering their consequences for the environment, irrespective of regulation. The organization that rigorously applies the environmental aspects procedure discovers many opportunities to improve environmental performance that regulation does not address, including:
• Use of energy
• Consumption of materials
• Environmental impacts of employee activities
•Environmental impacts of products and by-products post-manufacture, including distribution, use, reuse, and disposal
• Environmental impacts of services
• Unregulated waste streams such as carbon dioxide
Aspects vs. Impacts – Environmental aspects and environmental impacts differ by definition from one another in that an aspect is an element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can interact (emphasis added) with the environment_ while an impact is any change (emphasis added) to the environment_ resulting from an organization’s environmental aspects._ An aspect, then, is a precursor to an impact and an impact occurs when the aspect interacts with and changes the environment.
When identifying its aspects and impacts, the organization may find that there are more than one potential impacts associated with any given aspect. For example, an environmental aspect of a coal-fired power generation facility is stack emissions containing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and carbon. These emissions change the environment and become impacts by contaminating plants, soil, and surface waters; contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone; causing or exacerbating heart and lung disease in humans; entering the aquatic food chain and impairing reproductive, immune, and endocrine systems; and contributing to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide leading to global warming. One aspect, stack emissions, then can generate at least five impacts.
Other organizations, applying benefit/cost analyses to their corrective actions, may discover that creation of a beneficial impact provides a greater environmental benefit than elimination of an adverse impact.
The introduction of the beneficial environmental impact concept into the ISO 14001 Terms and Definitions suggests that it was considered by some of the ISO 14001:1996 drafters as a placeholder for the future possibility of offsetting adverse impacts with beneficial and, on balance, achieving an environmentally neutral organization.
Control and Influence – The environmental aspects procedure requires the organization to identify those environmental aspects that it can control and those that it can influence._ Circumstances where control and influence are considered separately can occur where the environmental aspects of products or services are concerned. Some examples illustrate the case:
1. No control, no influence – When an organization manufactures a product, such as lumber, and sells it to a customer that can use the product in any way that it wishes, the organization has no control over the environmental aspects of the product’s use. The customer could use the product benignly as in the manufacture of a table or to damage the environment by burning the lumber and releasing its carbon into the atmosphere. In this case, the organization would not be expected to have either control or influence over the environmental aspects of the product.
2. Control, no influence – When an organization’s environmental aspect is the use of electric power generated from coal, it may be able to control its use of electric power by using less, by buying from a different, less environmentally damaging source, or by generating its own power. Rarely, however, does the organization have influence over the power generator to an extent that it could influence it to reduce the environmental impacts of power production.
3. Influence, no control – When an organization manufactures a product, such as an automobile, which is sold to the customer without restrictions on its use, the organization may be said to have no control over the environmental aspects of the product’s use. The organization may, however, be able to assert influence with the inclusion of owner’s manuals containing instructions for low impact use of the product.
4. Control and influence – When an organization buys a product built to its specifications, it has control over the products’ environmental aspects in the sense that it can determine the environmental aspects of the product. In this case, control also includes influence.
Significant Impacts – ISO 14001 does not provide guidance as to what constitutes a significant impact on the environment_, leaving that determination to the organization.
Many organizations ignore the qualifying phrase, impact on the environment_, and add additional criteria to what they determine to be significant impacts. For example, many organizations decide that aspects that are the subject of regulation, irrespective of impact to the environment, or that can cause damage to business reputation, are significant. Legal requirements, however, are identified in ?4.3.2 and legal requirements and business requirements are specifically considered when the organization establishes its objectives and targets (?4.3.3). Adding criteria that are not relevant to impact on the environment in the determination of significance distorts the outcome of procedures for environmental aspects and objectives and targets by giving these criteria undue weight in the determination of significance. For example, an environmental aspect that is significant only because its disclosure might affect the organization’s reputation is best dealt with in the Public Relations Department rather than as an environmental aspect.
Determination of significance is a yes or no question, not a determination of relative value. It is possible, therefore, that the execution of the environmental aspects procedure will result in the determination that the organization has no significant aspects. While the organization may elect to rank its aspects from most significant to least significant, that does not necessarily mean that any rise to the level of significant impact on the environment.
Where the impact occurs can be material to determination of significance. For example, a coal-fired power plant’s air emissions can interact with the environment; these emissions are clearly environmental aspects. Whether they significantly impact the environment may depend upon where the interaction with the environment occurs.
