ISO 14001 Audit

About ISO 14001 Audit

ISO 14001 is a standard created by ISO to reduce the environmental impact of a business. ISO 14001 supports businesses in controlling how their management systems affect the environment and goes on to put in place an environmental policy for the business. ISO 14001:2015 has been introduced as a major update to this standard, effective from June 1st, 2015. ISO 14001 audit is conducted by certification bodies to ensure that your organization is compliant with the ISO 14001 standard. All audits follow the same basic principle: validating that you are doing what you say you are doing in your documented Management System and that it complies with the ISO standard.

ISO 14001 Audit

Purpose of ISO 14001 Audit

After you’ve created and implemented your ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, you’ll need to have it audited in order to get the system – and your company – certified. Obtaining and maintaining ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification is a multi-step process. It is a set of audits and reviews that guarantee your company and management system are in compliance with the ISO 14001 standard.

Preparing for ISO 14001 Audit

Steps you should take before conducting an ISO 14001 audit: 

  • Put together a team of people responsible for details of ISO 14001 implementation. 
  • Get ISO 14001 documentation in order and up to date.
  • Invite everyone responsible for ISO 14001 aspects, as well as those impacted by ISO 14001 requirements to learn more about the ISO 14001 audit process.
  • Involve top management in the planning, preparation, and execution of ISO 14001 audit.

The following documents are recommended prior to conducting an ISO 14001 audit:

ISO 14001 Audit Program 

Certification bodies offer ISO 14001 audit programs to meet your ISO 14001 audit needs. Audit Programs are typically tailored to specific industry sectors, geographic regions or individual ISO 14001 audits.

ISO 14001 Audit Plan

ISO 14001 audit plan is a part of ISO 14001 Internal Audit Plan. ISO 14001 Internal Audit Plan (IAP) defines the purpose, scope, and methodology to be followed for ISO 14001 audits. ISO auditors will evaluate the IAP when they conduct ISO 14001 internal audits.

ISO 14001 Audit Checklist 

ISO 14001 checklists are the ISO 14001 audit tool. ISO 14001 audit checklist is used by ISO 14001 auditor to verify ISO 14001 compliance during ISO 14000 audits with reference to ISO 9001 audit forms. 

Conducting ISO 14001 Audit

ISO 14001 Audit Process comprises of following steps: 

Pre-audit meeting : ISO 14000 auditor meets with management personnel to discuss the ISO audit strategy. ISO 14000 Auditor will collect all ISO 14001 documentation required for ISO 14001 audit. This pre-audit meeting is usually attended by top management, ISO 14001 coordinator, ISO 14001 team members, environmental department personnel, and other ISO 14000 stakeholders. 

Stage 1 Preliminary Audit: The ISO 14001 auditor will conduct ISO 14001 audit at your facility wherever ISO 14001 is being implemented to verify ISO 14001 compliance. The objective of Stage 1 Audit is to assess the control system in place for ISO 14001. Using ISO 14001:2015 as a guide, the auditor will ensure that your firm meets all of the standards in terms of documentation, training, processes, procedures, and practices. The audit team will also go over the system documentation to make sure it meets ISO 14001:2015 requirements. The ISO audit team is also responsible for identifying ISO 14001 non-conformities if any, and the corrective actions to be taken by management so that ISO 14001 requirements are met. 

ISO 14001 Audit Report : The ISO auditor will prepare the ISO 14001 audit report following the completion of the ISO 14001 audit. The ISO 14001 auditor will include ISO 14001 findings and ISO 14001 non-conformities in the ISO 14001 audit report along with the corrective action to be taken by the organization.

Stage 2 Implementation Audit: In this stage, the ISO 14001 auditor will verify that ISO 14001 is being implemented properly and the non-conformities addressed in the Stage 1 Audit has been resolved. During this stage, the major purpose is to determine how well your quality management system functions inside your firm and how it has contributed to the achievement of business objectives. Upon successful completion of the Stage 2 Implementation Audit, ISO 14001 certification will be issued to the organization for a validity period of 3 years. 

Surveillance Audit

The surveillance audit begins after you acquire your certificate. During this stage, your quality management system will be monitored for three years to ensure that it stays compliant with ISO 14001 requirements. After each 12-month period of certification, a Surveillance Audit will be done. For a three-year validity period, there will be two surveillance audits.

Recertification Audit

After the three-year certification validity period has ended, you must go through the recertification audit stage. A certification body will re-examine your quality management system against ISO 14001 standards and regulations. This means that, in addition to meeting the standards of ISO 14001 and demonstrating its efficacy over a three-year period, you must also show that your EMS is effective and efficient enough to meet the changing demands of the business/sector you operate in.

Contact IAS today to learn more about ISO 14001 Audit, or visit our ISO 14001 Audit frequently asked questions page!