How to Get ISO 14001 Certification
The ISO 14001 category of standards gives organizations the tools they need to manage their environmental responsibilities and concerns. The 14001:2015 standard provides a criteria for EMS or environmental management systems that provides a framework to businesses irrespective of industry. The certification assures management, employees and stakeholders that the environmental impact of the business is being measured and improvements are being made.
The ISO 14001:2015 certification process
The process for certification to the standard begins with the company’s decision to meet the ISO 14001 standard requirements. Those are then used as guidelines for implementing solutions that can maintain, review and document the new system. The initial assessment involves the identification of non compliance, recommended areas of improvement that can meet requirements and compilation of necessary documents. The documents comprise of essential procedures that should be in line with current business operations. Once all of the requirements are fulfilled, certified lead auditors are called in to assess the established EMS to determine if it meets ISO 14001 requirements. If it does, the company receives ISO 14001 certification which proves that its EMS is acceptable. However, the certification is not a onetime endeavor. According to the requirements of the certification, the established EMS has to be maintained and improved regularly. The certification body will leave with an agreement from the business that will continue well after the audit is completed. This will be followed by routine audits for maintenance and surveillance purposes. The process will include a 3 year cycle with subsequent audits reviewing a part of the system only. As per the agreement made with the company, the audits for maintenance can be held twice a year or more depending on requirements. Each aspect of the system is examined at least once during the 2 years of the maintenance audits. If at the end of 3 years, the company wishes to maintain its ISO 14001 certification, it will have to undergo another cycle for recertification which will analyze its entire system once again.
Benefits of ISO 14001 certification
With an ISO 14001 certification, you can assure stakeholders and customers that your business takes its environmental impact seriously and prioritizes its reductions. To maintain the certification, you will need to take a sustainable approach to waste management within the business and the community. By enhancing your green credentials, you can increase your business image and maintain best practices for the benefit of the environment. Employee morale increases in a company with a shared environmental ethos and the certification will also reduce accidents or incidents that can compromise their health. One of the most important benefits of ISO 14001 certification is that it can help the company with cost control. A maintained EMS system can help identify, control and reduce the number of environmental systems and incidents that can waste resources and result in thousands of dollars worth of liability costs. In addition, the solutions provided by the EMS can reduce costs by conserving energy and materials needed for operations. A key element of the ISO 14001 standard is that it provides companies with accurate data that can allow them to put successful improvement plans in place. The process also tracks improvement through data collection and even if it goes awry, issues will be noticeable before they make an impact. The result will be cost saving which can be redirected to new ventures.
ISO 14001:2015 Introduction
If you want your company to be ISO 14001:2015 compliant, sign up for 360Training.com’s ISO 14001:2015 Introduction course today. The course is designed to teach students all they need to know about Environmental Management Systems and ISO 14001:2015 which is based on Annex SL. Once the course is completed, students will be able to:
- Discuss the main purpose of Annexure SL
- Outline the core structure of the standard
- Understand the scope of the company
- Determine the context of the organization
- Identify techniques which can be used to evaluate conformance with organizational context
- Understand the process of the PDCA cycle and its implementation
- Understand the results of risk based thinking and the evaluation of opportunities
Sign up for the course today and start the certification process quickly.
