Run this checklist to perform an internal audit on an environmental management system (EMS) against the requirements set out in ISO 14001:2015.
Introduction: Enter checklist details Assess EMS scope Environmental policy: Assess if environmental policy is adequately defined Assess environmental aspects of planning Assess legal and regulatory requirements Assess objectives, targets, and strategies Assess resources, roles, responsibility, and authority Assess competence, training, and awareness Assess communication Assess documentation systems Assess control of documents Assess operational control Assess emergency preparedness and response Check/Study: Assess monitoring and measurements Assess compliance Assess non-conformity, corrective, and preventative action Assess control of records Assess procedures for internal audit Assess management review Provide an overview of the audit See results of the audit Related checklists:
This template is designed to be used to perform a self-audit in accordance with requirements of ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management systems (EMS).
Requirements are presented in the form of tasks with form fields to record various information about the status of each of the 10 high level clauses as outlined in the Annex SL standard for management systems:
These clauses are then further broken down into the Plan, Do, Check, or Act segments of the PDCA cycle.
This checklist can be used as an effective tool for implementing the environmental management system and for self-assessment of the system.
Self-auditing can help to define a high-level overview of an organization's performance, and determine the effectiveness (or not) of its various management systems.
What's more, it can help to identify problem areas and successfully apply principles of continuous improvement.
Self-auditing is best used as a tool to discover the potential opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement; it is not a replacement for a 3rd party CB (Certified Body) audit and will not necessarily result in an ISO certification.
This checklist was designed to factor in repeat audits, so that continuous improvement principles could be applied over the course of multiple audits, with each successive audit contributing to the inputs of the next.
The framework outlined in this checklist can be used as is, or edited and customized to suit your specific needs.
Guidelines for success
In order to maximise the success of the organization, consider the following audit guidelines:
Performance can be reviewed against the criteria outlined here and in this checklist, ultimately identifying current "maturity" levels with the goal of outlining strengths, weaknesses, risks, and opportunities.
Additional resources
For more ISO-related templates for various management systems (quality management, environmental management, etc.) we have the following resources available for you to use:
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Using the form fields below, record some basic details about the audit, including details of who is to perform the audit, reasoning for the audit, audit start date, and any additional notes.
