You have an environmental management system in place, which means you’re audited to assure compliance. And you’re aware that the ISO management system standards are being reviewed to provide better continuity between the various systems, making compliance easier. But are you aware that you can review the proposed 3rd edition for ISO 14001, “Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use,” and comment on the document if you have concerns? This draft, ISO/DIS 14001, is now available from Document Center Inc. in either paper format or for pdf download. It’s your chance to see what changes are in store before they’re finalized.
Right off the top, you’ll notice the new layout of the information in the standard. Instead of the previous 4 clauses, the proposed edition has 10. Why? To better follow the new structure of all the management system standards.
In the current 2nd edition from 2004, there are the usual scope, referenced documents, and terms and definition clauses. Then all the environmental management system requirements are included in the comprehensive clause 4. In the draft, the clauses following the similar first 3 clauses are:
- Context of the organization (Clause 4)
- Leadership (Clause 5)
- Planning (Clause 6)
- Support (Clause 7)
- Operation (Clause 8)
- Performance evaluation (Clause 9)
- Improvement (Clause 10)
Annex A remains the guidance on the use of the standard. Annex B provides you with a comparison of the draft 3rd Edition and the 2nd Edition from 2004. It has 2 sections, the draft to the standard and the standard to the draft. Since it includes the paragraph numbering for each, it’s very clear how the information from the 2nd Edition is going to be found in the 3rd. Lastly, Annex C is an alphabetical index of the terms from clause 3 (terms and definitions section).
It’s not mandatory to get a copy of a draft document. However, many of our customers do like to know in advance how the document is likely to change. And it also offers them a chance to affect the content of the new revision if they choose to. In the case of the ISO/DIS 14001, the public comment period is from 8/28/2014 to 11/28/2014. If all goes smoothly, the new 3rd edition will probably be released in late 2015. If there’s issues that are uncovered, well, you just don’t know!
One more thing to mention. Since this is a public review draft, every part of the document is subject to change. So don’t decide to change your system based on a public review draft! It’s only being offered up by the committee to see if there’s any areas where the document needs review or revision.
If you want a copy, you can purchase one from Document Center’s webstore at www.document-center.com. Or you can contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). Not only will you get your copy of the draft, but when the final authorized new edition is released, we’ll let you know! So take the guesswork out of your standards program. Make Document Center your Standards Experts!
