Italferr, the major Italian railway engineering company, is progressively\u00a0requiring contractors to implement ISO 14001 on a selective basis \u2013 but\u00a0not necessarily to seek certification. This experience shows how the\u00a0implementation and maintenance of an effective environmental management\u00a0system can take precedence over certification.<\/p>\n
The ISO 14001 environmental\u00a0management system (EMS)\u00a0standard is known by many\u00a0enterprises as a means to\u00a0achieve third-party EMS certification.\u00a0However, the primary\u00a0reason for its development\u00a0was to help organizations
\nimplement an effective framework\u00a0for managing environmental\u00a0problems and less so\u00a0for those seeking certification
\nonly.\u00a0As such, part of the scope\u00a0of ISO 14001 states that the International Standard is\u00a0applicable \u201c to any organization\u00a0that wishes to establish,\u00a0implement, maintain and\u00a0improve an environmental\u00a0management system \u2026 seeking\u00a0confirmation of its conformance\u00a0by parties having an\u00a0interest in the organization,\u00a0such as customers \u2026.\u201d
\nIt clearly foresees the possibility\u00a0of creating direct business\u00a0relationships with customers\u00a0and suppliers to help define\u00a0and then confirm the conformity\u00a0of an EMS to the standard.<\/p>\n
Therefore, certified organizations\u00a0that may wish to use\u00a0their ISO 14001 \u201c influence \u201d\u00a0on suppliers do not necessarily\u00a0need to demand that these\u00a0suppliers become ISO 14001-\u00a0certified, but rather that they\u00a0support them in EMS areas of\u00a0particular importance.<\/p>\n
The Italferr case\u00a0<\/strong> Selective ISO 14001 implementation<\/strong> Instead, attention was focused\u00a0on requirements aimed at\u00a0enhancing knowledge and\u00a0environmental management.<\/p>\n This approach made it possible\u00a0to switch from a system\u00a0in which the major actors \u2013\u00a0Italferr and institutional entities More to gain<\/strong> To certify or not?<\/strong> It is interesting to note that\u00a0simply having contractors manage the operational\u00a0aspects of major environmental\u00a0issues, and by having\u00a0documentation defining these\u00a0contractors\u2019 responsibilities\u00a0to Italferr, has raised environmental\u00a0awareness within\u00a0the organization even before\u00a0it began developing an ISO\u00a014001-based EMS itself. By requesting contractors\u00a0to implement EMS requirements\u00a0in advance, the Italian\u00a0state railway companies find\u00a0themselves in a position where\u00a0work in 13 major railyards\u00a0(worth almost EUR 2 million)\u00a0is managed via an EMS. That\u00a0amount is expected to double \u00a0within the year.\u00a0The Italferr experience demonstrates\u00a0how ISO 14001 can\u00a0influence major contractors\u00a0without requiring them necessarily\u00a0to pursue ISO 14001\u00a0certification. While certification\u00a0is an option, it may not\u00a0always be the most efficient\u00a0solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Italferr, the major Italian railway engineering company, is progressively\u00a0requiring contractors to implement ISO 14001 on a selective basis \u2013 but\u00a0not necessarily to seek certification. This experience shows how the\u00a0implementation and maintenance of an effective environmental management\u00a0system can take precedence over certification. The ISO 14001 environmental\u00a0management system (EMS)\u00a0standard is known by many\u00a0enterprises as a means to\u00a0achieve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8923\/"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post\/"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3\/"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments\/?post=8923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8923\/revisions\/"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8393\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/?parent=8923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/?post=8923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aequilibria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags\/?post=8923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWith this in mind, it is interesting\u00a0to analyse the case of\u00a0the Italferr engineering company,\u00a0a member of FS (Ferrovie
\ndello Stato), the Italian\u00a0state railway group. Its customers\u00a0include other companies\u00a0of the group such as\u00a0RFI SpA, the Italian railway\u00a0network.
\nAlthough Italferr is responsible\u00a0for planning, contracting\u00a0and supervising projects, the\u00a0major environmental issues
\nare managed directly by contractors.\u00a0Generally, this situation does\u00a0not impact on the quality of\u00a0the deliverables because the\u00a0high level of responsibility\u00a0that Italferr accepts on behalf\u00a0of its customers ensures that\u00a0both Italferr and contractors\u00a0deliver a high quality product,\u00a0and meet time and financial\u00a0obligations.\u00a0However, it could be difficult\u00a0to meet all or some of the customer\u00a0requirements without\u00a0compromising the quality of\u00a0product if a significant environmental\u00a0impact were not\u00a0managed properly.\u00a0Furthermore, Italferr\u2019s responsibility\u00a0becomes even more of\u00a0an issue when one considers\u00a0that its customers are mainly\u00a0public entities that finance\u00a0jobs and services from public\u00a0funds.<\/p>\n
\nDue to the increasing number\u00a0and complexity of railway\u00a0projects, Italferr decided to\u00a0use more efficient ways than\u00a0those required by \u201c normal \u201d\u00a0compliance with ISO 14001\u00a0to control some of the most\u00a0critical aspects of the railway\u00a0infrastructure.
\nThus in 2002, an environmental\u00a0clause was written into\u00a0new railyard contracts in Italy\u00a0worth over EUR 15 million,\u00a0issues are well defined and\u00a0clearly detailed.\u00a0It was decided that conformity\u00a0to certain clauses of ISO 14001\u00a0such as 4.2, Environmental\u00a0policy and 4.3.3, Objectives,\u00a0targets, and programme(s)\u00a0would not be required since\u00a0they were considered less significant\u00a0and mere additions to\u00a0the contract.<\/p>\n
\nlike the Italian Government\u2019s\u00a0Environmental Office,\u00a0or public offices like ARPA\u00a0(the local environmental control\u00a0agency) and AUSL (the\u00a0local sanitary authority) \u2013\u00a0controlled the contractors\u2019\u00a0activities to a system which\u00a0demands a closer collaboration\u00a0between customer and\u00a0client to meet environmental\u00a0requirements.
\nIt also asks the contractors to\u00a0establish, implement, maintain\u00a0and improve their own\u00a0EMS tools in order to manage\u00a0critical issues better.<\/p>\n
\nIt is understandable that contractors should initially\u00a0express reluctance to this\u00a0approach, where they appear\u00a0to lose some autonomy. However,\u00a0once they realize how\u00a0much more control they gain\u00a0over critical environmental\u00a0issues, they will recognize the\u00a0competitive advantages, and\u00a0how their image improves in\u00a0the eyes of customers.
\nItalferr is now able to focus\u00a0its work more precisely and\u00a0has more control over its network\u00a0of contractors. In return,
\nits contractors can give more\u00a0assurance to customers of a\u00a0job well done and with greater\u00a0environmental awareness.<\/p>\n
\nSo, control of activities is now\u00a0part of a logical EMS where \u00a0documentation is first checked\u00a0and then audits are carried\u00a0out by Italferr.
\nIn 2003, probably as a result\u00a0of this strengthened environmental\u00a0commitment and output\u00a0resulting from the environmental\u00a0impact assessments of\u00a0railway projects, the Environmental\u00a0Office began requiring\u00a0of the companies themselves,\u00a0as output of the environmental\u00a0impact assessments of railway\u00a0projects, an environmental\u00a0management system in accordance\u00a0with either ISO 14001 or\u00a0the European Eco-Management\u00a0and Audit Scheme (EMAS).<\/p>\n
\nInfact, Italferr has only\u00a0recently begun implementing\u00a0its own EMS in accordance\u00a0with ISO 14001, in order\u00a0to control key internal management\u00a0processes and work\u00a0supervision.<\/p>\n