Re: Document Control on Evacuation Plan
Hi,
A CB auditor wants our evacuation plan and emergency contacts to have a document number, is that appropriate? Isnt it considered as EMS records?
Hi,
consider that 4.4.7 clause of ISO 14001 states the requirement for preparedness response.
It is not mandatory to have a "documented" procedure like the one of ISO 9001 but only a procedure or procedures. There is a list of item that he organization should consider in that clause.
From operative standpoint , if you have a documented procedure, you can also write in it the numeber to contact in case of emergency . Besides , the evacuation plan shall be tested on a certain time bases and all personnel shall participate. You should consider to have record for this because you should also analize eventual shortfall in the evacuation test. You should consider documented procedure if the absence of it could mine the integrity of your EMS.
Generally speaking, it is a very good practice to document and have records, besides consider that you shall also comply with your regulatory and statutory laws. In many countries there are law that state the same thing that I said in the post, so it becomes automatically a requirement for law compliance.
Hope this helps