Part of the importance of establishing significance lies in the fact that the potentially significant environmental impacts become a focus of Objectives and Targets (?4.3.3), Competence (?4.4.2), Operational Controls (?4.4.6), and Monitoring and Measurement (?4.5.1) requirements.
An organization that determines that aspects are significant because of regulation or business reputation increases the amount of work it must do in these areas.
ISO 14001 does not require the organization to establish objectives and targets for each significant environmental aspect. On the one hand, the absence of a requirement to set objectives and targets for all significant aspects gives organizations latitude to conform to the requirements of ISO 14001 while not presently dealing, for example, with the significant environmental aspects of products. On the other, a requirement to establish objectives and targets for all identified significant aspects could easily overwhelm an organization having many significant aspects. Without this latitude, organizations might choose to ignore the existence of significant aspects that they believe are insurmountable or even decide not to implement ISO 14001. As it is, many organizations choose to deny the existence of significant aspects about which they feel they can do nothing.
1) for identifying the environmental aspects of the organization’s activities, products, and services that it can control and those that it can influence and
2) for determining which of those aspects have or can have a significant impact on the environment. Understanding the requirement of this element of ISO 14001 is central to understanding the concept of an environmental management system.
1 .A single manufacturing facility has potentially hundreds of environmental aspects. How far must it go in identifying its environmental aspects to satisfy the terms of the requirement? ISO 14001 specifies that the organization is to identify those aspects that it can control and those that it can influence and that it must also take into account planned or new developments and new or modified activities, products, and services. These stipulations in the requirements, without actually drawing boundaries on how far the organization must go in identifying environmental aspects, at least establish some categories of aspect that must be considered. Beyond this principle, each organization must identify its aspects comprehensively enough so as to not fail to identify a significant aspect or a legal requirement. An objection to comprehensive identification of aspects is that the organization may become so immersed in aspects identification that it loses sight of the end objective of the procedure, which is to determine significance.
2. Significant impact is not a stand-alone term in ?4.3.1.
It is accompanied by the phrase impact on the environment_ and environment_ is a defined term (see definition of environment, ?3.5). Significant aspects, then, are those environmental aspects that have or can have significant impacts on air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, and humans. The organization determines, using its own criteria, what magnitude of impact on these seven environmental receptors constitutes a significant impact. Whether an aspect is regulated is not intended to be a factor in determining significance.
3. Proper execution of the environmental aspects procedure is important, in part, because it lifts environmental management out of the regulatory compliance mode and into the mode of systematically identifying environmental aspects and impacts and considering their consequences for the environment, irrespective of regulation. The organization that rigorously applies the environmental aspects procedure discovers many opportunities to improve environmental performance that regulation does not address, including:
• Use of energy
• Consumption of materials
• Environmental impacts of employee activities
•Environmental impacts of products and by-products post-manufacture, including distribution, use, reuse, and disposal
• Environmental impacts of services
• Unregulated waste streams such as carbon dioxide
Aspects vs. Impacts – Environmental aspects and environmental impacts differ by definition from one another in that an aspect is an element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can interact (emphasis added) with the environment_ while an impact is any change (emphasis added) to the environment_ resulting from an organization’s environmental aspects._ An aspect, then, is a precursor to an impact and an impact occurs when the aspect interacts with and changes the environment.
When identifying its aspects and impacts, the organization may find that there are more than one potential impacts associated with any given aspect. For example, an environmental aspect of a coal-fired power generation facility is stack emissions containing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and carbon. These emissions change the environment and become impacts by contaminating plants, soil, and surface waters; contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone; causing or exacerbating heart and lung disease in humans; entering the aquatic food chain and impairing reproductive, immune, and endocrine systems; and contributing to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide leading to global warming. One aspect, stack emissions, then can generate at least five impacts.
Other organizations, applying benefit/cost analyses to their corrective actions, may discover that creation of a beneficial impact provides a greater environmental benefit than elimination of an adverse impact.
The introduction of the beneficial environmental impact concept into the ISO 14001 Terms and Definitions suggests that it was considered by some of the ISO 14001:1996 drafters as a placeholder for the future possibility of offsetting adverse impacts with beneficial and, on balance, achieving an environmentally neutral organization.
Control and Influence – The environmental aspects procedure requires the organization to identify those environmental aspects that it can control and those that it can influence._ Circumstances where control and influence are considered separately can occur where the environmental aspects of products or services are concerned. Some examples illustrate the case:
1. No control, no influence – When an organization manufactures a product, such as lumber, and sells it to a customer that can use the product in any way that it wishes, the organization has no control over the environmental aspects of the product’s use. The customer could use the product benignly as in the manufacture of a table or to damage the environment by burning the lumber and releasing its carbon into the atmosphere. In this case, the organization would not be expected to have either control or influence over the environmental aspects of the product.
