How To Register Your Company For ISO 14001

The International Organization for Standards (ISO) is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards. It is comprised of a network of 160 countries, with one member for each country. The British Standards Institute (BSI) is the The National Standards Body for the United Kingdom. A secretariat based in Switzerland coordinates the system. ISO is not a government organization. ISO 14001 contains a generic set of requirements for implementing an environmental management system. The standard was published in 1996, mainly as a result of the Uruguay round of GATT negotiations and the Rio Summit on the Environment in 1992.

In addition to ISO 14001, the 14000 series of standards covers Environmental Aspects in Product Standards, Life-cycle Assessment, Environmental Labelling, Environmental Performance Evaluation and Environmental Audit.

Obtaining certification shows that your company is serious about its responsibility to protect the environment and comply with environmental regulations. Your company's reception will benefit and attract new business. Efficiently managing your company's activities' specific risks to the environment will yield benefits in terms of lower public liability insurance premiums as well as less revenue loss through fines and clean-up costs.

Certification for ISO 14001 may qualify your organisation to receive a more prestigious award. The prized Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Awards are one example. Founded by Sir Peter Parker in 1975, this award is easy and free to enter but difficult to win. Obtaining this award can be provide a huge boost to an organization in terms of public perception and employee pride. The Environment and Energy Awards are another prestigious accolade, celebrating excellence, innovation and best practice in the energy industry.

First, familiarize yourself with the contents of the Standard itself. Add a section for environmental policy to your company's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Publicly announce your commitment to preservation of the environment and let customers and staff know about the new SOPs. Hold a launch party, complete with refreshments. Nothing gets peoples' attention like free food.

Next, identify the environmental risks inherent in your particular business. Decide on specific objectives and targets for cleaning up the environment and develop a management plan for implementing them.

Next, train your staff. The BSI offer a range of both in-house and on-line courses.

BSI Client Managers work with you at every stage of the certification process to ensure all goes according to plan. They will first complete a pre-assessment involving a gap analysis or Stage 1 Audit in order to identify non-conformity in existing company practice. There will be a document review and a site visit. The assessor will then determine if your company qualifies for registration for ISO 14001 certification.

The BSI Assessor finally issues a certificate of registration with a validity of three years. The certificate clearly outlines the scope of your environmental management system. The assessor will monitor you closely to ensure that you are remaining compliant and to provide any necessary support.

ISO 14001 is compatible with other management system standards such as ISO 9001 (Quality), OHSAS 18001 (Health and Safety) and ISO 27001 (Information Security), any or all of which can be seamlessly integrated.

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