How to Get an ISO 14001 Accreditation

If you are someone who is looking into getting an ISO 14001, then you may be wondering exactly why it is that you have to get this accreditation. First, you have to understand that ISO stands for the International Organisation of Standardisation. This is a series of standards that have been developed with a singular level of guidance for all companies to measure up to. The particular 14001 deals with the requirements that you will need to have in order to measure up to the environmental standards that have been set forth by the ISO.

While you do not necessarily have to get the ISO 14001 accreditation to operate your business, it is something you can do to prove to your clients and customers that you are doing your part to help out with the environment. However, you may be confused on how to go about getting this important accreditation, but it is not as difficult to attain as you might think, and most businesses should be able to get the certification within a year of the application. You should know that they will want to make sure that you have been following some form of environmental standards for at least three months prior to your application. To do this you can write an environmental review of your company’s environmental impact as it is in its current operating state. You will then want to make sure that you provide this information when you send off your initial paperwork to begin the overall process.

In order to help prove that your company is doing its part to be environmentally aware you will have to go through an initial audit once the application has been filled out and filed. After the audit has been completed you will get a list of issues that the auditor feels you need to resolve before you can be certified for the ISO 14001. You will need to work on and correct these issues before the second audit is conducted, and they will give you a time period (usually three to six months) when they will return to check on your progress.

When the second audit occurs they will once again assess the overall business and then they will address the issues that were laid out in the previous audit. If everything goes well then your company will have proven that they are doing what they can to meet the standard set forth in ISO 14001, and they will then receive accreditation. However, this is not the end of the process. Even though you are now recognised as having environmentally conscious policies that are congruent with the international standards, you will have to go through periodic audits every three years to make sure that you are still operating correctly. Not only this, but every three months partial aspects of your company will be analysed to see that they are still working within the standards as well. As long as you remain within the compliance terms you will continue to receive your ISO 14001 certification.

Is Green Business Really Environmentally Sustainable ?

Is Green Business Really Environmentally Sustainable ?

Green Business is about a good management of a range of issues including reduced carbon footprint and good energy management but also including a broader environmental sustainability, within a practical environmental management system. The most effective system is ISO 14001. Many other approaches are less than effective

There is a wide variety of concepts that are understood by some as environmental management systems or EMS and this varies in different industries. The concept has evolved over time. Essentially the name says it all – A system to enable the business owner or manager to manage environmental problems both real and potential.

Owners and managers setting out to have a green business do not always achieve their aim of environmental sustainability and may not even include reduced carbon footprint and good energy management.

Many industry groups have developed industry wide simplistic programs that they call EMS that actually miss the S for system and some really only have a checklist approach that is based on an “average” or “typical” business in that industry. So effectively they also miss much of the environment. Many do not really involve any management either. Some are very superficial in the way that they select the environmental aspects they manage because they have been drawn up to be generic and cut out the need for the business owner to stop and think. In this case it is difficult to understand how any process of continual improvement can result.

One of these programs are as simple as a checklist, or what many involved call a “tick and flick” exercise. These are barely even educational for the business owner and have no ongoing benefits like reduction of costs or legal protection.

Even where the business owners and or managers spend a lot of time filling in forms and communicating with neighbours, there is often a real lack of understanding of how to identify and varied environmental risks in an individual businesses and why these need to be manage. They can easily miss things and even find they are risking legal implications in areas that are not typical and so not covered by the so called system..

An effective management system needs individual businesses to identify and understand what their environmental risks are or may be. These risks need to be managed and there also needs to be a feedback system going into a regularly reviewed system for continual improvement. This can be enhanced with auditing by qualified independent auditors, whether internal or external; although the greatest benefit does come from employing and independent external auditing body such as a certification body.

There were some early ISO 14001 systems that gave the system a bad name because they were based on outdated engineering and military approaches to ISO systems are overly paper heavy and full of jargon. These were not suitable for small business and farms. These systems have given ISO 140001 a bad name in some circles.

Unfortunately many consultants have come from an old style quality management background without any real understanding of or training in the environment. The training to upgrade from quality auditing only involves doing a three day seminar with a minimal assessment by a training organization. Then they audit with a rigid paper based approach and do a serious disservice to both their clients and to the auditing industry.

Small to medium businesses benefit from a simpler approach based on a real understanding of the issues involved and a genuine understanding of risks. Such systems are based on ISO 14001 and have a real emphasis on keeping things simple and minimizing paperwork. These give very real benefits to the businesses involved.

About ISO 14001:2004 Standards

The ISO 14001 aims to reduce the environmental carbon footprints that many businesses leave behind today because of not taking the right steps to be environmental sustainable. This standard promotes the decrease in the waste of necessary business resources and also reduces the pollution that can sometimes be a by product of a business.

