ISO 14001: Environmental Management

Reducing negative impacts on the environment is one of the most important challenges facing companies today. At Orion, we’ve established a process that allows us to combine standard audits—saving you money and time while adding long-term value to your company’s reputation. Why not combine an ISO 14001 audit with your ISO 9001 or ISO 45001 audit?
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Why Work with Orion on ISO 14001

Orion is a trusted partner you can rely on for your environmental management certification needs.

We are currently the only firm endorsed by three industry associations to audit their members, and we reward this trust by only using auditors that have an overall customer satisfaction rating of 99% or better. Our auditors have over 15 years of auditing experience, making them seasoned and proven professionals.
Our vast and lengthy experience means that we truly know and understand the ins and out of environmental management, including its typical processes, commonly used software, and industry terminology.

As a result, our auditing services are efficient and effective, and we will work with you to establish mutual goals up front to make sure your needs are fully met. If you are looking to certify to multiple standards, we also provide integrated audits so you can achieve certification to multiple standards in one audit
(e.g. ISO 27001 / ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / ISO 45001 / R2), ultimately saving you both time and money.

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What is ISO 14001?

Organizations that wish to demonstrate their commitment to an environmental management system must be accredited with the ISO 14001 standard.

This standard requires the organization to identify the aspects and impacts of its activities on the environment, establish priorities, and eliminate or control the significant issues. Management controls must be in place to review and act as necessary to ensure the program commitments are being adhered to, and to verify the organization’s efforts to continually improve its performance as related to environmental concerns.

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Breakdown of the Standard

ISO 14001 certification requires implementing an environmental management system based on the ISO 14001 requirements, and then having an approved certification body such as Orion audit and approve your environmental management system.

ISO 14001 covers the following topics regarding environmental management systems:

  • Context of the organization
  • Leadership
  • Planning
  • Support
  • Operation
  • Performance evaluation
  • Improvement

Overview of the Audit Process

Orion Assessment Service can assist your organization in achieving certification from the initial application request, and through to the required stages which include:

Sign the Agreement

1

Sign the Agreement

Orion must provide a quote for all ISO standards. The terms and conditions must be signed and returned to Orion along with any required deposit.
1

Perform GAP Audit (optional)

2

Perform GAP Audit (optional)

Prior to your Stage 1 or Stage 2 audit, Orion can perform a gap audit to identify major gaps in meeting the requirements of the standard. This independent review will identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Many companies prefer undergoing a preliminary gap audit to ensure they fully understand the standard’s requirements prior to their actual certification audits.
2

Perform Stage 1 Audit:
Readiness Review

3

Readiness Review

This review is conducted to determine whether your organization is ready to move to Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit) by confirming that:

  • The management system addresses all the requirements of the standard.
  • The management system has been implemented and the client is ready for the Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit).

Note that a full management review and internal audit must occur prior to conducting the Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit)

3

Perform Stage 2 Audit:
Certification Audit

4

Certification Audit

This onsite audit is conducted to ensure that the processes and documents examined during the Stage 1 Audit (Readiness Review) are in use and that the system is implemented according to the requirements of the standard.

The key deliverables from this stage include:

  • An audit report detailing positive aspects, issues for resolution (non-conformances), and areas for improvement.
  • A recommendation regarding your registration.
4

Finalize Audit Report
and Receive Certificate

5

Finalize Audit Report and Receive Certificate

The results from the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits are reviewed to ensure that all Orion accreditation requirements have been met and a proper recommendation made. At this point, approval is given to either certify, seek clarification, or not certify.

5

Perform Surveillance
or Recertification Audit

6

Perform Surveillance or Recertification Audit

Registration is based on a 3-year cycle. To maintain your certification, your organization must participate in an onsite review each year. The first two are surveillance audits and only look at a portion of your system, whereas the third-year review (re-certification) is a more comprehensive audit and looks at your overall system for continued effectiveness.

6

Sign the Agreement

1

Sign the Agreement

Orion must provide a quote for all ISO standards. The terms and conditions must be signed and returned to Orion along with any required deposit.
1

Perform GAP Audit (optional)

2

Perform GAP Audit (optional)

Prior to your Stage 1 or Stage 2 audit, Orion can perform a gap audit to identify major gaps in meeting the requirements of the standard. This independent review will identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Many companies prefer undergoing a preliminary gap audit to ensure they fully understand the standard’s requirements prior to their actual certification audits.
2

Perform Stage 1 Audit:
Readiness Review

3

Readiness Review

This review is conducted to determine whether your organization is ready to move to Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit) by confirming that:

  • The management system addresses all the requirements of the standard.
  • The management system has been implemented and the client is ready for the Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit).

Note that a full management review and internal audit must occur prior to conducting the Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit)

3

Perform Stage 2 Audit:
Certification Audit

4

Certification Audit

This onsite audit is conducted to ensure that the processes and documents examined during the Stage 1 Audit (Readiness Review) are in use and that the system is implemented according to the requirements of the standard.

The key deliverables from this stage include:

  • An audit report detailing positive aspects, issues for resolution (non-conformances), and areas for improvement.
  • A recommendation regarding your registration.
4

Finalize Audit Report
and Receive Certificate

5

Finalize Audit Report and Receive Certificate

The results from the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits are reviewed to ensure that all Orion accreditation requirements have been met and a proper recommendation made. At this point, approval is given to either certify, seek clarification, or not certify.

5

Perform Surveillance
or Recertification Audit

6

Perform Surveillance or Recertification Audit

Registration is based on a 3-year cycle. To maintain your certification, your organization must participate in an onsite review each year. The first two are surveillance audits and only look at a portion of your system, whereas the third-year review (re-certification) is a more comprehensive audit and looks at your overall system for continued effectiveness.

6

Sign the Agreement

Orion must provide a quote for all ISO standards. The terms and conditions must be signed and returned to Orion along with any required deposit.
1

Perform GAP Audit (optional)

Prior to your Stage 1 or Stage 2 audit, Orion can perform a gap audit to identify major gaps in meeting the requirements of the standard. This independent review will identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Many companies prefer undergoing a preliminary gap audit to ensure they fully understand the standard’s requirements prior to their actual certification audits.
2

Perform Stage 1 Audit:
Readiness Review

This review is conducted to determine whether your organization is ready to move to Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit) by confirming that:

  • The management system addresses all the requirements of the standard.
  • The management system has been implemented and the client is ready for the Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit).

Note that a full management review and internal audit must occur prior to conducting the Stage 2 Audit (Certification Audit)

3

Perform Stage 2 Audit:
Certification Audit

This onsite audit is conducted to ensure that the processes and documents examined during the Stage 1 Audit (Readiness Review) are in use and that the system is implemented according to the requirements of the standard.

The key deliverables from this stage include:

  • An audit report detailing positive aspects, issues for resolution (non-conformances), and areas for improvement.
  • A recommendation regarding your registration.
4

Finalize Audit Report
and Receive Certificate

The results from the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits are reviewed to ensure that all Orion accreditation requirements have been met and a proper recommendation made. At this point, approval is given to either certify, seek clarification, or not certify.

5

Perform Surveillance
or Recertification Audit

Registration is based on a 3-year cycle. To maintain your certification, your organization must participate in an onsite review each year. The first two are surveillance audits and only look at a portion of your system, whereas the third-year review (re-certification) is a more comprehensive audit and looks at your overall system for continued effectiveness.

6

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