Question

According to ISO 14001 (2015, 4), documented information is information required to be controlled and maintained by the organization. The notes state the documented information may be in any media form and can refer to the EMS and its related processes, information created for the organization to operate, and the evidence of results the organization has achieved.

ISO 14004 (2016, 37) states documents that describe processes, plan, and programs must be retained along with records of the results to demonstrate adequate environmental performance. The way I interpreted this difference in documented information is usually policy/procedures and the results from policy/procedures implementation. For example, if the policy for a construction company is to recycle 75% or more of waste concrete the policy would be regarding plans or programs. The records and/or scalehouse tickets of the concrete arriving at the recycling company would be results-type documented information.

Organizations must maintain the following documents and records:

Documents

• The scope of the EMS
• The organization’s risks and opportunities
• The processes required in the environment aspects, environmental impacts, compliance obligations, and planning actions
• The environmental aspects and impacts
• Significant aspects and the criteria used to determine them
• Compliance Obligations
• Environmental Objectives

Records

• Evidence of Communications
• Evidence of Competence
• Evidence of and from Performance Evaluations
• Evidence of the audit program and its results
• Evidence of Management Reviews
• Nature of nonconformities, actions taken, and the results of the actions taken

For this discussion, I chose to use Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) document describing their EMS at a high level. LLNL has a set of Institutional System Description (DES) documents for major programs within the facility. Each DES is a living document that is reviewed and updated on a regular basis or as needed. LLNL is a large facility with approximately 6,000 employees and all required documented information is not located within this 33-page document. However, the document contains links to all relevant documents. The document is maintained on a server by the Environmental Functional Area and all previous versions are maintained on that server.

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Answer 1

ISO 14001 is a standard which makes the organizations considerate about the overall ecology and environment. The ISO 14001 compliance and regulations makes organizations assess their business processes and think about ways in which adverse impact to the environment can be limited. This also facilitates the long term objectives of the organization as the compliance adherence and interventions aligned with ISO 14001 makes the business sustainable in the long run. There are certain documentations and records which must be maintained by the company as per the standard. However all these efforts prove to be quite fruitful for the company and enhances its overall brand value. Hence the leadership of organizations must make sure that their company is aligned with the norms and standards of ISO 14001.