About ISO 14001

The most updated version of the ISO 14001 was released in the year 2004 by the International Organisation of Standardization (ISO), which was attended by members from all the committees from around the world. In order for a company to be awarded the ISO 14001 standard certificate, an external auditor has to audit the company by an audit body that has been accredited by an accreditation body. The certification auditors are required to be accredited by the International Registrar of Certification Auditor and the certification body has to be accredited by the Registrar Accreditation Board in the USA or by the National Accreditation Board in Ireland.

The structure of ISO 14001 is very much like the ISO 9000, which is management standard, so these two standards can be implemented side by side to achieve the best results. As a part of the ISO 14000 family, which deals with different aspects of environmental issues, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14002 deal with environmental management system (EMS). ISO 14001 gives the requirements for the

EMS and ISO 14002 gives the basic guidelines for EMS.

Environmental Management System with ISO 14001:2004

The EMS, as per the requirements of the ISO 14001, enables the company, may it be of any size, location and income to:

• It helps the company improve its environmental strategy and this positively affects their environmental performance.
• It helps in identifying and controlling the environmental impact that the activities, services or products of the company might have.
• And it helps in carrying out a systematic approach to set environmental targets and objectives, to achieve these and also to demonstrate that they have been achieved.

How does it work?

ISO 14001 does not specify or chalk out a definite level that each business has to reach. If the performance was determined, then it would have to be done for every specific business. But that is not how it works and has a very different approach, like:

• The ISO has various standards dealing with environmental issues. ISO 14001 deals with a framework provided for a strategic and holistic approach to the businesses environmental policy, actions and plans.
• It gives the general requirements for the EMS.
• This also states the reference to the communication requirements for the communication of the environmental management issues between the company, stakeholders, the public and the regulators.
• As these standards are not company specific, any and every business can undertake them as long as they are dedicated to the continued and improved environmental performance and they have a commitment to comply with the set norms.

Integrating Management Systems Within The ISO 9001 Standards

Today’s free market economies increasingly encourage diverse sources of supply and provide opportunities for expanding markets. Fair competition needs to be based on identifiable, clearly defined common references that are recognised from one country to the next. A standard, internationally recognised, developed by consensus among trading partners, serves as the language of trade. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has developed around 8?700, mostly technical related standards on this basis. Standards Series such as ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and what is to be known as ISO 18000 and ISO 26000 are Management related. These standards contain generic guidelines for Management Systems in the area of Quality, Environment, Occupational Health & Safety and Human Resources.

ISO is a word derived from the Greek isos, meaning “equal”. ISO 9000 Standards are developed and updated by the International Organisation for Standardisation which has around 150 member bodies. A member body of ISO is the national body “most representative of standardisation in its country”.(eg. Germany – DIN, USA – ANSI, Australia – SAA).
More than 50 countries, as well as the European Community have adopted ISO 9000 which is recognised internationally as a benchmark for measuring quality in a trade context. Since its first issue in 1987, approximately 430?000 companies have been using ISO 9000. Being a standard coming from an organisation that is usually involved in the development of technical standards, ISO 9000 is often regarded as a document that belongs in the hands of a technician exposed to production line quality control. At a closer look, however, ISO 9000 Standard Series provide guidance in the development and application of Management Systems as well as Quality Control in Manufacturing and Administration.

ISO has been developing a number of Management System Guidelines for various aspects of business. The most recent are the ISO 14000 Environmental Management System Guidelines. This is an international standard that will affect business in the near future. ISO 14000 has been designed to integrate with ISO 9000. However, apart from international standards there are local standards a company has to comply with. To remain compliant with local standards, further manuals and/or procedures are required (eg. lifting procedure in a warehouse to satisfy Work Safety requirements). A company may have several Manuals describing its Management Systems (eg. Human Resources, Quality, Security, Health/Safety, Finances). An overall link between the systems is often missing which makes the monitoring and the assessment of effectiveness difficult. Double handling of information, contradicting instructions, high maintenance costs, administrative excess and lack of overall transparency are common results.
ISO 9000 Standard Series for Quality (of) Management Systems provide generic guidance for the development of an overall Management System, ISO 14000 provides guidance for Environmental Management, etc. Transparency and monitoring of all business activities can be achieved by integrating all systems into one.
Complaints that ISO 9000 is paralysing operations and, that it does not reflect reality are usually a result of not clearly understanding how the standard can be properly structured to address the needs of a company. ISO 9000 can be structured by focusing on “best practice” process rather than the standard, by fitting the standard to the process and not the process to the standard. Having recognised this, ISO has been working on a new structure for ISO 9000, called “Vision 2000?, taking a process orientated approach to ensure that “best practice” as well as several standards can be addressed within one system. Focusing on process allows the development of a practical “working document”, providing an effective management tool. Having learned from the past, the trend to Process Orientated Management Systems started about three years ago in Europe and is finding increasing approval from certification bodies.Every company has its own culture and key individuals.
The business environment influences processes in certain ways (eg. employee market, laws, infrastructure, client, etc.)
To ensure competitiveness a company needs to ensure adequate flexibility in their system to effectively respond to changes in the business environment.
An effective system is a lean system that incorporates all necessary functions, controls of activities and “best practice” without being caught up in detail.
An effective system must also be flexible enough to enable the proper controls on outsourcing and sub-contracting of activities (eg. production, administration, service, etc.)

