Management System Auditing Services

Many organizations rely on environmental (EMS); occupational, health and safety (OHSAS); or combined (ESOH) management systems to achieve and demonstrate sound environmental performance. A sound management system provides guidance and establishes the programs and controls to enable regulatory compliance and attain environmental performance objectives. An ESOH is the foundation of an organization's environmental due dilligence. Ideally, an management system should provide protection to its employees, the receiving environment, the public and to the organization and its owners and directors.

Many organizations base their environmental management systems on ISO 14001 (2004) International Standard for environmental management systems. This allows the EMS to be independently certified to a recognized standard, providing assurance to regulators, consumers and the public. Each EMS is unique, as it is based on the structure and activities of an organization, and the legislative, physical and societal environment in which it operates.

GBK provides EMS auditing services that help organizations implement and maintain effective environmental management systems. These services are provided by a Certified Environmental Auditor and Environmental Management Systems Lead Auditor. GBK has developed environmental management systems auditing tools for the U.S. Army as well as other organizations.

Reference Project:

EMS Training and Audit Support

Presidio of Monterey, CA

Organizations with Environmental Management Systems conforming or adhering to ISO 14001 are required submit to an external audit to assess continued performance against the standard’s requirements. The Presidio of Monterey selected GBK to perform this service. GBK prepared an EMS-specific audit plan for our client which included audit objectives, audit criteria; identification of organizational and functional units to be audited; identification of the functions and/or individuals within the organization having significant direct responsibilities regarding the clients EMS; identification of those elements of the client’s EMS that are of high audit priority; the procedures for auditing the client’s EMS elements as appropriate for the organization; the working and reporting languages of the audit; identification of reference documents; the expected time and duration for major audit activities; the dates and places where the audit is to be conducted; identification and responsibilities of audit team members; the schedule of meeting to be held with client personnel; discussion topics to be covered in meetings/interviews with client’s personnel (checklist/form); confidentiality requirements; report content and format, expected date of issue and distribution of the audit report; and document retention requirements. From this plan, GBK performed the audit and reported the findings.

Some milestones and deliverables included:

Performed preliminary “paper” audit
Prepared EMS-specific audit plan with audit scope, strategy and necessary protocols
Performed audit in conformance with ISO 19011, ACSIM Memorandum: Guidance for EMS Self Declaration Protocol and US Team Guide: Section 6, Other Environmental Issues
Delivered audit findings and debriefed