Volume 5 · Issue 12 · December 2000

Contents

Page 34...

ISO 14001 Revisions Confirm Little Change Expected

WG 1’s meeting in November 2000 involved three TGs that engaged in the review of several hundred comments. Joel Charm writes that, unfortunately, the reviewing of comments by these groups came to resemble the recent recounts in Florida: the TGs kept reclassifying a number comments on ISO 14001, making it impossible to establish a set of comments that would be the focus of revision efforts. A revised edition of ISO 14001 is not expected to be completed until at least June 2003, with a more likely date of June 2004. While this has been somewhat frustrating to many members of WG 1, Charm notes that it does not represent a failure by the group to fulfill its objective: To improve ISO 14001’s clarity and usability without changing it significantly or adding new requirements. Charm discusses the creation of the Issues/Drafting Task Group, which will finalize the classification of comments and identify those that fit WG 1’s criteria of acceptable comments to be addressed in revising ISO 14001, and the "solutions report". He provides information on the schedule for ISO 14001 revision activities and a look at the key issues within the subclauses of ISO 14001:1996 to be dealt with in the revisions process.