Audit Checklist for ISO 14001

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Conformity
Requirements
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1.0 Environmental policy
1. Has the organization defined and documented its environmental policy?
2. Is the environmental policy based on:
Significant environmental aspects?
Corporate policy?
3. Is the policy appropriate to the organization's activities and their
potential environmental impacts?
4. Does the policy include commitments to:
Continual improvement
Prevention of pollution
Comply with environmental legislation and other requirements to which
the company subscribes
5. Does the policy provide a framework for setting environmental
objectives and targets?
6. Is the policy documented, implemented, maintained and communicated
to all persons working for or on behalf of the organisation?
7. Is the policy available to the public?
2..0 Environmental aspects
1. Has a procedure been established, implemented and maintained to
identify the environmental aspects of its current and relevant past
activities?
2. Have aspects related to potential significant environmental aspects
been considered in establishing and implementing the EMS?
3. Have aspects having legal and/or regulatory reporting, monitoring or
operational requirements been identified as “significant” aspects?
4. Are the following environmental aspects considered in sufficient detail?
Air emission
Wastewater effluent
Waste management
Soil pollution
Raw material and natural resource usage
Hazardous and toxic material
Impact on well being (e.g. noise, smell, heat, landscape, protection)
Utility, energy and resource
Other environmental specific issues on site such as housekeeping,
storage, areas, piping
5. Are the following operational aspects considered?
Normal operating conditions
Abnormal operating conditions (e.g. start up and shut down conditions,
maintenance, incidents)
Development of new or modified processes, products or services

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 Audit Checklist for ISO 14001
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Conformity
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Actual and potential emergency conditions and accidents
6. Have significant aspects been identified?
7. Are the significance evaluation criteria reasonable and adequate?
8. Are all significant environmental aspects controlled by objectives,
targets, and programmes, procedures or monitoring?
9. Have indirect aspects such as the following considered?
Supplier evaluation
Subcontractors on site
Transportation
Products and service related impacts
10. Have environmental aspects identified and evaluated for planned or
new developments, or new or modified activities, products and services
?
3.0 Legal and other requirements
1. Has a procedure been developed and implemented to identify
applicable regulatory, legal and other requirements?
2. Are current copies of all applicable regulatory and other requirements
accessible to personnel as necessary?
3. Have all further agreements the organization needs to fulfill been
integrated in the procedure?
Business related agreements
Agreements with public authorities
Guideline other than legal requirements (e.g. company policy, industry
codes and practices, etc.)
4. Are the following licenses, permits and approvals available to
demonstrate full legal compliance?
Licenses of waste collectors
Air emission permits
Wastewater discharge permits
Permits and licenses related to dangerous goods
Environmental fees, e.g. wastewater discharge fee
Registration at authorities (e.g. wastewater discharge, air emission
inspection)
4.0 Objectives, targets and programmes
1. Have environmental objectives and targets been established at each
relevant function and level in the organization?
2. Are objectives and targets documented?
3. Are objectives and targets specific, measurable, concrete and
understandable?
4. Do the objectives and targets take into consideration of the followings?
The compliance with the relevant legislation and other requirements
The significant environmental aspects

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 Audit Checklist for ISO 14001
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Conformity
Requirements
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The criteria for selection of adequate technology, financial operation
and business requirements
The views of interested parties
5. Are the objectives and targets consistent with the following?
Environmental policy
The commitment for prevention of pollution
The commitment for continual improvement of the environmental
performance (where applicable)
6. Has an environmental performance evaluation system been established
to periodically review the achievement of the objectives and targets?
7. Are evaluation criteria or meeting records available to determine what
significant environmental aspects become objectives and targets?
8. Have programmes for the achievement of environmental objectives and
targets been established and implemented?
9. Have responsibilities been assigned for programmes at each
appropriate function and level?
10.
11. Do the programmes include the following elements?
Designation of responsibility for achieving objectives and targets at
each relevant function and level of the organization
The means and time-frame by which the programmes are to be
achieved
Are the programmes, where appropriate, revised and amended to apply
to new development, new or modified activities, products or services
4.1 Resources, roles, responsibility and authority
1. Is an organization chart available?
2. Have responsibilities and authorities for environmental management
been defined and documented?
3. Has a Management Representative been assigned?
4. Have the roles, responsibilities, and authorities for the Management
Representative been defined?
5. Are the required resources (e.g. personnel, technology, finance) for
implementation and control of the environmental management system
provided by management?
6. Does the personnel appointed in environmental management have the
required competence?
4.2 Competence, training, and awareness
1. Have training needs been identified?
2. Are all personnel, whose work can cause significant environmental
impacts, competent on the basis of education, training and or
experience?
3. Have procedures been established to assure all persons working for or
on behalf of the company are aware of the Environmental Policy, actual
and potential impacts and their responsibilities?

