Green Certification Part III: Here's How To Do It

ISO 14001 Certification (continued from, "Green Certification Part II: Here's How To Do It"): 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.   2008-12-17T01:07:15Z

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green-certification-part-iii-heres-how-to-do-it

2008-12-17T16:47:20Z

Businesses are positioning themselves for the green economy. This article is a continuation from Part II regarding primary elements for developing an Environmental Management System. If you think its easy, its not. But, it will pay-off.

Green Certification Part III: Here's How To Do It

2009-02-24T09:47:57Z