2. Control, no influence – When an organization’s environmental aspect is the use of electric power generated from coal, it may be able to control its use of electric power by using less, by buying from a different, less environmentally damaging source, or by generating its own power. Rarely, however, does the organization have influence over the power generator to an extent that it could influence it to reduce the environmental impacts of power production.
3. Influence, no control – When an organization manufactures a product, such as an automobile, which is sold to the customer without restrictions on its use, the organization may be said to have no control over the environmental aspects of the product’s use. The organization may, however, be able to assert influence with the inclusion of owner’s manuals containing instructions for low impact use of the product.
4. Control and influence – When an organization buys a product built to its specifications, it has control over the products’ environmental aspects in the sense that it can determine the environmental aspects of the product. In this case, control also includes influence.
Significant Impacts – ISO 14001 does not provide guidance as to what constitutes a significant impact on the environment_, leaving that determination to the organization.
Many organizations ignore the qualifying phrase, impact on the environment_, and add additional criteria to what they determine to be significant impacts. For example, many organizations decide that aspects that are the subject of regulation, irrespective of impact to the environment, or that can cause damage to business reputation, are significant. Legal requirements, however, are identified in ?4.3.2 and legal requirements and business requirements are specifically considered when the organization establishes its objectives and targets (?4.3.3). Adding criteria that are not relevant to impact on the environment in the determination of significance distorts the outcome of procedures for environmental aspects and objectives and targets by giving these criteria undue weight in the determination of significance. For example, an environmental aspect that is significant only because its disclosure might affect the organization’s reputation is best dealt with in the Public Relations Department rather than as an environmental aspect.
Determination of significance is a yes or no question, not a determination of relative value. It is possible, therefore, that the execution of the environmental aspects procedure will result in the determination that the organization has no significant aspects. While the organization may elect to rank its aspects from most significant to least significant, that does not necessarily mean that any rise to the level of significant impact on the environment.
Where the impact occurs can be material to determination of significance. For example, a coal-fired power plant’s air emissions can interact with the environment; these emissions are clearly environmental aspects. Whether they significantly impact the environment may depend upon where the interaction with the environment occurs.
Part of the importance of establishing significance lies in the fact that the potentially significant environmental impacts become a focus of Objectives and Targets (?4.3.3), Competence (?4.4.2), Operational Controls (?4.4.6), and Monitoring and Measurement (?4.5.1) requirements.
An organization that determines that aspects are significant because of regulation or business reputation increases the amount of work it must do in these areas.
ISO 14001 does not require the organization to establish objectives and targets for each significant environmental aspect. On the one hand, the absence of a requirement to set objectives and targets for all significant aspects gives organizations latitude to conform to the requirements of ISO 14001 while not presently dealing, for example, with the significant environmental aspects of products. On the other, a requirement to establish objectives and targets for all identified significant aspects could easily overwhelm an organization having many significant aspects. Without this latitude, organizations might choose to ignore the existence of significant aspects that they believe are insurmountable or even decide not to implement ISO 14001. As it is, many organizations choose to deny the existence of significant aspects about which they feel they can do nothing.
Emergency Preparedness and Response In ISO 14001
Emergency Preparedness and Response In ISO 14001
Under the Emergency Preparedness and Response requirement of ISO 14001:2004 (§4.4.7), the organization is required to establish procedures for identifying the potential for and responding to emergency situations and accidents that can have an impact on the environment.
Identification of Potential Emergency and Accident Situations – Experience indicates that organizations infrequently have a preexisting procedure for identifying potential emergency and accident situations.The norm is to establish emergency and accident responses for a variety of emergency and accident situations irrespective of the potential for their occurrence. But ISO 14001 is specific about requiring a procedure to identify the potential for emergency situations and accidents. Adhering to the requirement of the procedure is a valuable exercise that helps organizations identify weaknesses in their own emergency planning and to plan for that which is most likely to occur.Because many environmental impacts of an emergency or accident situation are secondary in nature, it appears that all potential emergency or accident situations need to be identified before a determination of environmental impacts can be made. An organization that attempts to identify potential emergency or accident situations based on a review of its environmental aspects would likely miss the environmental impact potential of, say, an automobile accident.
