SMALL BUSINESS

EMS Self Appraisal ISO 14001:2015

Please complete and return with the signed proposal documents

This questionnaire is designed to help Guidance Note

you judge whether your Environmental
Management System (EMS) is ready for
assessment by LRQA.
If you are unsure about any of the
questions, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
Small Business Advisors:
0800 783 2179
The following questionnaire should be completed in all sections by answering
Yes, No or Not Applicable in the appropriate column.
Not applicable should only be recorded if you do not undertake the process
described as part of your operational processes. This only applies to section 8.
Please explain any NO answers in the space given at the end of this
questionnaire. Where there is a specific reference in your system that addresses
this requirement in your environmental management system, please record this.
A reference MUST be recorded where the ISO 14001:2015 standard indicates a
need for a documented procedure.

This document is numbered in accordance with the ISO 14001:2015 standard.

4 Context of the organisation

4.1 Understanding the organisation and its context

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Are you able to show the way that your company identifies external and internal issues
that are relevant to your organisation’s purpose and your ability to achieve the intended
outcomes of your environmental management system?

4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Has your organisation determined:

a) The interested parties that are relevant to the EMS?

b) The relevant needs and expectations of these interested parties?

c) Which of these needs and expectations it chooses to accept and so they become part
of the compliance obligations that your company subscribes to?

4.3 Determining the scope of the environmental management system

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation’s EMS scope clearly define the boundaries and applicability?

When determining scope, did your organisation consider:

a) The external and internal issues identified in response clause 4.1?

b) The compliance obligations identified in response to clause 4.2?

Improving performance,
reducing risk
 c) Your organisational units, functions and physical boundaries?

d) Your activities, products and services?

e) Your authority and ability to exercise control and influence over outsourced
processes?
Once your scope has been defined, did you make sure that all activities, products and
services within that scope were included in your EMS?
Can you demonstrate that your organisation has documented the scope and made it
available to all interested parties?

4.4 Environmental management system

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Has your organisation got a simple way to describe the interactions between the processes
of your EMS?
Can you show how your organisation considered the knowledge gained when implementing
clauses 4.1 and 4.2 when establishing and maintaining your EMS?

5. Leadership

5.1 Leadership and commitment

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Responsibility can be delegated but Accountability cannot. Do top management take
accountability for the effectiveness of your EMS?
Were your environmental policy and objectives set by top management and are they
compatible with the strategic direction and context of your organisation?
Do top management ensure that your EMS requirements are integrated into your business
processes?
Are the resources needed for your EMS made available by top management?
Do top management communicate the importance of effective environmental management
and conforming to the EMS?
Do top management ensure your EMS achieves its intended outcomes?

Are employees encouraged to contribute to the effectiveness of your EMS?

Is continual improvement of your EMS promoted by top management?

Do top management support other management roles related to the EMS?

5.2 Environmental Policy

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Can you clearly see how your environmental policy is appropriate to the purpose and
context of your organisation, including the nature, scale and environmental impacts of your
activities, products and services?
Does your policy provide a framework for setting environmental objectives?
Does your policy include a commitment to the protection of the environment relevant to the
context of your organisation?
Does your policy include a commitment to fulfil its compliance obligations?

Does your policy include a commitment to continual improvement of your EMS?

Does your policy include a commitment to enhance your environmental performance?

5.3 Organisational roles, responsibilities and authorities

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Are roles and responsibilities assigned by top management and communicated within your
organisation?
Have people been assigned to report to top management on the EMS’s performance?