ISO 9000 Standard Books & Magazines

Here are some of the ISO 9000 & ISO 14001 related books & magazines available for online order.
1. ISO Management Systems – English Edition (Magazine Subscription) by Amazon
Format: Magazine
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
Publisher: Iso Central Secretariat
ASIN: B00006KJFO
Iso Focus C-W Iso Management Systems – English ed
2. ISO Focus (Magazine Subscription) by Amazon
Magazine of the International Organization for Standardization providing a panoramic view of what is being done in international standardization, why it has been done and what will be done.
Format: Magazine
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
Publisher: Iso Central Secretariat
ASIN: B0001MS4E6
Iso Focus
3. ISO 9000 Quarterly Report (Magazine Subscription) by Amazon
Format: Magazine
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
Publisher: Rfp Report
ASIN: B00007J7K4
Iso 9000 Quarterly Report
4. A Basic Guide To ISO 14000 – Environment Management System (EMS) provides you with all of the basic information you need in ISO 14000 and ISO 14001:2004.
What is ISO14000
Benefits of ISO 14000
History of ISO 14000
ISO 14000 Certification
ISO 14000 Process Check List
Contents Of ISO 14001:2004
Key Elements Of ISO 14001:2004
Environment Management System Manual
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

ISO 9001:2008 FAQ

What Is The ISO 9001: 2008 Standard?
The latest edition of the ISO 9001 standard ISO 9001: 2008, Quality Management Systems – Requirements, was officially published by (ISO) the International Organization for Standardization on November 14, 2008. It is the fourth edition of the ISO 9001 standard since it was first published in 1987.
Who Is Responsible For Revising The standards?
The ISO Technical Committee no.176, Sub-committee no.2 (ISO/TC 176/SC 2) is responsible for the revision process in collaboration with consensus among quality and industry experts nominated by ISO Member bodies, and representing all interested parties.
Does ISO 9001:2008 Have Additional Requirements Beyond ISO 9001:2000 ?
This latest (4th) edition of ISO 9001 contains no new requirements compared to the (3rd) year 2000 edition, which it replaces. What it does is provide clarification to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 based on eight years’ experience of worldwide implementing of the standard and introduces changes intended to improve consistency with the environmental management system standard, ISO 14001:2004.
The clarifications and changes in ISO 9001:2008 represents fine-tuning, rather than a thorough overhaul. It focuses on changes that organizations might make to better comply with the spirit of the standard without adding, deleting, or altering its requirements. The changes are minor in nature and address such issues as the need to clarify, provide greater consistency, resolve perceived ambiguities, and improve compatibility with ISO 14001. The numbering system and the structure of the standard remain unchanged. As a result, the new standard looks much like the old standard.
ISO has grouped the changes incorporated in this ISO 9001:2008 edition into the following categories:- No changes or minimum changes on user documents, including records- No changes or minimum changes to existing QMS processes- No additional training required or minimal training required- No effects on current certifications
In contrast, the 3rd edition, ISO 9001:2000 published in 2000, represented a major overhaul of the standard, including new requirements and a sharpened customer focus, reflecting developments in quality management and experience gained since the publication of the initial version.
Then Why Was It Necessary To Introduce This Revision?All ISO standards – currently more than 17 400 – are periodically reviewed. To ensure that ISO standards are maintained at the state of the art, ISO has a rule requiring them to be periodically reviewed and a decision taken to confirm, withdraw or revise the documents. The review process must be initiated within 3 years of publication of a standard. The review considers several factors such as technological evolution, new methods and materials, new quality and safety requirements, or questions of interpretation and application.
The review of ISO 9001 resulting in the 2008 edition was carried out by subcommittee SC 2 of ISO/TC 176. This subcommittee, which is responsible for the ISO 9000 family, unites expertise from 80 participating countries and 19 international or regional organizations, plus other technical committees.
This review has a number of inputs that help it:
A global user questionnaire/survey
A market Justification Study
Suggestions arising from the ISO/TC 176 interpretation process
Opportunities for increased compatibility with ISO 14001
The need for greater clarity, ease of use, and improved translation
Current trends – keeping up with recent developments in management system practices.
How Does The New ISO 9001 Edition Affect Existing ISO 9001 QMS’s?
As organizations start looking at ISO 9001:2008, they will wonder to what extent the changes might affect them. To a large extent, the new standard will not result in significant change to existing quality management systems (QMS).
ISO/TC 176 was careful in not making change for change sake. In the case of editorial changes, this was especially true. This could have lead to a false impression that there was a change in requirements, carrying greater significance than was intended. In those instances, when the committee members couldn’t come to a consensus in determining if a change added or deleted a requirement, they opted to retain the existing text. They decided it was better to err on the side of caution rather than to contribute to any misunderstanding in the marketplace.
The changes that have been incorporated into this edition of the ISO 9001 standard include changes that should lead to a better understanding across a broader range of product types, including service organizations; use of deliberate wording to minimize the potential for incorrect user interpretation; and reflect nuances of similar concepts. Lastly, some of the changes to specific clauses were made based on the 2004 International User Feedback Survey. This survey was conducted after the publication of ISO 9001:2000 and had invited respondents to identify areas they most wanted to see improved.