There are five steps implied by the emergency preparedness and response requirement:
1) Identify the potential for emergency situations and accidents of all kinds;2) Paying particular attention to the potential environmental impacts of accidents and emergency situations, identify how the organization can prevent and mitigate associated adverse environmental impacts;3) Determine how the organization and its employees should respond to emergency situations and accidents;4) Periodically simulate emergency situations to test response capabilities; and,5) Review and revise procedures based on experience derived from actual and simulated emergency situations and accidents.
Accident and Emergency Situation Identification – In order to identify potential for and responding to emergency situations and accidents, the organization should develop a procedure for systematically identifying accident and emergency situations, evaluating their probability of occurrence, their likely consequences, and their severity.Organizations often engage risk management specialists to assist in the identification of potential emergency or accident situations that could lead to human injury, environmental damage, or economic loss. While many checklists are available to facilitate this kind of evaluation, there is virtually no substitute for physical evaluation of facilities by knowledgeable personnel, whether employees or outside professionals.
Emergency Response Procedures – The organization is required to develop procedures for responding to emergency situations and accidents when they occur. Typically, response procedures include identifying public emergency response agencies and their capabilities, identifying individuals within the organization who are trained and able to provide assistance in emergencies, establishing an emergency communications network, and providing emergency lighting, signage, and equipment. Because Emergency Response Procedures are based on identified potential emergency situations and accidents specific to the organization, the emergency response plan will be unique for each organization.
Periodic Testing – The value of conducting emergency response exercises lies not only with simulating situations that could occur but also in identifying flaws in the response plan. Practice drills can be the most effective test of the system to give employees, emergency response personnel, and management the opportunity to walk through the plan and gain familiarity with its procedures. While a full-dress response exercise is valuable, testing of procedures can be effectively done on much smaller scales and still provide the benefits of testing. Above all, the organization should not let the impracticality of a full-dress exercise keep it from testing sub elements of the emergency response plan.
Review and Revise – ISO 14001 calls for continual improvement of the EMS. Periodically reviewing and revising emergency response plans based on the experience gained from the occurrence of emergency situations or accidents or in testing response plans is an example of continual improvement.
Written Response Plans – Many written emergency response plans are too cumbersome to be of value in an emergency situation – their value depends entirely upon previous training of persons who will be called upon to execute them. Yet, many organizations fail to provide the emergency response training necessary to make the plans functional.Keeping in mind that even the simplest, most direct emergency response plan requires training for effective implementation, an alternative for organizations to consider is establishment of abbreviated, readily available Immediate Response Directions established for each kind of potential emergency situation or accident. Such an emergency response plan might consist of a laminated card prepared for each potential emergency situation or accident and providing specific responsibilities and associated actions for employees and visitors, supervisors, emergency coordinators, and emergency director
Under the Emergency Preparedness and Response requirement of ISO 14001:2004 (§4.4.7), the organization is required to establish procedures for identifying the potential for and responding to emergency situations and accidents that can have an impact on the environment.
Identification of Potential Emergency and Accident Situations – Experience indicates that organizations infrequently have a preexisting procedure for identifying potential emergency and accident situations.The norm is to establish emergency and accident responses for a variety of emergency and accident situations irrespective of the potential for their occurrence. But ISO 14001 is specific about requiring a procedure to identify the potential for emergency situations and accidents. Adhering to the requirement of the procedure is a valuable exercise that helps organizations identify weaknesses in their own emergency planning and to plan for that which is most likely to occur.Because many environmental impacts of an emergency or accident situation are secondary in nature, it appears that all potential emergency or accident situations need to be identified before a determination of environmental impacts can be made. An organization that attempts to identify potential emergency or accident situations based on a review of its environmental aspects would likely miss the environmental impact potential of, say, an automobile accident.
There are five steps implied by the emergency preparedness and response requirement:
1) Identify the potential for emergency situations and accidents of all kinds;2) Paying particular attention to the potential environmental impacts of accidents and emergency situations, identify how the organization can prevent and mitigate associated adverse environmental impacts;3) Determine how the organization and its employees should respond to emergency situations and accidents;4) Periodically simulate emergency situations to test response capabilities; and,5) Review and revise procedures based on experience derived from actual and simulated emergency situations and accidents.
Accident and Emergency Situation Identification – In order to identify potential for and responding to emergency situations and accidents, the organization should develop a procedure for systematically identifying accident and emergency situations, evaluating their probability of occurrence, their likely consequences, and their severity.Organizations often engage risk management specialists to assist in the identification of potential emergency or accident situations that could lead to human injury, environmental damage, or economic loss. While many checklists are available to facilitate this kind of evaluation, there is virtually no substitute for physical evaluation of facilities by knowledgeable personnel, whether employees or outside professionals.
