ISO 14015 pdf download.Environmental management — Environmental assessment of sites and organizations (EASO)
1 Scope
This International Standard provides guidance on how to conduct an EASO through a systematic process of identifying environmental aspects and environmental issues and determining, if appropriate, their business consequences. This International Standard covers the roles and responsibilities of the parties to the assessment (the client, the assessor and the representative of the assessee), and the stages of the assessment process (planning, information gathering and validation, evaluation and reporting). The process for conducting an EASO is shown in Figure 1. This International Standard does not provide guidance on how to conduct other types of environmental assessment, such as: a) initial environmental reviews; b) environmental audits (including environmental management system and regulatory compliance audits); c) environmental impact assessments; or d) environmental performance evaluations. Intrusive investigations and site remediation, as well as the decision to proceed with them, are outside the scope of this International Standard. This International Standard is not intended for use as a specification standard for certification or registration purposes or for the establishment of environmental management system requirements. Use of this International Standard does not imply that other standards and legislation are imposed on the client or the assessee.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this International Standard the following terms and definitions apply. 2.1 assessee site or organization being assessed 2.2 assessor person, possessing sufficient competence, designated to conduct or participate in a given assessment NOTE An assessor may be internal or external to the organization subject to the assessment. More than one assessor may be required to ensure adequate coverage of all relevant matters, for example when there is a need for specific expertise. 2.3 business consequence actual or potential impact (financial or other; positive or negative; qualitative or quantitative) of the identified and evaluated environmental issues 2.4 client organization commissioning the assessment EXAMPLES The site owner, the assessee, or any other party.2.5 environment surroundings in which an organization operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelation NOTE Surroundings in this context extend from within an organization to the global system. [ISO 14001:1996] 2.6 environmental aspect element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can interact with the environment NOTE An environmental aspect can relate to past, present and future activities, products and services. 2.7 environmental assessment of sites and organizations EASO process to identify objectively the environmental aspects, to identify the environmental issues and to determine the business consequences of sites and organizations as a result of past, current and expected future activities NOTE The determination of business consequences is optional, at the discretion of the client. 2.8 environmental impact any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s activities, products or services [ISO 14001:1996] 2.9 environmental issue issue for which validated information on environmental aspects deviates from selected criteria and may result in liabilities or benefits, effects on the assessee’s or the client’s public image, or other costs 2.10 environmental management system that part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy [ISO 14001:1996] 2.11 intrusive investigation sampling and testing using instruments and/or requiring physical interference 2.12 organization company, corporation, firm, enterprise, authority or institution, or part or combination thereof, whether incorporated or not, public or private, that has its own functions and administration