ISO 14001 Training for Certification

ISO 14001 training for voluntary certification in environmental management systems (EMS) and benefits of accreditation.

What is ISO 14001 ?

The ISO 14001 standard is part of the 14000 standard series which is a guide to environmental management principles, systems and supporting techniques. ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised specification for an environmental system within the organisation.

At its heart, it requires that an environmental policy exists within the organisation and fully supported by the senior management of the company.

This policy should say how the company complies with environmental legislation and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Benefits of ISO 14001 Certification

There are many benefits of gaining an ISO 14001 certification and EMS:

• Comply with all legislation
• Competitive advantage over companies with ISO 14001 when tenedering
• Shares principles with ISO 9001
• Shows your company's commitment towards environmental issues
• Improves company's management of environmental risk

Getting Certification

Generally from a standing start your company should be able to get ISO 14001 accreditation within 6-12 months of starting the project. Normally you need to show that an environmental system has been in place for at least 3 months.

There are many accreditation bodies under the UKAS scheme (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) so you need to choose one to undertake your assessment. It's best to get quotes from 3 or 4 - not only for price but their success in getting accreditation and the quality of the people working for the organisation.

The process undertaken by your UKAS member is common to all UKAS accredited organisations. You will have a first stage audit undertaken to see how you meet the key requirements of the standard. You will then be provided with a list of key issues that will need to be addressed before the second stage of the audit is conducted. Stage 2 is to ascertain whether your working practices now meet the requirements of the standard.

The 2 stage approach to the audit should maximise your chances of successul certification at the first attempt.

Once you gain your ISO 14001 certificate you will be audited every 3 years and have "surveillance" visits every 3 months where partial elements of your environmental system will be looked at and your certification will remain in place so long as you continue to apply to the standards outlined.

Find an accredited body here

Full range of ISO 14000 Standards

• Environmental Management Systems: 14001, 14002, 14004
• Environmental Auditing: 14010, 10411, 14012
• Evaluation of Environmental Performance: 14031
• Environmental Labeling: 14020, 14021, 14022, 14023, 14024, 14025
• Life Cycle Assessment: 14040, 14041,14042, 14043