10 Revision Impacts
There are 10 revision impacts that are likely to be significant for organizations that are making the transition to ISO 14001:2015.
Impact #1 – Expansion in the Required Coverage & Scope of the EMS
ISO 14001:2015 requires that a number of factors be considered in deciding on the scope of the organization’s environmental management system. Because certification costs are largely driven by the scope and extent of the EMS, this is likely to have a significant impact.
Impact #2 – Required Interactions with External Parties
ISO 14001:2015 expands the organization’s obligations to provide information about the EMS to external parties and to consider the needs and expectation of a range of interested parties.
Impact #3 – New Requirements for Leadership Engagement
Top management has always had responsibility for ensuring the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the EMS. ISO 14001:2015 expands the obligations of senior management and makes them more explicit.
Impact #4 – Expanded Compliance Assurance Requirements
ISO 14001:2015 has new requirements for ensuring that compliance assurance is a key component of an EMS – not a separate program. Compliance with legal and other requirements has been identified as an “intended outcome” of an EMS.
Impact #5 – Need for Risk-Based Planning & Control
Prior versions of ISO 14001 did not explicitly mention risk. The focus was on the determination of significant aspects and the implementation of operational controls to address them. ISO 14001:2015 has added new requirements for risk determination and the implementation of actions to control risk.
Impact #6 – Needed Modifications to EMS Documentation
One of the important changes driven by the use of the Annex SL requirements is the elimination of explicit requirements for documents and records. Instead the standard has requirements for maintaining and retaining “documented information.”
Impact #7 – Expanded Operational Control Requirements
The operational control requirements in ISO 14001:2004 were limited and high-level. The organization had a great deal of flexibility in determining what operational controls it needed. Requirements for operational control are much more expansive and prescriptive in ISO 14001:2015.
Impact #8 – Expanded Competence and Awareness Requirements
ISO 14001:2015 continues the trend of moving away from an emphasis on training to an emphasis on the results that must be achieved from training – competence and awareness.
Impact #9 – Impacts on the Internal Audit Program
Because every clause has changed and the standard has been reorganized, will have a significant impact on the internal audit program for most companies.
Impact #10 – Increased Certification Costs
The revision of ISO 14001 is likely to increase the cost of certification – both because of the cost associated with preparing for certification and the direct costs associated with obtaining and retaining certification.
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Page last updated 07/23/2015