Emergency Response Procedures – The organization is required to develop procedures for responding to emergency situations and accidents when they occur. Typically, response procedures include identifying public emergency response agencies and their capabilities, identifying individuals within the organization who are trained and able to provide assistance in emergencies, establishing an emergency communications network, and providing emergency lighting, signage, and equipment. Because Emergency Response Procedures are based on identified potential emergency situations and accidents specific to the organization, the emergency response plan will be unique for each organization.
Periodic Testing – The value of conducting emergency response exercises lies not only with simulating situations that could occur but also in identifying flaws in the response plan. Practice drills can be the most effective test of the system to give employees, emergency response personnel, and management the opportunity to walk through the plan and gain familiarity with its procedures. While a full-dress response exercise is valuable, testing of procedures can be effectively done on much smaller scales and still provide the benefits of testing. Above all, the organization should not let the impracticality of a full-dress exercise keep it from testing sub elements of the emergency response plan.
Review and Revise – ISO 14001 calls for continual improvement of the EMS. Periodically reviewing and revising emergency response plans based on the experience gained from the occurrence of emergency situations or accidents or in testing response plans is an example of continual improvement.
Written Response Plans – Many written emergency response plans are too cumbersome to be of value in an emergency situation – their value depends entirely upon previous training of persons who will be called upon to execute them. Yet, many organizations fail to provide the emergency response training necessary to make the plans functional.Keeping in mind that even the simplest, most direct emergency response plan requires training for effective implementation, an alternative for organizations to consider is establishment of abbreviated, readily available Immediate Response Directions established for each kind of potential emergency situation or accident. Such an emergency response plan might consist of a laminated card prepared for each potential emergency situation or accident and providing specific responsibilities and associated actions for employees and visitors, supervisors, emergency coordinators, and emergency director
ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
The Environmental Policy statement required under ISO 14001 is the keystone upon which the entire environmental management system is constructed. It is not a public relations document that is posted on the conference room wall or handed out to potentially impacted stakeholder groups. The Environmental Policy is the central focus of the environmental management system. It must contain and clearly communicate the following for the organization:
· Mission and core values with respect to the environment, and· Commitments to control and improve environmental performance withrespect to significant environmental aspects of the organization’s products,services and/or activities.
The commitment to control and improve environmental performance with respect to the environment leads to the development of Environmental Objectives and Targets (4.3.3).Once those items have been delineated the rest of the environmental management system is devoted to accomplishing the objectives and targets which fulfil the EnvironmentalPolicy. ISO 14001 requires that a coherent and cogent Environmental Policy be developed and implemented.
· Mission and core values with respect to the environment, and· Commitments to control and improve environmental performance withrespect to significant environmental aspects of the organization’s products,services and/or activities.
The commitment to control and improve environmental performance with respect to the environment leads to the development of Environmental Objectives and Targets (4.3.3).Once those items have been delineated the rest of the environmental management system is devoted to accomplishing the objectives and targets which fulfil the EnvironmentalPolicy. ISO 14001 requires that a coherent and cogent Environmental Policy be developed and implemented.
ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
In order to be in conformance with this provision of ISO 14001 an organization must be able to demonstrate four specific points. First, it must demonstrate that it has established management programs for achieving the Environmental Objectives and Targets. Second, it must demonstrate that it has assigned responsibility at each appropriate level of the organization in order to achieve the Environmental Objectives and Targets. Third, the organization must specify the time frames and the mechanisms needed to achieve the Environmental Objectives and Targets. Fourth, under the principle of continual improvement, the organization must modify its environmental management program for “changed” conditions if they occur.
In general a program designed to achieve the desired endpoint must support every objective and subsequent target. Responsibility for management and leadership must also be assigned where it is necessary and appropriate to complete the task. Timeframes should be clearly outlined within the management program. If additional technology, equipment, staffing, etc. are needed to accomplish the tasks, then these “mechanisms” must be supplied. Continual improvement is referenced within this section of ISO 14001 in order to reinforce its importance within the standard.
In general a program designed to achieve the desired endpoint must support every objective and subsequent target. Responsibility for management and leadership must also be assigned where it is necessary and appropriate to complete the task. Timeframes should be clearly outlined within the management program. If additional technology, equipment, staffing, etc. are needed to accomplish the tasks, then these “mechanisms” must be supplied. Continual improvement is referenced within this section of ISO 14001 in order to reinforce its importance within the standard.
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 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.
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