6. Planning

6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

6.1.1 General

When planning for your EMS, does your organisation consider:

a) The issues that you identified when you addressed clause 4.1?
b) The requirements of the interested parties that you determined when you addressed
clause 4.2?
c) The scope of your EMS as determined when you addressed the requirements of
clause 4.3?
d) The risks and opportunities related to your environmental aspects?

e) Your compliance obligations?

f) The risks and opportunities identified that need to be addressed to give assurance
that your EMS can achieve its intended outcomes?
g) How to prevent, or reduce, undesired effects, including the potential for external
environmental conditions that may affect your organisation?
h) How to achieve continual improvement?
Within the scope of your EMS, does your organisation determine potential emergency
situations, including those that may have an environmental impact?
Does your organisation document:

a) The risks and opportunities that need to be addressed?

b) The processes needed as a result of considering the clauses 6.1.1 to 6.1.4 to the extent
necessary to have confidence they are carried out as planned?
6.1.2 Environmental aspects

Within the defined scope of your EMS, does your organisation identify the environmental
aspects of its activities, products and services that it can control?
Within the defined scope of your EMS, does your organisation identify the environmental
aspects of its activities, products and services that it can influence?
Do you understand how to take into account the life-cycle perspective of your activities,
products and services?
When determining environmental aspects, does your organisation take into account:
a) Change, including planned or new developments and new or modified activities,
products or services?
b) Abnormal conditions and reasonably foreseeable emergency situations?
Does your organisation use clear criteria for determining those aspects that can have a
significant environmental impact?
Does your organisation document its:

Environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts?

The criteria used to determine its significant environmental aspects?

Significant environmental aspects?

 6.1.3 Compliance obligations

Does your organisation:

Determine and have access to the compliance obligations related to its environmental
aspects?
Determine how these compliance obligations apply to your organisation?
Take these compliance obligations into account when establishing, implementing,
maintaining and continually improving your EMS?
Does your organisation keep its compliance obligations in documented form?
6.1.4 Planning action

Does your organisation plan to take actions in order to address its:

a) Significant environmental aspects?

b) Compliance obligations?

c) Risks and opportunities identified in 6.1.1?

Does your organisation plan how to:

a) Integrate and implement the actions into your EMS processes or other business
processes?
b) Evaluate the effectiveness of these actions?
When planning these actions, does your organisation consider its technological options and
its financial, operational and business requirements?

6.2 Environmental objectives and planning to achieve them

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

3.2.1 Environmental objectives

Have you established, at the relevant levels within your organisation, environmental
objectives that take into account your environmental aspects, compliance obligations and
identified risks and opportunities?
Are your environmental objectives:

a) Consistent with the environmental policy?

b) Measurable?

c) Monitored?

d) Communicated?

e) Updated as appropriate?

f) Documented?
3.2.2 Planning actions to achieve environmental objectives

When planning how to achieve your organisation’s objectives, do you determine:

a) What will be done?

b) What resources will be required?

c) Who will be responsible?

d) When it will be completed?

e) How the results will be measured and evaluated, including indicators for monitoring
progress?
Does your organisation consider how actions to achieve its environmental objectives can be
integrated into your organisation’s business processes?
7. Support

7.1 Resources

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation determine and provide the resources needed for the establishment,
implementation, maintenance and continual improvement of the EMS?

7.2 Competence

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation:

a) Determine the necessary competence of person(s) doing work under its control
that affects its environmental performance and its ability to fulfil its compliance
obligations?
b) Ensure that these persons are competent on the basis of appropriate education,
training or experience?
c) Determine training needs associated with your organisation’s environmental aspects
and EMS?
d) Take actions to acquire the necessary competence and evaluate the effectiveness of
the actions that it took?
Does your organisation retain appropriate documented information as evidence of
competence?

7.3 Awareness

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation ensure that persons doing work under your organisation’s control
are aware of the following:
a) The environmental policy?
b) The significant environmental aspects and related actual or potential environmental
impacts associated with their work?
c) Their contribution to the effectiveness of your EMS, including the benefits of
enhanced environmental performance?
d) The implications of not conforming with your EMS requirements, including not
fulfilling your organisation’s compliance obligations?

7.4 Communication

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

7.4.1 General

Does your organisation establish, implement and maintain the processes needed for internal
and external communications relevant to your EMS, including:
a) What your organisation will communicate?

b) When to communicate it?

c) With whom to communicate?

d) How to communicate?

