Monday, May 31, 2010
ISO 14001 Standards Video
ISO 14001 Standards Audit
ISO 14001 Standards Certification
ISO 14001 Standards sets out a system that can be audited and certified. In many cases, it is the issue of certification that is critical or controversial and is at the heart of the discussion about the trade implications.
Certification means that a qualified body (an accredited certifier) has inspected the EMS system that has been put in place and has made a formal declaration that the system is consistent with the requirements of ISO 14001 Standards.
The standard allows for self-certification, a declaration by an enterprise that it conforms to ISO 14001 Standards. There is considerable skepticism as to whether this approach would be widely accepted, especially when certification has legal or commercial consequences. At the same time, obtaining certification can entail significant costs, and there are issues relating to the international acceptance of national certification that may make it particularly difficult for companies in some countries to achieve credible certification at a reasonable cost. For firms concerned about having certification that carries real credibility, the costs of bringing in international auditors are typically quite high, partly because the number of internationally recognized firms of certifiers is limited at present.
The issue of accreditation of certifiers is becoming increasingly important as the demand increases.
Why is ISO 9001 Important?
ISO 9001 is important because of its international orientation. Currently, ISO 9001 is supported by national standards bodies from more than 150 countries. This makes it the logical choice for any organization that does business internationally or that serves customers who demand an international standard of excellence.
ISO is also important because of its systemic orientation. We think this is crucial. Many people wrongly emphasize motivational and attitudinal factors. The assumption is that quality can only be created if workers are motivated and have the right attitude. This is fine, but it doesnt go far enough. Unless you institutionalize the right attitude by supporting it with the right policies, procedures, records, technologies, resources, and structures, you will never achieve the standards of quality that other organizations seem to be able to achieve. Unless you establish a quality attitude by creating a quality management system, you will never achieve a world-class standard of quality.
Simply put, if you want to have a quality attitude you must have a quality system. This is what ISO recognizes, and this is why ISO 9001 is important.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
History Of ISO 14001 Standards
The ISO 14000 series emerged primarily as a result of the Uruguay round of the GATT negotiations and the Rio Summit
on the Environment held in 1992. While GATT concentrates on the need to reduce non-tariff barriers to trade, the Rio
Summit generated a commitment to protection of the environment across the world. The environmental field has
seen a steady growth of national and regional standards.
The British Standards Institution has BS 7750, the Canadian Standards Association has environmental management,
auditing, eco-labeling and other standards, the European Union has all of these plus the eco-management and audit
requlations, and many other countries (e.g. USA, Germany and Japan) have introduced eco-labeling programs.
After the rapid acceptance of ISO 9000, and the increase of environmental standards around the world, ISO assessed
the need for international environmental management standards. They formed the Strategic Advisory Group on the
Environment (SAGE) in 1991, to consider whether such standards could serve to:
· Promote a common approach to environmental
· management similar to quality management
· Enhance organizations’ ability to attain and measure improvements in environmental performance; and
· Facilitate trade and remove trade barriers.
In 1992, SAGE’s recommendations created a new committee, TC 207, for international environmental management standards. The committee, and its subcommittees include representatives from industry, standards organizations, government and environmental organizations from many countries.
ISO 14004 and ISO 14001—were published in September and October 1996, respectively. The ISO 14000 family
consists of standards and guidelines relating to environmental management systems and supporting standards, terminology and specific tools, such as auditing.
Essentially, the standards are concerned with what an organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities: either during production or disposal, either by pollution or by depleting natural resources.