Environmental Legal Compliance Audit, ISO 14001
Paul Downing
All organisations certified to ISO 14001:2004 Â have a legal register identifying all legal and other requirements to which they must comply, Â however ISO 14001 also requires that you measure your compliance to this legislation on a periodic basis. The standard (clause 4.5.2.1) actually states;
“Consistent with its commitment to compliance, the organization shall establish, implement and maintain a procedure(s) for periodically evaluating compliance with applicable legal requirements. The organization shall keep records of the results of the periodic evaluations”.
For multiple reasons a lot of organisations seem to miss out on this requirement, either because it is seen as too risky an exercise or too difficult and specialised a topic. In reality this is something that all organisations do with other aspects of their business, be it employment law, human resources, accounting or other financial reporting. Environmental compliance should be part and parcel of running a business under good governance.
The actual legislation that applies to your business will vary depending on your particular operations i.e. a metal fabricator will need to comply with different legislation to a landfill site, however employing the services of an external consultant will ensure that you receive a robust and objective review of your current status.
Of all the elements that tends to be outsourced to specialists in an organisation certified to ISO 14001, this tends to be the service most commonly requested. Should you wish to have an independent environmental legal compliance audit for ISO 14001 purposes, please contact us for further details.
Paul Downing
enquiries@pauldowningltd.co.uk
t: Â 01428 768 101
m: 07790147084