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 Audit Checklist for ISO 14001
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Conformity
Requirements
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4. Has the organization ensured that personnel performing environmental
specific tasks have the required knowledge (e.g. education, training
experience)?
5. Does the communication process ensure that business partners,
suppliers and contractors are aware of the relevant requirements of the
organization‘s EMS?
6. Do the contractors working on site have the requisite knowledge and
skills or have been trained to perform the work in an environmental
responsible manner?
7. Are training records, certificates and licenses available to demonstrate
the competence?
4.3 Communication
1. Are procedures maintained for communication of environmental issues
between various levels of the organization?
2. Are procedures maintained for receiving, documenting and responding
to communications from external interested parties?
3. Has the organization recorded its policy and/or processes for external
communications on its significant environmental aspects?
4.4 Documentation
1. Have the core elements of the EMS and their interaction been
described in paper or electronic form?
2. Does documentation of core EMS elements provide direction to related
documentation?
3. Are the following EMS documents documented :
- policy, objectives & targets, scope of the EMS
4.5 Control of documents
1. Are procedures maintained to ensure periodic review and appropriate
revision of all required documents?
2. Are current versions of all required documents available at all essential
locations?
3. Are obsolete documents promptly removed or otherwise assured
against unintended use?
4. Is all documentation legible, readily retrievable and identifiable, and
revision level or date identified?
5. Have procedures been established for the creation modification and
appropriate approval of the various types of documents?
4.6 Operational control
1. Are activities associated with significant environmental aspects planned
and carried out under specified conditions?
2. Have documented procedures been established, implemented and
maintained for operations associated with significant environmental
aspects, policy, objectives and targets?
3. Have, during development of the documented procedure, the following
elements considered?
Activities where their absence could cause deviation from

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 Audit Checklist for ISO 14001
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Conformity
Requirements
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environmental policy, objectives and targets
Stipulating operating criteria and limits for control of the important
activity characteristics
Control processes of significant environmental aspects of products and
services
Release of new or modified processes and products
4. Are, during the development of the documented procedures, other
indirect impacts considered?
5. Have procedures been established relating to the significant
environmental aspects of materials and services purchased and used
by the organization?
6. Have procedures been established to communicate relevant
procedures and/or requirements, regarding environmental aspects of
purchased products or services, to suppliers and subcontractors?
4.7 Emergency preparedness and response
1. Have procedures been implemented to identify the potential for and
respond to accidents and emergencies?
2. Have procedures been established to prevent and mitigate impacts of
accidents and emergencies?
3. Are emergency procedures tested where practicable?
4. Are emergency plans available? Are procedures defined to ensure that
environmental impacts of accidents and emergency situations are
mitigated?
5. Are the responsibility defined to review and revise, where
necessary, the emergency preparedness and response
procedures?
4.8 Monitoring and measurement
1. Have procedures been documented and implemented to monitor key
characteristics of operations that can have significant impacts?
2. Has any environmental performance indicator that relates to objectives
and targets been established?
3. Are records available to track performance and conformity with
objectives and targets?
4. Are all monitoring equipment appropriately maintained and calibrated?
4.9 Evaluation of compliance
1. Are documented procedures established, implemented and maintained
to periodically evaluate compliance with relevant environmental
legislation and other requirements?
2. Has monitoring and measuring data been recorded to evaluate the
compliance with relevant environmental legislation and other
requirements?
4.10 Nonconformity, corrective action and preventive action
1. Have procedures been established to define the responsibility for
handling, investigating and controlling, and mitigating nonconformity?
2. Are corrective and preventive actions timely, appropriate and

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 Audit Checklist for ISO 14001
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effective?
3. Are procedures changed and/or updated as a result of corrective
action and preventive action?
4. Does the procedure include the fact that complaints from interested
parties are to be integrated in the process?
4.11 Control of Records
1. Have procedures been implemented to identify maintenance and
disposal of environmental records?
2. Are environmental records legible, readily retrievable, protected against
damage?
3. Have retention times been specified?
4. Do the records include the followings:
Training records
Audit results
Management review records
Information on applicable environmental laws and other requirements
Inspection, maintenance and calibration records
Information on emergency preparedness and response
Information on significant environmental aspects and associated
impacts
Permits
Monitoring data
Details of nonconformity, incidents, complaints and follow-up actions
Contractors and suppliers records
Process and product information
4.12 Internal audit
1. Have internal audit procedures been developed and implemented?
2. Are audit frequencies and topics based on the environmental
importance of the activity concerned and the results of prior audits?
3. Do audit procedures cover how results are reported and how results are
provided to management?
4. Do audit procedures adequately define scope, frequency, methods and
responsibilities?
5. Has the audit system been fully and effectively implemented?
6. Do audit reports and records indicate a reliable system which can be
used as a tool in the third party audit process?
7. Are the auditors conducting the audits competent and in a position to
conduct the audits objectively and impartially?
5.0 Management review
1. Do periodic management reviews take place to ensure the continuing
suitability and effectiveness of the EMS?

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 Audit Checklist for ISO 14001
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Conformity
Requirements
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2. Does management review result in changes as appropriate to the
policy, objectives, targets etc.?
3. Are management reviews records retained ?
4. Are the reviews carried based on the following documents or
information?
Audit results reports
Evaluations of compliance with legal requirements and other
requirements to which the company subscribes
Achievement of environmental management system objectives and
targets
Communications and complaints from relevant interested parties
The environmental performance of the organization
Status of corrective and preventive actions
Follow-up actions from previous management reviews
Changing circumstances, including developments in legal and other
requirements related to its environmental aspects, and
Recommendations for improvement

NUMBER OF NONCONFORMITIES RAISED:

MAJOR: MINOR:___________ OBS:____________

COMMENTS:

SIGNATURE: DATE:

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