Do you struggle to understand whether ISO 14001:2015 has specific requirements for all shifts to be subject to Internal Audit? This article could help you with your EMS…
An ISO Interpretation could help you understand whether you should have an Internal Audit of all of your shifts.
This article looks at one of the interpretations given by the ISO Technical Committee, TC 207 Sub-Committee 1, which is the Sub-Committee responsible for ISO 14001:2015 and other associated environmental International Standards.
The interpretation process operates as an escalation of an interpretation enquiry from a National Member Body, such as BSI in the UK and ANSI in the United States, with all interpretation enquiries reviewed on an annual basis and their results published on the Sub-Committee 1 website.
It is important to note that its interpretations do not change the requirements in ISO 14001 but are intended to give users a better understanding on ISO 14001.
The question about the status of ISO 14001:2015 within an Environmental Management System was raised by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and relates to the intent of Clauses 9.2 on Internal Auditing.
The question asked was:
The Interpretation Response given stated:
ISO 14001 contains no specific requirement to conduct an internal audit of all shifts.
It is for the organization to decide on the appropriate scope of its internal audits to meet the requirements of clause 9.2.2 and its own needs for audit information.
For additional clarification, refer to COI 02-03.A2 on the topic of internal auditing, which is an Interpretation Request on “Does ISO 14001 section 9.2 require that the organization conduct its internal EMS audit on an annual basis covering all elements (i.e. full scope) of the ISO 14001 standard?”.
You can find out the answer to this question click on the link to our video episode: Do Internal Audits need to cover all ISO 14001:2015 requirements? or the written article here.
So, to summarise:
The ISO TC 207 Sub-Committee 1 interpretation clarifies ISO 14001 does not contain specific requirement to conduct an internal audit of all shifts. It is for the organisation to decide what is the appropriate scope for its own Internal Audit.
You can download a copy of the ISO Interpretation document here, which includes this specific interpretation.
If this article has helped has helped to advance your understanding of ISO 14001:2015 in relation to the internal auditing of shifts, please leave a comment in the box below, if this episode has help you.
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