C2.9.10 Document Control
It is important that any documents developed for an EMS are managed in some way. There should be a system for ensuring that documents are produced by competent people and are reviewed and approved by relevant competent people. For example, the Environmental Manager may write a procedure on Purchasing, but the Purchasing Manager should review it. Commonly the Approval of documentation is conducted by a Senior Manager. This ensures that people are aware that the Senior Manager is in agreement with the requirements of a procedure and sends a message that it must be followed.
Documents must be available to those who need them and should be legible. It is particularly important that people know they have the correct version of a document and that any obsolete documents are removed from circulation.
Many organisations that already have a Quality Management System (QMS), use the QMS procedures to manage the document control. The requirements within ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are very similar.