When establishing your organisation’s communication processes, does it:

a) Take into account its compliance obligations?

b) Ensure that the environmental information communicated is consistent with
information generated within the EMS and is reliable?
Does your organisation respond to relevant communications on your EMS?
Does your organisation retain documented information as proof of its communications?
7.4.2 Internal communications

Does your organisation:

a) Internally communicate information relevant to your EMS among the various levels
and function of your organisation, including changes to the EMS?
b) Ensure its communication processes enables persons doing work under your
organisation’s control to contribute to continual improvement?
7.4.3 External communications

Does your organisation externally communicate information relevant to your EMS,

as established by your organisation’s communication processes and as required by its
compliance obligations?

7.5 Documented information

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

7.5.1 General

Does your organisation’s EMS include:

a) The documented information that this standard asks for?
b) The documented information that your organisation has decided it needs to ensure
that the EMS is effective?
7.5.2 Creating and updating

When creating and updating documented information, does your organisation ensure that
it is appropriately:
a) Identified and described?

b) Formatted?

c) Reviewed and approved for suitability and adequacy?

7.5.3 Control of documented information

Is your organisation’s documented information (as required by your EMS and by the
standard) controlled to ensure that it is:
a) Available and suitable for use, where and when it is needed?

b) Adequately protected?

For the control of documented information, does your organisation address the following:

Distribution, access, retrieval and use?

Storage and preservation, including preservation of legibility?

Retention and disposition?

Is any documented information from outside your company, that you have determined to
be necessary for the planning and operation of your EMS, identified and controlled?
8 Operation

8.1 Operational planning and control

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation establish, implement, control and maintain the processes needed to
meet your EMS requirements and implement the actions identified in clauses 6.1 and 6.2 by:
a) Establishing operating criteria for the processes?

b) Implementing control of the processes, in accordance with the operating criteria?

Can your organisation show that any planned changes happen in a controlled way and that
the consequences of any unintended changes are reviewed, taking action to mitigate any
adverse effects, as necessary?
Does your organisation ensure that outsourced processes are controlled or influenced?
Does your organisation define the type and extent of control or influence to be applied to
the outsourced processes within your EMS?
Consistent with the life-cycle perspective, does your organisation:
a) Establish controls to ensure its environmental requirements are addressed in the
design and development process for the product or service, considering each stage of
its life cycle?
b) Determine its environmental requirements for the procurement of products and
services?
c) Communicate its relevant environmental requirements to external providers,
including contractors?
d) Consider the need to provide information about potential significant environmental
impacts associated with the transportation of delivery, use, end-of-life treatment and
final disposal of its products or services?
Does your organisation maintain documented information to the extent necessary to have
confidence that the processes have been carried out as planned?

8.2 Emergency preparedness and response

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation establish, implement and maintain the processes needed to prepare
for and respond to potential emergency situations identified in clause 6.1.1?
Does your organisation:
a) Prepare to respond to potential emergency situations by planning actions to prevent
or mitigate adverse environmental impact?
b) Respond to actual emergency situations?
c) Take action to prevent or mitigate the consequences of emergency situations,
appropriate to the magnitude of the emergency and the potential environmental
impact?
d) Periodically test the planned response actions?
e) Periodically review and revise the processes and planned response actions, in
particular after the occurrence of emergency situations or tests?
f) Provide relevant information and training related to emergency preparedness and
response, as appropriate, to relevant interested parties, including persons working
under its control?
g) Maintain documented information to the extent necessary to have confidence that
the processes are carried out as planned?
9 Performance evaluation

9.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

9.1.1 General

Does your organisation monitor, measure, analyse and evaluate its environmental
performance?
Does your organisation determine:

a) What needs to be monitored and measured?

b) The methods for monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation, as applicable, to
ensure valid results?
c) The criteria against which your organisation will evaluate its environmental
performance and appropriate indicators?
d) When the monitoring and measurement shall be analysed and evaluated?
Does your organisation ensure that calibrated or verified monitoring and measurement
equipment is used and maintained?
Does your organisation evaluate its environmental performance and the effectiveness of
your EMS?
Does your organisation communicate relevant environmental performance information both
internally and externally, as identified in its communication processes and as required by its
compliance obligations?
Does your organisation retain appropriate documented information as evidence of the
monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation results?
9.1.2 Evaluation of compliance

Does your organisation establish, implement and maintain the processes needed to evaluate
fulfilment of its compliance obligations?
Does your organisation:

a) Determine the frequency that compliance will be evaluated?

b) Evaluate compliance and take action if needed?

c) Maintain knowledge and understanding of its compliance status?

