August 27-2024
Compliance Executive (QMS)
The latest update of ISO 9001 that came in 2024 brought quite a number of changes to the standard with emphasis on climate change. It remains an important focus for ISO 9001 auditors to comprehend and manage such changes in order to appreciate organisations’ conformance and satisfaction of the dynamic nature of the standard.
Quotes from the ISO 9001:2024 standard
- “The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue. ” (Clause 4. 1)
- “NOTE: Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change ” -(Clause 4. 2, note)
Changes in ISO 9001:2024 Related to Climate Change
- Determination of relevance: The situation under which organizations have to decide whether climate change is an issue of concern to them is now here.
- Stakeholder requirements: It is also important because customers, suppliers or other stakeholders may request information on climate change.
- Risk assessment: Climate change is a risk and must be managed; thus, organizations should identify and manage it.
- Action planning: Where climate change is deemed to be material, organisations have to establish and put in place suitable procedures for managing risks and opportunities associated with climate change.
Challenges for Auditors
Auditors may face several challenges when assessing an organization’s compliance with the new climate change requirements:Auditors may face several challenges when assessing an organization’s compliance with the new climate change requirements:
- Determining relevance: Different organizations may define ‘relevant’ climate change issue in one way or the other.
- Identifying stakeholder requirements : It may be a daunting task to identify all the stakeholders who may have one or many needs concerning climate change.
- Assessing risk and opportunities: It is difficult to assess the threats and opportunities that are connected with climate change.
- Verifying the effectiveness of actions: The process of guaranteeing that the actions that the organisation takes to respond to climate change are adequate, and complies with the requirements of the standard, is challenging.
Tips for Auditors
To effectively audit organizations against the new climate change requirements, auditors should:To effectively audit organizations against the new climate change requirements, auditors should:
- Stay informed : Publicly available documents and quarterly updates with the new interpretations of the ISO 9001:2024 standard.
- Ask probing questions: Pressure organizations to prove that they have conducted risk assessments for climate change, engaged stakeholders in decision making and developed action plans accordingly.
- Use a risk-based approach : Emphasis should be made on evaluating possible risks and consequences of climate change in relation to the quality management system of the organisation.
- Consider the broader context : Assess climate change based on the industry of the organization and other factors such as the geographical location among others.
Conclusion
Today climate change is one of the most important global challenges, and its integration into ISO 9001:2024 is quite appropriate. In this way, auditors are able to identify the main shifts affecting the business and actively contribute towards the fight against climate change and compliance with the given standard.
Disclaimer
- This blog is for informational purposes only and does not endorse or criticize any specific brand or product.
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