ISO 14001 specification gives clearer direction to an environmental management system. ISO 14001 is an audit/certification specification, not a legislative requirement or a guide to implementation. It should be noted that ISO 14001 does not state specific performance criteria, or give detailed specifications for the design of a management system. Instead, the system is geared towards reducing and preventing environmental impacts.

ISO 14001 has been developed to be compatible with the ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 management systems standards. It is its hope that any organization that implements ISO 14001 can easily integrate it with other quality, or occupational health and safety management systems. ISO 14001 specifications follow the Plan-Do-Check-Review cycle, with a concurrent emphasis on continual improvement. This model aligns well with the structure of other management system documents such as OHSAS 18001, thus aiding the progress of integrated management systems.

The elements of ISO 14001 includes Policy and commitment, impact identification, risk assessment & risk controls, Legal requirements, Objectives and Programs, Organization and personnel, Training, Communication and Consultation, Documentation and records, Operational Controls, Emergency Readiness, Measurement and monitoring, Accident and incident investigation, corrective and preventive action, Audit and Review, and Application and Relevance in the Industry.

Environmental Management System Implementation

SHEcon. provides the following services to help you establish, implement and maintain an occupational safety and health management system:

• Executive/Management Briefings
• Custom-Tailored Training Programs & Facilitated Workshops
• Gap Assessments
• Documentation Development
• Registration Assistance

Executive/Management Briefings

SHEcon. can conduct executive briefings that provide management with an overview of the management system requirements, the potential benefits and costs of registration and the legal and regulatory impacts of pursing registration.

Custom-Tailored Training Programs

SHEcon. has developed a number of training programs that can be custom-tailored to your organization's needs. In addition, SHEcon. can assist you in conducting in-house workshops to identify your environmental aspects, impacts, and risks, appropriate performance indicators and operational controls.

Gap Assessments

SHEcon. has conducted gap assessments for a number of organizations to assist them in comparing their current programs and management systems against the requirements of ISO 14001. Conducting a gap assessment is a helpful "first step" in determining how to effectively implement a management system. In addition to providing a written gap assessment report, SHEcon. provides an implementation matrix that sets out, step-by-step, the tasks that need to be done to implement a management system in your organization.

Combining a gap assessment with an executive briefing can be a great way of ensuring that top management knows what needs to be done and the resources that will be required for implementation.

Documentation Development

Management systems require documentation - documents to establish the framework for the management system and records to provide evidence of the results achieved.

SHEcon. can help you develop the policies, programs and procedures needed for an effective management system. Our focus is on using your existing processes and procedures to minimize the amount of new documentation that needs to be developed. SHEcon. can also help you identify and address your document and record control needs.