Does your organisation retain documented information as evidence of the compliance
evaluation results?

9.2 Internal audit

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

9.2.1 General

Does your organisation conduct internal audits at planned intervals to provide information
on whether the EMS:
a) Conforms to your organisation’s own requirements for its EMS?

b) Conforms to the requirements of the standard?

c) Is effectively implemented and maintained?

9.2.2 Internal audit programme

Does your organisation establish, implement and maintain an internal audit programme,
including the frequency, methods, responsibilities, planning requirements and reporting of
its internal audits?
When establishing the internal audit programme, does your organisation take into
consideration the environmental importance of the processes concerned, changes affecting
the organisation and the results of previous audits?
Does your organisation:

a) Define the audit criteria and scope for each audit?

b) Select auditors and conduct audits to ensure objectivity and the impartiality of the
audit process?
c) Ensure that the results of the audits are reported to relevant management?
d) Retain documented information as evidence of the implementation of the audit
programme and the audit results?

9.3 Management review

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Do top management review your organisation’s EMS, at planned intervals, to ensure its
continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness?
Does your management review include consideration of:

a) The status of action from previous management reviews?

b) Changes in external and internal issues that are relevant to your EMS?
c) Changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties, including compliance
obligations?
d) Changes in its significant environmental aspects?

e) Changes in the risks and opportunities?

f) The extent to which environmental objectives have been achieved?

g) Information on the organisation’s environmental performance?

h) Trends in nonconformities and corrective actions?

i) Trends in monitoring and measurement results?

j) Trends in fulfilment of its compliance obligations?

k) Trends in audit results?

l) The adequacy of resources?

m) Relevant communications from interested parties, including complaints?

n) Opportunities for continual improvement?

Do the outputs of the management review include:

a) Conclusions on the continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of your EMS?

b) Decisions related to continual improvement opportunities?

c) Decisions related to any need for changes to your EMS, including resources?

d) Actions, if needed, when environmental objectives have not been achieved?

e) Opportunities to improve integration of your EMS with other business processes, if
needed?
f) Any implications for the strategic direction of the organisation?
Does your organisation retain documented information as evidence of the results of
management reviews?
10 Improvement

10.1 General

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation determine opportunities for improvement and implement necessary
action to achieve the intended outcomes of your EMS?

10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

When a nonconformity occurs, does your organisation:

a) React and take action to control and correct it?

b) Deal with the consequences, including mitigating adverse environmental impacts?

c) Evaluate the need for action to eliminate the cause of the nonconformity, so that it
does not recur or occur elsewhere, by:
1) reviewing nonconformity?

2) determining the causes of the nonconformity?

3) determining if similar nonconformities exist, or could potentially occur?

d) implement any action needed?

e) review the effectiveness of any corrective action taken?

f) make changes to your EMS, if necessary?

Are corrective actions appropriate to the significance of the effects of the non conformities
encountered, including the environmental impacts?

Does your organisation retain documented information as evidence of:

a) the nature of the nonconformities and any subsequent actions taken?

b) the results of any corrective action?

10.3 Continual improvement

Question: Yes/No: Reference/Link:

Does your organisation continually improve the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of
your EMS to enhance environmental performance?
 Do you believe you are now ready for assessment? Yes or No (as applicable)

If No, please advise when you feel that you will be ready months please complete

Please advise how long your system has been issued and in use months please complete

If you are ready for assessment or believe you will be ready within the next six months, then you should complete and return this
questionnaire to us as soon as possible, either by post to ‘LRQA Small Business Advisors’ (see address at the bottom of this page)
or by e-mail to your LRQA contact or enquiries@lrqa.co.uk

Our technical staff will then review it and, if we need to clarify any points, we will contact you before we visit.

If you have any questions at all, please call our dedicated Small Business Advisors on 0800 783 2179.

Finally, please also complete the following section about your organisation:

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