Can ISO 14001 be implemented without a consultant?
Yes, ISO 14001 can be implemented without the assistance of a consultant. While consultants provide expertise, guidance and value, its not mandatory to hire a consultant to assist with ISO 14001 implementation. Once the leadership and your organization are convinced of the major benefits of introducing ISO 14001 costs of implementation will naturally become an issue. Here are some basic steps required to implement an effective EMS without a consultant:
ü Gain the commitment of leadership towards an ISO 14001 environmental management system or EMS.
ü Read ISO 14001:2015 and establish a working understanding of each clause and sub clause.
ü Identify your organization’s environmental aspects and impacts.
ü Identify applicable regulatory and other requirements applicable to your aspects and impacts.
ü Create a formal Environmental Policy statement, share the policy with everyone in the organization.
ü Document your environmental control processes forming a key part of your EMS.
ü Train your team to affectively apply the documented EMS in relation roles and potential impacts on conformity.
ü Conduct Internal Audits and compliance checks to ensure that the organization complies with the EMS including regulatory and other requirements.
ü Create, document and drive meaningful environmental objectives and also the plans set up to achieve them.
ü Set up meaningful measures of environmental performance.
ü Periodically conduct a formal management review.
ü Establish a process to fix problems (corrective actions) and put preventive measures in place.
ü When you're ready, hire a suitably coded UKAS accredited external certification body.
ü Complete stage 1 and 2 ISO 14001 certification assessments successfully and achieve ISO 14001 certification.
Applying competence, past experience and the pointers above you may be able to establish an effective EMS. On the other hand if you feel that the DIY approach could be overwhelming or if you require the assurance of a first time success then the use of consultant expertise may be right for you.
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