Organizations that seek to implement environmental management system aligned with ISO 14001 often face several challenges. While ISO 14001 training for personnel within the organization can help with building a culture where all strive for continual improvement, there are other issues that training alone will not address. ISO 14001 training
ISO 14001 as with all other management system standards require the commitment of top management for the success of the system. This commitment will come in different forms such as provision of the needed resources, mandating that personnel use and improve the system and provision of the needed strategic direction considering the needs of the stakeholders. Once the management is committed a defined policy will lead to the setting of measurable objectives that drive continual improvement throughout the organization.
ISO 14001 training introduces participants to the requirements of the ISO 14001 standard including the need to set objectives. The organization then needs to monitor and measure to ensure that the objectives are being met. Often aiming for too much too soon leads to unrealizable objectives being set. This may result in low morale and less confidence in the system when the objectives are not met. Further when the system is not resourced to meet the objectives personnel may lose confidence in the leadership’s ability to keep the organization moving forward.
When setting up the system it is also important to define the scope of the system and to document it. The scope is the boundary wall within which the organization will implement controls. As an organization connects with the outside world the scope can be endless and thus it is important to correctly define the scope limited to that which the organization can control and influence.
ISO 14001 is often touted to have many benefits including the ability to reduce and organization’s carbon footprint and to eliminate pollution and for these to be true they must then be set as an objective of the organization. The organization will then plan and control their system taking a lifecycle perspective into account to achieve these goals. Resources also plays an important role in what the company can achieve. For without the budgets and competent personnel and infrastructure there is only so much that can be done.
Training of personnel plays an important role in the success of any organization and ISO 14001 training is important to build awareness among the personnel of the role they play in the success of the system. Without this buy-in the environmental managers have a steep uphill climb of slow progress.