Excerpts

Preface WHY WAS THIS BOOK WRITTEN AND FOR WHOM? ISO 14000: Environmental Management was written in response to the need for a practical teaching resource and a how-to guide that would provide a step-by-step model for understanding the ISO 14000 standard and its supporting documents, and for implementation and registration to the standard. It was the authors' intent in the writing of this book that it serve a dual role. First, it was written to be used as a primary text in courses based on ISO 14000, the international standard for environmental management systems, and as a supplemental text in courses dealing with environmental protection and environmental management. Second, for private and public sector organizations whose operations could have environmental impacts, the book was designed to be used as a practical hands-on manual for implementing an environmental management system conforming to ISO 14000 at an affordable cost. Interest in ISO 14000 registration has gained momentum even faster than was the case with ISO 9000, the international quality management standard. The reasons for this are in part obvious, and in part subtle. Since the beginning of the ecological movement in the early 1960s, concern for the wellbeing of the planet has become a significant political force. Contamination of the atmosphere, of rivers, lakes and oceans, and of the soil was largely overlooked or ignored until recently. Given the scientific data now available to us, it is clear that the planet cannot continue to sustain its many and varied inhabitants if we continue to treat it as we have. Pollution is no longer acceptable. ISO 14000 was created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) with participation of 50 national delegations from around the world. Its aim is to support environmental protection and the prevention of pollution. With the acceptance and use of ISO 9000, organizations found that by improving their processes--that is, the way they did things--not only was product or service quality improved, but also costs of production were almost always reduced. We now understand that reducing or eliminating pollution can have a similar effect. Processes that have environmental aspects can be both pollution-free and less expensive. The initial push to reduce pollution has come from governments. That is very much in evidence in the developed nations, and is already a factor in much of the rest of the world. Just as it did with ISO 9000, a secondary emphasis is coming from large customer organizations as they flow down their environmental management requirements to their supplier tiers. Finally, the end users of products or services--customers like you and me--will eventually differentiate between producers that have good environmental track records, and those that do not. As this unfolds, conformance to ISO 14000 is becoming a prerequisite for organizations to successfully compete in the world's markets. ORGANIZATION OF THIS BOOK This book begins with a comprehensive background of the International Organization for Standardization, and of the ISO 14000 standard and why it came into being. Chapter 2 leads the reader through the component parts of ISO 14000 and their relationships with each other and with ISO 9000, and provides clarification for the sometimes confusing language of the standard. Chapter 3 establishes all of the requirements of the standard in a way that is easily understood. Chapter 4 defines and develops an understanding of the concept of an environmental management system (EMS) and its elements, structure, and supporting activities. Chapter 5 clearly defines the documentation and documentation system required, and elaborates on what must be and what need not be documented. Chapter 6 explains and clarifies the registration and audit processes, and offers recommendations for the selection of registrars. Chapter 7 expands on the concept of continual improvement as anticipated by ISO 14000. Chapter 8 provides a step-by-step process for taking the organization through preparation for registration, and finally through the registration audit--and doing it at minimum cost. Also explained is how the organization may secure many of the benefits of ISO 14000 without registration. Chapter 9 briefly discusses other related ISO standards that already exist or are anticipated. Chapter 10 offers an inclusive checklist that will assist organizations in assessing their readiness for registration or self-declaration of conformance. With the checklist, it is possible not only to determine areas that already meet the requirements of ISO 14000, but also the specific actions that must be taken for conformance or registration. Excerpted from ISO 14000: Environmental Management by David L. Goetsch, Stanley Davis All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.