Operational planning and control
Plain-language summary
Putting real controls on the activities tied to your significant aspects — including how you manage outsourced processes and the lifecycle of your products and services.
What the clause is really asking
This is where the EMS meets the shop floor. You must plan, implement and control the processes needed to meet EMS requirements and to action what you planned in clause 6, by setting operating criteria and controlling processes accordingly. You must control or influence outsourced processes and, taking a lifecycle perspective, address your environmental requirements in design, procurement and the information you provide on use and end-of-life. Change must be controlled, and unintended consequences of change reviewed.
What auditors look for
Auditors walk the processes linked to your significant aspects and check the controls are real and followed — operating limits, work instructions, containment, waste segregation. They probe outsourced and contractor processes, asking how you control or influence them. They look for lifecycle thinking in purchasing and design, and for change management when you altered a process, chemical or supplier.
Typical evidence
Operational controls and work instructions for significant aspects; operating criteria; contractor and outsourced-process controls; lifecycle requirements in procurement and design; change-management records.
How to comply — recommendations
For each significant aspect, set clear operating controls and criteria on the floor — containment, segregation, limits, procedures — and make sure they are followed. Put environmental requirements into purchasing specs and contractor agreements so you control or influence outsourced work. Add lifecycle thinking to design and procurement decisions. Run any process, chemical or supplier change through a simple change-control check for environmental consequences.
Common nonconformities
Significant aspects without effective operational controls; outsourced processes not controlled or influenced; no lifecycle consideration in procurement or design; changes made without assessing environmental consequences.
Related clauses
ISO 9001 8.1; ISO 45001 8.1; ISO 14001 6.1.4
Qlause provides interpretive guidance only and is not a substitute for the standard. Refer to your licensed copy of the relevant standard for the authoritative text.