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Who’s going to do the next internal EMS audit?
It would be interesting to undertake a survey of the companies that have an ISO 14001 certificate to find out who performs the required internal EMS audit. Is there a rigorous selection process that is used by the environmental manager to identify the cream of the crop? Is there a long queue of hopefuls making early representation with regard to their attributes and suitability as EMS auditors? The answer to both these questions is a resounding no! In fact you may be taken by complete surprise to learn that the opposite is actually the case. There is usually little interest in the role and it takes a significant amount of persuasion to recruit even a team of two to undertake audits that could be classed, over an ISO 14001 certificate’s life, as being representative and comprehensive.
The reasons why this situation exists may be many and varied and may be completely unrelated to the fact that the task is an audit in the first place. One reason may simply because someone is asked to do yet more work, for the same pay and within the same amount of time. In other words, there is no carrot.
It could also be linked to the fact that it is an audit - “we want you to investigate the activities of your work colleagues and tell us if they are following all the procedures and requirements that are contained within the EMS manual”. Its hard to imagine a more challenging and contentious task! Especially if there are a number of issues that could be revealed and require attention before the external certification auditor calls.
The fact that EMS audits are becoming increasingly technical and demanding is not lost on the potential pool of auditors. The one-day auditor training course down the road is probably unlikely to provide the necessary skills and training and it is often the case that resources are insufficient to enable the auditor to absorb the required skills to undertake an effective audit.
As desperation sets in and the months roll by and the red cells automatically populate the audit programme spreadsheet, the environmental manager may resort to a very cunning plan. Yes, they do it themselves! The logic is this – “as an expert in environmental issues, as the person who knows most about the workings of the EMS, and to minimise the outlay of financial resources, it is logical and most convenient that I do the audit”. The first three assumptions may well be correct, but the latter statement is more open to serious debate.
There are many managers who think that this approach is acceptable. After all, surely it is better that an audit is completed by someone who knows the system, rather than not at all? The answer to this frequent dilemma lies within ISO 19011, Section 4(d) which states quite clearly that “auditors are independent of the activity being audited and are free from bias and conflict of interest”.
It’s now time for environmental managers to demonstrate this clear requirement to their senior management and provide the necessary resources and rewards that may create those elusive queues to join the EMS audit team. Now there’s a challenge!
Continue the debate on the IEMA forum.
John Marsden (FIEMA)
info@marsden-international.com
John is an independent management system auditor who works for a number of international certification bodies.
