Customer Reviews

Handbook for Implementing an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System : A Practical Approach

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It is often the curse of wise, visionary ideas: When they're new and haven't yet gained widespread use or brand-name familiarity they somehow seem more complicated--and difficult to implement--than in fact they are. This "appearance" of complexity keeps well-meaning people or companies from moving ahead--and so progress stalls. For those directly involved, and for the rest of us.

Such is the case with ISO 14001, an elegant new way for organizations to bolster their bottom lines--and their communities' environments--at the same time. The ISO idea only seems complicated.

This book demystifies the seemingly arcane concept and makes environmental management systems readily accessible to smokestack industries, high-tech companies, even government organizations.

When I needed to understand the hows and whys of environmental management systems for a project I was working on, the straightforward language and clear design of this book made my education quick as well as thorough. It made what felt like a huge and complex undertaking seem not only manageable but worth doing.

Today, if I were implementing an EMS in an organization, I'd get copies of this book to all of my key people and make sure they had the time to read it and then discuss it together. I can't recommend this volume highly enough.

This handbood explains the elements of ISO 14001 and how to implement them in a clear and concise manner. The authors make the reader feel confident that they can implement an EMS no matter what their industry.

I like how they step through each element of the standard, explain what it means and then show how others have addressed that element with real world examples. We hear from environmental managers in five companies (from a small, Midwest tool manufacturer to a mulit-national pharmaceutical conglomerate) how they implemented their EMS. Actual copies of policies, aspects lists, management meeting notes and cost data as well as tips and advice are, sprinkled throughout the book. There is also a list or resources and related websites listed in an appendix.

This is an easy read (a plus for anyone with limited time) and would make an excellent addition to an EMS training package. I will recommend it to my membership.

Curtis Lindskog, President, Pacific Industrial and Business Association

As an EMS project manager I found this book to very comprehensive with easy to follow case studies that were clear, concise and proved to be very valuable. So much of implementing an EMS deals with change management and this handbook lays out what changes an organization and skills a project manager needs to consider as it makes steps on this path toward ISO 14001 implementation. Another benefit is the excellent, easy to read examples created for each element of the standard providing a great starting point from which to take that leap! I recommend the handbook to others investigating environmental management systems.

We have used this book as a training tool and as an appreciation gift for clients and staff. The book has a very practical approach. I've described the book as better than "Cliff Notes" but not a dissertation. We have clients requst bulk orders to use as training materials for their staff.

A person who is new to ISO 14001 can attempt to learn the standard by reading the actual standard. A better way to get initial exposure with greater understanding would be to read this book. Whereas the standard is the official document, it is written in a tedious legal and formal style that is sparse in practical examples to illustrate the application of each element. This small unassuming book begins with a brief overview of the history and benefits of environmental management systems then quickly delves into each requirement of the ISO 14001 standard. The strong point of this book is the description in clear everyday language of each element in the standard and how they have been implemented - with real world examples. Its conciseness also helps it to be an excellent and unintimidating introduction to the ISO 14001 standard.

This handbook is a useful primer for those who are new to and want to learn about ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. It is clearly written in layman's English and lends itself well to educating people in all levels of organizations, big and small.

Practical, straight-forward, simple approach to EMS implementation! We have used as part of our standard training with employee teams.