Evaluation of compliance
Plain-language summary
Actively checking that you are meeting your legal and other environmental obligations, at a planned frequency, and keeping the proof of your compliance status.
What the clause is really asking
Holding a permit is not the same as complying with it. The clause requires you to evaluate compliance with your obligations at planned intervals, take action where needed, and maintain knowledge and understanding of your compliance status. The intent is honest, ongoing self-assessment against every obligation in your register, so non-compliance is caught and fixed by you before a regulator finds it.
What auditors look for
Auditors ask to see your compliance evaluations and check they cover every obligation in your 6.1.3 register at a sensible frequency. They test whether the evaluation is real — comparing monitoring results against permit limits, checking conditions are met — and whether any non-compliance triggered corrective action. They will probe how confident management is about current compliance status.
Typical evidence
Compliance evaluation records against each obligation; comparison of monitoring data to permit limits; status conclusions; corrective actions for any non-compliance; planned evaluation frequency.
How to comply — recommendations
Schedule compliance evaluations against your obligations register at a planned frequency, at least annually and more often for higher-risk obligations. For each, compare what the law or permit requires against your actual evidence and record a clear compliant or not-compliant conclusion. Raise corrective action immediately for any gap. Keep the result so management can state the compliance status with confidence.
Common nonconformities
No formal compliance evaluation performed; some obligations never evaluated; non-compliances found but no corrective action; evaluation undocumented; frequency too infrequent for the risk.
Related clauses
ISO 14001 6.1.3; ISO 14001 10.2; ISO 45001 9.1.2
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.