ISO 14005:2010 pdf free download – Environmental management systems – Guidelines for the phased implementation of an environmental management system, including the use of environmental performance evaluation.
6.2.2 Step 1
Organizations should recognize that they may have legal requirements based on resource use (such as water and non-renewable energy), product design and prescribed discharge limits for water, air, noise and odours or for installing and/or operating particular equipment, such as boilers and underground tanks, or for the storage of hazardous waste. These may be prescribed by government regulatory bodies in the form of legislation, permits, licences and discharge limits.
Because the potential consequences of not complying with legal requirements can present a threat to the organization’s existence (possibly including fines, interruptions to operations, community concern, customer operations and develop plans for complying with them.
The organization may also have other environmental requirements, such as those in supply contracts and those expected by trade associations or other agreements which the organization has made.
6.2.3 Step 2
Organizations should designate competent staff to establish a procedure for identifying legal and other requirements. If there is a lack of internal expertise, it may help to have assistance from external sources with experience in the organization’s business and with knowledge of the local/national legal and other requirements. Trade associations, business support networks or the regulatory bodies themselves may be able to provide information regarding relevant legislation.
An organization should document its legal and other requirements in a database, register or list.
6.2.4 Step 3
Those with technical knowledge of the legal and other requirements and how they apply to the organization’s activities and environmental aspects should be responsible for determining, communicating and monitoring legal and other requirements to those responsible for the relevant operations, including contractors.
6.2.5 Step 4
Legal and other requirements should be reviewed periodically. The frequency of this review depends on how information should be communicated to those responsible in a form that they can understand and act upon.
This may include establishing or changing operating procedures, monitoring emissions and discharges, or taking other actions to comply.
6.3 Evaluation of compliance with the organization’s legal and other requirements
6.3.1 General
Having identified legal and other requirements, it is essential to evaluate how well the organization is complying with them. In order to demonstrate compliance on a continual basis, it will be necessary to establish methods and indicators to measure compliance. Evaluation of compliance is also necessary to demonstrate improvements in performance.
6.3.2 Step 1
Top management should be aware of the need for the organization to demonstrate compliance with its legal and other requirements.
6.3.3 Step 2
Organizations should designate competent staff to identify and plan methods for monitoring and measuring compliance. A procedure should be developed in order to evaluate compliance with legal and other requirements. The method requires the identification of indicators necessary to demonstrate compliance with legal requirements. The indicators may be qualitative and/or quantitative.
6.3.4 Step 3
The organization should periodically compare the results of its monitoring and measuring with the values specified in the relevant legal and other requirements, as necessary, using the defined method. The monitoring frequency may be dependent on legal requirements, the results of past compliance, existing controls, or potential impacts on the environment resulting from the breach.
6.3.5 Step 4
Records should be kept to demonstrate compliance and should be reported to relevant interested parties, as necessary, including top management.
NOTE If a nonconformity is detected, action can be taken according to 6.10.
6.4 Preparation and implementation of an environmental policy
6.4.1 General
The environmental policy is a short, public declaration that outines the intentions, direction and commitments of the organization, with respect to improving its environmental performance.