Walden EHS Division Director Completes ISO 14001 Lead Auditor Training

Walden Environmental Engineering is pleased to announce that EHS Division Director, Mike Balda, completed ISO 14001:2015 Certified Lead Auditor Training, having finished the virtual training and three examinations last week.

ISO, which stands for International Organization for Standardization, is a global group that brings together standards from 160 countries with specifications for environmental management systems (14001), information security, quality control, and safety, to name just a few.

Dekra was the training provider. The course included the fundamentals of ISO 14001, details on how to manage audits, and other content that explores the basics of environmental issues and why an organization would choose to get the certification.

ISO allows organizations to publicize their operations to meet the criteria that all the member bodies have established as being the global standard. Such certifications involve consistent internal and external audits with continuous improvements to an operational structure. Walden’s clients have expressed interest in obtaining their ISO 14001 certification. However, there are many steps to acquire and maintain the certification in good standing.

“There are numerous criteria that must be satisfied to acquire and maintain an ISO 14001 certification,” said Balda. “Walden’s role would be to help an organization achieve a goal where company operations meet the standards defined by ISO. Those companies would then be well positioned to obtain the certification. For a company that wants to be certified, the process begins with a certified auditor performing an in-depth observation of their facility and to produce a gap analysis of those observations. ISO 14001 is designed to guide a company’s leadership to understanding and identify the potential environmental impacts of their operations. From there, the process involves the planning phase, moving to support needs, operations, performance evaluations, and ultimately corrective actions with continuous improvement.”

The standards for ISO 14001:2015 can be applied to any organization of any size with a desire to address their environmental aspects, making them ideal for organizations that have a mature environmental management system in place, or those that are taking the first steps to have a more environmentally responsible operation.

“ISO is an internationally recognized standard, so for companies that operate globally, it is important for them to have a certification from an organization that everyone knows and trusts,” said Balda. “I’m excited that we can offer this service to Walden’s clients and I will continue to expand my knowledge and experience in this arena. Combining expert level knowledge of environmental regulations to a standardized system is not a common trait of an ISO 14001 auditor. It is my expectation these combined skillsets will be viewed as having great value added to the leadership objectives of our growing client base.”

For more information about Walden’s EHS outsourcing and consulting services, contact us at 516-271-1948.