ISO 14001

ISO stands for International Organisation for Standardisation number 14001. The ISO 14000 series are standards associated with the level of environmental management of a firm that are regulated by organisations such as the British Standards Institute (BSI). ISO 14001 was first published in 1996 . It provides a framework for the development of an environmental management system and the supporting audit programme.

It is an international standard that aims to improve a company's environmental performance, environmental efficiency and cut firms costs.

The ISO 14001 consists of:

• environmental policy
• planning
• implementation and operation
• checking and corrective action
• management review

This means that your business has to:

1. Identify where your business impacts on the environment and gain access to the relevant environmental legislation.
2. Produce objectives for improvement and management and how to achieve them, with regular reviews for continual improvement.

The objectives and achievements will then be periodically assessed and if passed your company may register to ISO 14001.

This method is used at the BSI; other regulatory organisations may differ however the general requirements for ISO 14001 will remain the same.

For further information visit www.bsi-global.com or contact the forum.

Find out how E. Wood Ltd. Implemented the standard ISO 14001.