Monday, March 7, 2011
ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Manual
ISO 14001 is the Environmental Management System Specification developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) of Geneva, Switzerland as a part of the ISO 14000 series of environmental management documents. It was issued as both an International and American National Standard in September 1996. The Second Edition of ISO 14001, ISO 14001:2004, was issued as an International Standard on November 15, 2004 and subsequently as an American National Standard.
ISO 14001 establishes a framework for the conduct of environmental management by requiring the organization to define an Environmental Policy and establish sixteen management procedures that support the policy. Many of the ISO 14001procedures already exist in some form within organizations and only require modification to meet the requirements of ISO 14001. Other procedures have to be added in their entirety. All of the ISO 14001 procedures represent best management practices as defined by a consensus of the representatives of more than 50 national standards bodies and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who participated in the development of ISO 14001:1996 from early 1993 through July 1, 1995 and in the development of the Second Edition from early 2002 until mid-2004.
ISO 14001 has the potential to reframe the conduct of environmental management. It has proven to be an elegant document that anticipates the needs
of organizations of all sizes and purposes for direction on environmental
management.
As ISO 14001 gains credibility as an effective system for managing and
improving environmental performance, environmental regulators will be
encouraged to accept registration to ISO 14001 in satisfaction of some regulatory
administrative requirements and, thus, reduce the burden of compliance for those
organizations that are managing their environmental exposures.
Ultimately, the greatest strides in environmental performance improvement and
sustainability will come as a consequence of millions of organizations --
municipalities, colleges and universities, governmental departments, and
property owners and operators as well as industrial corporations -- identifying and
managing the environmental impacts of their activities, services, and products.
Why Some Implementation Of ISO 9001 Standards Fail?
Some times it is because they have not put in the required effort, others just do not read the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard or misinterpreted its requirements. This is why it is always best to employ a consultant who has been through the process many, many times before. A consultant will guide you through the process avoiding the numerous pitfalls like over-documentation or insufficient coverage of the ISO 9001 Standard.
Would you go for a driving test without having read the highway code? Of course not.
As a Senior lead auditor with the UK’s largest certification body for many years I would estimate that one in ten organisations visited did not have a copy of the appropriate ISO 9001 standard for which they were seeking registration, some had a copy but openly admitted that they had never read it, others had read it, didn’t understand it, and just did what they believed to be in the standard. Many businesses just forget to carry out internal audits or carry out the ISO 9001 standard training of their employees to give them a basic understanding of what ISO 9001 is all about.
When these applicants failed their initial registration audit they seemed shell shocked and could not understand how they could fail. Quite simple, it is rather like turning up for an “A” level exam having not read the syllabus, failed to do any home or course work and expecting to pass. A good consultant will ensure that your business does not fall into any of these traps.
The U.K. British Standards Institute, estimates that 45% of the companies who fail to achieve certification do so because of documentation deficiencies. The ISO 9001 is very specific about what documents have to be produced and which records have to be kept.
The remaining 55% of failures are in-part related to documentation in areas such as policies and procedures for process, inspection, testing and measurement. Employing a consultant would have prevented failure and the additional costs of a full registration body re-assessment.
The ISO 9001 standard is very specific about what documents must be controlled and in general you will find that they fall into the following three areas
Documents which describe the Quality Management System within your organisation
Documents of external origin which you use in the process of producing your product or service such as ISO standards, drawings, specifications etc.
Records which you must keep are generally recorded on forms, in books or in electronic format, all of which must be controlled.
If documentation control is an issue that concerns you then take a look at the Easy ISO 9001 software, it will take care of this for you and much more.
Based on our experience, we believe that ISO 9000 certification will become increasingly important, particularly if companies are to remain competitive in the global economy.
How To Meet ISO 9001 Quality Standards?
In today’s hectic business environment, it is vital that we are all on the same page, right? But how do we know if we meet those standards? Business owners and executives can avoid the uncertainty, and that’s where ISO 9001 certification comes in.
The ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, was established in 1947 to develop international standards for everything from electronics to management systems. Having over 13,000 standards currently in place, ISO has created the auditing and certification process known as ISO 9001. This began the drive toward quality standards.
Companies choose to implement ISO 9001 and get certified because many customers and industries require it. By keeping customers happy, they can increase sales and profitability for their business. And if an area of the company’s program appears to be too bureaucratic and non-value-adding, then it might also be an area for continuous improvement efforts.
Both customers and industries alike use ISO certification as a way to evaluate and audit their suppliers and products. Through an independent verification process, customers can gain assurance of their suppliers’ products. And as a supplier becomes certified, the testing requirement is waved, which saves the company both time and money.
Employed as a “Best Practices” model, ISO 9001 utilizes the philosophy of the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” continuous improvement cycle to achieve requirements. This process approach centers around eight quality management principles used by management as a guide toward improving performance and identifying the main elements needed in a good quality system:
1. Customer Focus
2. Leadership
3. Involvement of People
4. Process Approach
5. Systems Approach to Management
6. Continuous improvement
7. Factual Approach to Decision-Making
8. Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationship
ISO 9001 policies, procedures and forms can provide employers, managers and employees with a systematic and consistent approach to implementing policies, plans, procedures and work routines. Instead of building their own policies and procedures from scratch, some companies prefer to hire professional writers that have already prepared a set of written policies and procedures to help on the way to certification.
In the certification process, an independent registrar will perform an on-site audit of a company’s operations to verify that it complies with the ISO standard. If the business complies, then that company will be registered as ISO 9001 compliant.
On the way to certification, a business can meet its ISO needs by:
1. Using well-defined processes and procedures to build stable processes
2. Training in the audit and certification process
3. Continuously improving with ISO 9001 standards
With complete procedures manuals for ISO 9001 Quality Management System, required HR procedures, and an ISO training class, a template like an ISO 9001 Quality Manager Procedures Manual Series can help a business on its way to ISO 9001 certification. Sometimes the effort can be very great, but companies typically notice a remarkable difference in efficiency and effectiveness after the first year.
Read more on ISO 9001 Standards at http://www.iso9001store.com
Quality Management System To Improve Business Performance
The intent of the Quality Management Standard is to encourage the adoption of the process approach to manage an organisation.
A process is any activity or set of activities that uses resources to transform inputs to outputs. For organisations to function effectively, they have to identify and manage numerous interrelated and interacting processes. The “Process Approach” is the systematic identification and management of the processes employed within an organisation and particularly the interactions between such processes.
In order to lead and operate an organisation successfully, it is necessary to manage in a systematic and transparent manner. Success can result from implementing and maintaining a management system that is designed to continually improve performance while addressing the needs of all interested parties.
Eight quality management principles that can be used by management in order to lead the organisation towards improved performance are outlined below:
Customer focus
Organisations depend on their customers and therefore should understand current and future customer needs, meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations.
Leadership
Leaders establish the purpose and direction of the organisation. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organisation’s objectives.
Involvement of people
People at all levels are the essence of an organisation and their full involvement enables their abilities to be used for the benefit of the organisation.
Process approach
A desired result is achieved more efficiently when activities and related resources are managed as a process.
System approach to management
An organisation’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives is attributed to the identifying, understanding and managing interrelated processes.
Continual improvement
Continual improvement of the organisation’s overall performance should be a permanent objective of the organisation.
Factual approach to decision making
Effective decisions are based on the analysis of data and information.
Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
An organisation and its suppliers are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value.
These eight quality management principles form the basis for the quality management system standards within the ISO 9000 family.
More information on Quality Management, please go to http://www.iso9001store.com
Monday, December 27, 2010
Why Implement ISO 14001 Environmental Management System?
All business, regardless of size and activity, has some impact on the environment. An Environment Management System (EMS) is a tool that allows a company identify and address their particular environmental impacts.