Update on ISO 9001:2008

Update on ISO 9001:2008
Following a recent meeting of ISO’s Technical Committee TC176 in Helsinki, Finland, from June
11 – 15t, 2007, publication of the new version of ISO 9001 has been brought forward from 2009
and is now scheduled to be published in October 2008. Experts representing over 70 ISO member
bodies, met to discuss the comments received during circulation of the Committee Draft (”CD”) of
the new standard, and concluded that in view of the very limited changes being proposed, the draft
is now sufficiently mature to progress directly to the DIS (Draft International Standard).
The main changes being introduced into the new standard are as follows:
Clause 0.2 (Process approach)
Text added to emphasize the importance of processes being capable of achieving desired outputs
Clause 1.1 (Scope)
Clarification that “product” also includes intermediate product
Explanation regarding statutory, regulatory and legal requirements
Clause 4.1 (General requirements)
Notes added to explain more about outsourcing
Types of control that may be applied to outsourced processes
Relationship to clause 7.4 (Purchasing)
Clarification that outsourced processes are still responsibility of the organization and must be
included in the quality management system
Clause 4.2.1 (Documentation)
Clarification that QMS documentation also includes records
Documents required by the standard may be combined
ISO 9001 requirements may be covered by more than one documented procedure
Clause 4.2.3 (Document control)
Clarification that only external documents relevant to the QMS need to be controlled
Clause 4.2.4 (Records control)
Editorial changes only (better alignment with ISO 14001)
Clause 5.5.2 (Management rep)
Clarifies that this must be a member of the organization’s own management
Clause 6.2.1 (Human resources)
Clarification that competence requirements are relevant for any personnel who are involved in the
operation of the quality management system
Clause 6.3 (Infrastructure)
Includes information systems as example
Clause 6.4 (Work environment)
Clarifies that this includes conditions under which work is performed and includes, for example
physical, environmental and other factors such as noise, temperature, humidity, lighting, or weather
Clause 7.2.1 (Customer related processes)
Clarifies that post-delivery activities may include:
- Actions under warranty provisions
- Contractual obligations such as maintenance services
- Supplementary services such as recycling or final disposal
Clause 7.3.1 (Design & development planning)
Clarifies that design and development review, verification and validation have distinct purposes
These may be conducted and recorded separately or in any combination as suitable for the product
and the organization
Clause 7.3.3(Design & development outputs)
Clarifies that information needed for production and service provision includes preservation of the product
Clause 7.5.4 (Customer property)
Explains that both intellectual property and personal data should be considered as customer property
Clause 7.6 (Now retitled Control of Monitoring and Measuring equipment)
Explanatory notes added regarding the use of computer software: “Confirmation of the ability of computer software to satisfy the intended application would typically include its verification and configuration management to maintain its suitability for use.”
Clause 8.2.1 (Customer satisfaction)
Note added to explain that monitoring of customer perception may include input from sources such as customer satisfaction surveys, customer data on delivered product quality, user opinion surveys, lost business analysis, compliments, and dealer reports
Clause 8.2.3 (Monitoring / Measurement of process)
Note added to clarify that when deciding on appropriate methods, the organization should consider impact on the conformity to product requirements and on the effectiveness of the quality management system.