ISO 14001 External Communication Requirements

[Randy]

I know this is an old thread but I have been asked to help review our EMS as a part of peer review.

Now, for external communication I do not see how any organization which is being certified to ISO 14001 can say no, we will not externally communicate. If we do say that then we could not show the auditor anything regarding our policy including measurements of comsumption etc. Is this not correct?

So, if I get past the fact that yes, we are going to sometimes have external communication I will need to document in our procedure that, "organization will evaluate on a case by case basis the request for information and commuincate the results of that evaluation to requestor". Then I am done with this portion of the requirement?

You're looking at it totally wrong...The part about not externally communicating is only related to significant aspects. The organization reserves the right, as clearly stated in 4.4.3, to tell the world or not tell the world what they consider significant to themselves as an organization.This decision has absolutely nothing to do with mandated communications required by a regulatory or other organization. The simple solution is for the organization to say "NO", record that decision and then it's done,there is no need to look at it in the future or even justify it outside of itself.

You're reading too much into it.

 

[Marty50]

We just got pinged by an auditor on a 14001 for not documenting the decision to communicate our significant aspects externally.

 

[Randy]

We just got pinged by an auditor on a 14001 for not documenting the decision to communicate our significant aspects externally.

Yep, good ding you put it. It's not just what the decision is, but also the recording of it that's important.

Now if the decision is to communicate some or all then that's another matter entirely, because in that case evidence of communication must be provided. again the how, and the when is up to the organization,