Environmental issues should not be considered in isolation to other management issues. By adopting an EMS a company is making a commitment to incorporate environmental issues into existing management systems.
Environmental management is based on the concept of continuous improvement in environmental performance over time. An EMS will continuously change as a company changes, for example as a business expands and takes on new staff. The EMS must also take account of external factors, such as changes in environmental legislation, technology, and market competition.
Ultimately the aim of the environmental management approach adopted by a company is to prevent or minimise the environmental impacts of operations, while retaining competitiveness. Environmental management is more than simply managing environmental impacts after they are created. Effective environmental management should aim to prevent or minimise the environmental impacts in the first place.
All companies are under increasing pressure to ensure the proper management of the environmental impacts of their activities. Small businesses are subject to increasingly stringent environmental legislation, reflecting the increasing importance of environmental issues in political debate. Customers, suppliers, staff and the general public increasingly demand a commitment from business to better manage the environmental impacts of their activities.
Benefits of an EMS include:
- Cost savings from reduced raw material and resource consumption, e.g. better management of your energy and water needs and consumption.
- Reduced waste collection, treatment and disposal costs.
- Compliance with legal obligations.
- Reduced risk and liability associated with poor environmental performance.
- Improved relationships with key stake holders e.g. customers, suppliers, staff, regulatory authorities and local communities.
Third Party Certification of ISO 14001 Standards
A recognised international accredited EMS standard such as ISO 14001 is a positive message that can be easily conveyed and recognised by customers, suppliers, staff, investors, local authorities and other regulators.
However a company does not necessarily require third part certification for its EMS. A company EMS is a system designed to best meet the specific requirements of that particular company.
Third party certification does provide a useful support or framework within which to develop an EMS. By achieving an internationally recognised EMS standard, a company demonstrates an ongoing commitment to external stakeholders to manage its environmental impacts in a responsible manner. If a company decides not to develop an EMS that meets an accredited standard, the framework provided by these standards may still be useful as a starting point to developing an effective EMS tailored to the specific requirements of a company.
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) international accredited standard for environmental management, the ISO
14001, is the most widely used and accepted EMS standard. This standard is voluntary, certifiable and is accepted by
stakeholders across the world as the preferred model for environmental management.
The European Union recognises ISO 14001 which is considered a stepping stone for the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). EMAS is a management tool for companies to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance, incorporating the ISO14001 environmental management system. Participation in EMAS is voluntary.
Basic Steps in Environmental Management System
1. Preparation
- Consult and involve all staff at an early stage. This may include discussion and training sessions on environmental issues to encourage involvement and better awareness and understanding.
- Identify staff with knowledge/expertise/understanding of environmental issues within the company.
- Assign responsibility to one member of staff or a team.
- Identify external expertise and support e.g. Enterprise Ireland provide funding towards meeting the costs of hiring an external consultant to assist in the installation of an EMS.
- Identify environmental objectives to be achieved.
- Develop an environmental action plan to achieve these environmental objectives.
2. Identifying the Environmental Impacts
Before a company can begin to better manage its environmental impacts it must first identify and quantify the issues. An environmental audit will help identify the key environmental impacts of company activities. This may include:
- Raw materials used, e.g. use of nonrenewable resources and hazardous chemicals.
- The production process, e.g. waste generated, air, noise and water emissions.
- Distribution of goods e.g. fossil fuels used in transport of raw materials and final product.
- Use of final products, e.g. what packaging is necessary.
- End of life, e.g. collection, recycling and disposal.
As you undertake your environmental audit you should also consider:
- Your environmental legal obligations
- Market and financial pressures for improving environmental performance, e.g. have any of your competitors achieved certification to the international EMS standard ISO 14001?
3. Opportunities to prevent and minimise environmental impacts
Set realistic objectives and targets for improving your environmental performance as part of an action plan.
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