ISO 14001 Specifications For Document Control Procedure

Any organization that is going for in for an ISO 14001 quality specification must know that there are several rounds of internal audit and other procedures that must be followed. These administrative procedures specify the kind of document control procedure that must be followed.

This article discusses the various document control procedures as defined in the ISO 14001 manual specifically relating to the administrative procedures. Some of these are mandatory and others relate to the way in which documents are stored and retrieved.

The documents have to be numbered according to the administrative procedures that relate to the numbering of documents. This would allow the employees to know which location the document relates and the version of the same. Also the criteria for marking the document is specified in order for the document control procedure to work. All these are specified in the ISO 14001 procedures and the internal audit must take into account all of these features for the audit to succeed. And the success of the internal audit is critical as this determines the external audit and the specifications of the same. Usually the external audits are much more stringent than the internal audits as they are done by third party consultants and it would be advisable to be ready and in compliance with all the administrative procedures.

The audits check if the employees are aware of the ISO 14001 procedures and whether they are compliant of the same. This is very important as the awareness of procedures is the first step in complying with them. Periodic trainings have to be conducted for the employees and proper documentation maintained. The training component of the administrative procedures is key to the success of the ISO 14001 certification effort. Usually the auditors check for the awareness of the employees in this regard and also look at the document control procedures that are being followed in the organization.

Next is the role of the management in reviewing the document control procedure and ensuring their compliance. Usually there is a compliance officer who reviews the ISO 14001 specifications and the administrative procedures for the same and reports back to senior management regarding the same. All in all, going for an ISO 14001 specification involves rigorous checking of the internal procedures and stringent application of standards. It is advisable for an organization to take professional help before they take on the task of quality certification.