Leadership Accountabilities

Posted on Posted in Leadership & Policy

One of the results of the new structure mandated for ISO management system standards is that the responsibilities and accountabilities of Top Management have been made more explicit.

ISO 14001:2015 includes a new leadership clause (clause 5.1) that sets out the ways in which top management is expected to demonstrate its support of the organization’s environmental management system. This includes a mix of both personal accountabilities and responsibilities that can be delegated provided top management ensures the actions required are accomplished (as set out in the Annex A.3 explanation of the meaning of the term “ensure”).

The list of top management leadership and commitment obligations set out in clause 5.1 includes five personal accountabilities and four responsibilities that can be delegated.

Personal Accountabilities

Responsibilities that can be Delegated
  • accountability for the effectiveness of the environmental management system
  • communicating the importance of effective environmental management and of conforming to the environmental management system requirements
  • directing and supporting persons to contribute to the effectiveness of the environmental management system
  • promoting continual improvement
  • supporting other relevant management roles to demonstrate their leadership as it applies to their areas of responsibility
  • ensuring that the environmental policy and environmental objectives are established and are compatible with the strategic direction and the context of the organization
  • ensuring the integration of the environmental management system requirements into the organization’s business processes
  • ensuring that the resources needed for the environmental management system are available
  • ensuring that the environmental management system achieves its intended outcomes

 

(NOTE – Although there wasn’t a separate leadership clause in ISO 14001:2004, there were still leadership requirements in the standard.  Several of the requirements set out in clause 5.1 of ISO 14001:2015 were already necessary in order for an organization to have an effective EMS, the requirements were simply less explicit in the 2004 standard.)