Integrating Environmental Aspects of ISO 14001
Management Planning – What’s the point?
To some, the point of ISO 9000 registration is a certificate. While important to convince customers that some procedures are in place, a certificate can be a very expensive piece of paper if that is the only benefit gained by the organization. To others, the purpose of IS0 9001 is measured performance improvement for the organization, and the certificate is merely a confirmation of an effective Quality Management System (QMS). This results-focused view of ISO 9001 is confirmed by the large number of companies pursuing “compliance through self-certification” instead of a formal registrar-certification of their Quality Management System.
Integrating Environmental Aspects of ISO 14001
This article focuses on the corporate approach to environmental management.
Clearly, the benefits that accrue to individuals through waste reduction and recycling schemes are available to commerce and industry; however, additional benefits can come from an independent recognition of an organisation’s commitment to environmental management. Stockholders have come to make out that a corporate concern for the environment is good management practice, and that this good practice can be a sign of excellence throughout the organisation. Share price - a measure of management success, is enhanced by this recognition. Share value equals company value.
But what of this independent recognition? How is it achieved and at what cost, and are the costs really matched by the benefits?
Both small and large organisations have adopted the ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard as a mechanism to demonstrate in some way their concern for customer and stakeholder interests. Few companies of significance now operate outside the ISO 9001 registration scheme, and while some might argue that ISO 9001 has not materially affected their business performance, a big proportion claim to hold on to their registration simply because the market indicates differently.
Whatever the real truth may be, the following is clear; companies holding an ISO 9001 registration are well on the way to being qualified for ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) registration if the implementation is carried out efficiently and effectively.
Benefits of OHSAS 18001 Implementation
OHSAS 18001 was built along the same lines as ISO management systems that emphasize effectiveness, efficiency and continual improvement from a management system. OHSAS 18001 details fundamental requirements based on the highly successful “plan-do-check-act” method.
Umbrella Protection: OHSAS 18001 implementation instantly provides your organization with preventative measures to protect workers. While many OHSMSs cover specific activities such as accident prevention, health and safety plan maintenance or emergency responses well in their documentation, OHSAS 18001 demands a much broader approach to all three crucial occupational health and safety management areas. This “umbrella protection” is very difficult to find in OHSMSs that have not been developed by a committee of industry experts.
Certification: OHSAS 18001:1999 allows users to confirm successful implementation by means of a certification process. Also known as registration, this activity brings in a third-party registrar to assess how an organization has met the OHSAS 18001 requirements.