EMS Revision
Transition Planning
by Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc.
It is always good practice
to develop a full plan for implementation, including identifying the
changes in requirements, identifying your system gaps to the changes, and
developing and executing an action plan to close the gaps. As you begin
the process of transition planning to the ISO 14001:2004 standard, here
are some points to consider:
-
Obtain a Copy of the
Requirements ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004
Copies of the
requirement can be obtained at the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)
www.ISO.org or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
www.ANSI.org.
-
Obtain Top Management
Alignment and Commitment to ISO 14001:2004
Top management alignment is a key factor to completing a successful
transition plan. Top management will need to provide the commitment to
the standard and empower the team to execute the necessary activities to
support conformity to the ISO 14001:2004 standard. This includes, allocating
resources, approving the time needed to implement the new requirements, and
showing commitment to
enhancing the system.
-
Identify ISO
14001:2004 Core Transition Team
The EMS champion should identify a team leader and together define the
core team. The core team represents the individuals that will develop a
detailed understanding of the requirements, determine the gap analysis, lead
sub action teams to fill gaps, and bring a compliant ISO 14001:2004 system
to life.
-
Develop and
Incorporate ISO 14001:2004 Training
Define training for core team members on the ISO 14001:2004 revision.
This may include formal training and the development of training modules
based on your business needs. To enhance the success of the
implementation, consider developing a top management team ISO 14001:2004
training module.
-
Develop a Gap Analysis
and Action Plan
When developing the gap analysis, include the who, what, when, and how.
In addition, consider
including training in the gap analysis by various areas and positions, for
example, an Internal Auditor training program and site awareness
training. Also, include a timeline/schedule to ensure that your
company meets the ISO/IAF deadline for system upgrade. This may also
be a good time to identify the obstacles (as applicable) to each
identified gap and include the countermeasure to each obstacle, as part of the
action plan. In addition, consider QMS / EMS assimilation through the
transition action plan. The integration of a QMS (Quality Management
System) and an EMS (Environmental Management System), with the alignment of
the specifications, ISO 14001:2004 with ISO 9000:2000, will ease the
transition to a combined system. Now may be the time to evaluate this
through one action plan.
-
Incorporate Management
Review of the Project Plan and Status Updates at Defined Intervals
Top management commitment is the key to the success of a management
system. Utilizing the management review, maintains management involvement
and keeps them up to date with the project plan. In addition,
management examination of the project provides continued support
for the transition process. This keeps the action plan moving forward,
and ensures allocation of resources and time for action sub-teams.
It also allows for a
visible top management commitment. Management review represents a key
success factor for the implementation of the management system revision.
The EMS transition plans will be developed and executed by
companies over the next 18 months, including core team development,
ISO14001:2004 revision training, management commitment, gap analysis and
an action plan for countermeasures to system gaps. Identifying and executing
training needs, communicating the update to the organization, and updating
documentation as needed, will lead to an ISO14001:2004 compliant
Environmental Management System.
In Summary
The
revision brings ISO 14001 more closely in line with ISO 9000:2000 QMS standard, and ISO 14004 is more consistent with
ISO 14001, than the 1996 version. Some of the requirements are more
clearly defined in the 2004 version, and other items are given more
emphasis than in the 1996 edition. The expectation set by the ISO/IAF
to upgrade to the ISO 14001:2004 version
is 18 months for those holding certificates for the ISO14001:1996 version. The clock
is ticking to begin
our path down the winding road of management system continuous
improvement.
Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc. provides ISO14001 System Facilitation,
Gap Analysis, Internal and Pre-Certification Audits, On-Site Training, and
Computer-Based Interactive Training. In addition, CAPACCIO can
assist your company with Systems Management integration into day to day
operations. If you are interested in learning more about how CAPACCIO can
help you with the transition, please contact
Paula Esty at 508-970-0033
ext. 128.
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