BS EN ISO 14001:2004

More and more organisations are now seeking certification to the International Standard for Environmental Management. This overview takes a brief look at the reasons why environmental certification may be appropriate for your company.

What is BS EN ISO 14001:2004?

BS EN ISO 14001:2004 is the internationally recognised standard for the environmental management of businesses. It prescribes controls for those activities that have an effect on the environment. These include the use of natural resources, handling and treatment of waste and energy consumption.

What are the benefits of implementing BS EN ISO 14001:2004?

Implementing an Environmental Management System is a systematic way of discovering the effects your company's operations have on the environment. Cost savings can be made through improved efficiency and productivity. These are achieved by finding ways to minimise waste and dispose of it more effectively and by learning how to use energy more efficiently. BS EN ISO 14001:2004 confirms compliance with current legislation and makes insurance cover more accessible.

Why seek certification to BS EN ISO 14001:2004?

Registration to BS EN ISO 14001:2004 by an accredited certification body shows that an organisation is committed to environmental issues and is prepared to work towards improving the environment. Company image is enhanced in the eyes of customers and shareholders alike. It also gives a competitive edge to the company's marketing and meets the requirements regularly required by authorities and organisations when compiling tender documents.

How do you implement BS EN ISO 14001:2004?

Evaluate your environmental effects and prioritise your responses to them. Identify the boundaries of your management system and document your procedures for implementing the requirements of BS EN ISO 14001:2004. Ensure these procedures are implemented and then audit them. If you have a BS EN ISO 9001:2000 system in place, many of the requirements of BS EN ISO 14001:2004 will already be covered or can be incorporated into your Quality Management System.

Once developed, internal audits are needed to ensure the system carries on working. The setting of targets for the environmental policy and continual measuring against it ensures the system is maintained.

Assessment to BS EN ISO 14001:2004.

We will help you to choose a suitable third party accredited certification body for your assessment. The certification body will review your documentation and carry out an initial assessment of your site. This looks at the company's evaluation of environmental effects and ascertains if targets set for the management programme are measurable and achievable. This is followed at a later date by a full assessment to ensure that records and working practices demonstrate that the company is working to its procedures.

After a successful assessment, a certificate of registration to BS EN ISO 14001:2004 will be issued. There will then be continual surveillance visits (usually once or twice a year) to ensure that the system continues to work.

Why choose Firm Solutions Associates for your assessment?

Firm Solutions Associates has an enviable record for customer satisfaction with its assessment, auditing and consultancy services. A friendly approach to assessments and dislike of bureaucracy has led to unprecedented growth through referrals from satisfied clients. Firm Solutions Associates only employs assessors who have empathy with this approach. Whenever possible assessors are allocated by their experience in the industry they are assessing. This results in a practical, meaningful assessment, carried out in an atmosphere of mutual understanding. Firm Solutions Associates firmly believes that any assessment should benefit the organisation that requests it, not be an intellectual exercise to 'please' the assessor.

What is the cost of assessment to BS EN ISO 14001:2004?

With so many variables, such as the types and sizes of organisations, combined with the possible resultant effects they each have on the environment, it is difficult to produce a meaningful price list. Instead, we ask you to complete a short questionnaire telling us about your organisation. From that we provide you with a fixed, written quotation.

Joint BS EN ISO 14001:2004 and BS EN ISO 9001:2000 systems

There are several common elements between the two standards, such as management review, document control, corrective action and the requirement for trained personnel. These can be combined into a single, joint system. Assessment of joint systems is available and may be the best method for some companies.