ISO 14001:2015 DOCUMENTATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AUDITING & CERTIFICATION

ISO Management System Certifications

Safeguard RTL provides ISO Management System Implementation, Auditing, Certification and Surveillance services in partnership with Transparent Neutral Veritas (TNV) Certifications Limited.  TNV is an Independent, Impartial and Proficient Certification Body established as per requirement of IS/ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and accredited by the USA United Accreditation Foundation (UFA), a member of International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC). TNV serves internationally in the field of ISO certification services. It has vision of Environmental Transformation through it Services and it is a Conformity Accredited Body and Associates of JAS-ANZ, DAC, ABCAB, RAB-QSA, IAF MLA, Exemplar Global etc. It has certified various companies in Nigeria, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Taiwan, South Africa, UAE, Qatar, Saudi, USA, Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Indonesia, Singapore, Maldives, Italy, Germany, France, Bulgaria etc. Over the years, it has played key role in strengthening the management capacity and development of systems for business operations. Safeguard works in concerts with Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and many other international certification bodies in Nigeria.

ISO 14001:2015 Management System Certifications

ISO 14001 is an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system. It helps organizations improve their environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders. An environmental management system helps organizations identify, manage, monitor and control their environmental issues in a “holistic” manner. ISO 14001 can also be integrated easily into any existing ISO management system. ISO 14001 is suitable for organizations of all types and sizes, be they private, not-for-profit or governmental. It requires that an organization considers all environmental issues relevant to its operations, such as air pollution, water and sewage issues, waste management, soil contamination, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and resource use and efficiency. 

Like all ISO management system standards, ISO 14001 includes the need for continual improvement of an organization’s systems and approach to environmental concerns. The standard has recently been revised, with key improvements such as the increased prominence of environmental management within the organization’s strategic planning processes, greater input from leadership and a stronger commitment to proactive initiatives that boost environmental performance.

What benefits will it bring to your organization? 

ISO 14001 helps: 

• Demonstrate compliance with current and future statutory and regulatory requirements 
• Increase leadership involvement and engagement of employees 
• Improve company reputation and the confidence of stakeholders through strategic communication 
• Achieve strategic business aims by incorporating environmental issues into business management 
• Provide a competitive and financial advantage through improved efficiencies and reduced costs 
• Encourage better environmental performance of suppliers by integrating them into the organization’s business systems
• A third-party certification – where an independent certification body audits your practices against the requirements of the standard – is a way of signaling to your buyers, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders that you have implemented the standard properly. 
• It helps to show how they meet regulatory or contractual requirements. 

Project Justification

Primary reasons for ISO 14001 implementation are to:

• Improve image and credibility by attaining certification to ISO 14001
• Improve customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirements
• Integrate processes for better alignment
• Improve decisions by basing them on data from the Environmental management system 
• Create a culture of continual improvement of the processes
• Improve employee engagement toward process improvement

Project Purpose

The purpose of the project is to:

• Gain ISO 14001 certification
• Increase compliance with environmental legislation
• Reduce negative environmental impact by controlling environmental aspects
• Increase competitiveness 
• Better environmental management of processes, activities, and functions
• Reduce costs of negative environmental impacts through continual improvements attained through the ISO 14001 EMS
• Be more efficient and profitable 
• Increase market share 
• Improve communications and morale in the organization

Project duration and structure

The implementation project is divided into different phases:

• Initiation, planning and assessment – project is set and assessment of existing processes is carried out. Gap analysis is performed.
• Implementation – implementation of EMS, i.e. requirements defined in ISO 14001
• Consolidation – audit and review of the results and comparison to the requirements. Review and corrective action of any problems and set up of ongoing improvement activities

Detailed content of the milestones and respective responsibilities will described in the Project Plan document.

Project Deliverables

The lists of project deliverables and benefits achieved with their implementation are as follows:

Deliverables for EMS leadership & support requirements

The following processes need to be defined, documented, and possibly changed from the current:

• Commitment of leadership
• Roles, authorities, and responsibilities of the EMS
• Documentation and record management (ISO 14001 mandatory documented information)
• Resources management
• Establishment and improvement of the EMS

Deliverables for EMS planning & operation requirements 

The following processes need to be defined, documented, and possibly changed from the current:

• Environmental Policy and Environmental Objectives (ISO 14001 mandatory documented information)
• Identification of environmental aspects and impacts 
• Determination and review of environmental legal requirements and compliance 
• Environmental management operational controls 
• Control of monitoring and measurement equipment processes

Deliverables for evaluation of performance and improvement 

The following processes need to be defined, documented, and possibly changed from the current:

• Internal audit (ISO 14001 mandatory  documented information)
• Monitoring and measurement of environmental operational controls 
• Control of environmental nonconformity (ISO 14001 mandatory documented information)
• Corrective actions (ISO 14001 mandatory documented information)

Your Responsibilities

In consideration for the above deliverables, you are expected to:

• Appoint a team led by a member of your management team (the “Contact”), whose responsibilities and authority will be to effectively implement the documentation provided by the Safeguard RTL. 
• Ensure that the Contact and team members shall complete an ISO 14001:2015 Auditor training, provided by Safeguard RTL. The auditors will along the line be performing Action Audits, Process Performance Audits and Internal Environmental Audits of the company processes in compliance to the Internationally Acceptable Practices after the Certification Process.
• Obtain and use through the course of this Proposal copies of ISO 14001:2015, Standard and other related ISO documents. 
• Provide and use PC-compatible Microsoft© products, such as Microsoft© Word, Microsoft© Excel and others for documenting your EMS. 
• Ensure that your company will provide work station(s) with internet services within the organization where Safeguard RTL team can operate from time to time.
• Understands that successful certification depends, among other aspects, on generation of records to establish evidence of functional EMS. Therefore, the Client agrees to conduct and document prescribed by the Safeguard RTL activities.

Terms and Conditions

• Confidentiality. Safeguard RTL acknowledges that all information related to your business must be regarded as strictly confidential, that it may not be used for any purposes other than those defined in this Proposal. 
• In no event will Safeguard RTL be liable for any incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages, including any lost profits arising out of the use of or inability to use the Service or documentation. 
• You agree that Safeguard RTL does not convey any intellectual property rights to the Client, but grants the Client a license to use the documentation under the terms of this Proposal 
• The laws of Nigeria will govern this Proposal. This Proposal may only be modified by an addendum that has been signed by an authorized representative of Safeguard RTL.

The certification program has a high promise for your organization and is strongly recommended for your approval. We look forward to a beneficial business relationship between our organizations.