ISO 14001 Standards – Nonconformance, Corrective and Preventive Action

ISO 14001 Standards - Nonconformance, Corrective and Preventive Action

ISO 14001:2004 Section 4.5.2, Nonconformance And Corrective Andrequires that organizations establish and maintain procedures that:

Preventive Action,

• Define responsibility and authority for handling and investigating nonconformance

• Take action to mitigate any impacts caused by nonconformance

• Initiate and complete the appropriate corrective and preventive action.

ISO 14001:2004 Section 4.5.2 also states that “…any corrective or preventive action taken to eliminate the causes of actual and potential nonconformances must be appropriate to the magnitude of problems and commensurate with the

environmental impact encountered.”

If any changes in the documented procedures result from any corrective and preventive action, you must implement and record these changes.

Nonconformance refers to any issues that do not meet or comply with the requirements established in the EMS or the ISO 14001 standard. Procedures developed under ISO Section 4.5.2 will provide the mechanism to handle

non-conformances and to ensure steps be taken to prevent a recurrence.

The procedures should include the following key steps:

1. Identify the problem

2. Determine the cause

3. Establish the solution

4. Document the solution

5. Implement the solution

6. Record the documentation and implementation of the solution

7. Communicate the solution.