Abstract

Certification to the environmental management system standard built on a company's experiences with ISO 9001. Brewer and Associates, Inc. became the first consulting company and the first American owned company to be certified under ISO/DIS (draft international standard) 14001. Its first step was to develop an environmental checklist, which was the basis for a gap analysis. Next, the company contacted a registrar, which was the same one involved in its ISO 9001 certification. Then, the ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 management representatives worked together to expand the documentation control and record keeping system as well as to adapt the audit and corrective/preventive action programs to ISO 14001 requirements. A major barrier in the documentation phase was overcome once the company realized that its environmental policy had to deal not only with external situations but also with its own internal practices. This included development of safety preparedness for its employees. A preliminary audit then generated three findings, and this was followed by an environmental management review. The next step was the two-part certification audit. Part one revealed problems that were corrected prior to part two of the audit. This included balancing potential negative impacts of its environmental system with positive impacts. Part two of the audit produced only three minor findings, and upon closure of these, the company was certified to ISO/DIS 14001 and eventually to ISO 14001, once the standard was released.