Management system guidance
7.0 Support
ISO Navigator Pro™ is a free tool that provides practical, expert guidance for businesses wishing to interpret and better implement the requirements of ISO 9001:2026, ISO 14001:2026 and ISO 45001:2018.
Our range of ISO templates cover the requirements of ISO 9001:2026, ISO 14001:2026 and ISO 45001:2018, and offer an easy way to implement your next management system.
7.2 Competence
Clause 7.2 requires your organization to decide what competence is needed by the people doing work under its control whose work affects its environmental performance and its ability to meet its compliance obligations. It must then make sure those people are competent through suitable education, training or experience, identify the training needs linked to its environmental aspects and its EMS, and, where applicable, take action to close any gaps and check that the action worked. Appropriate documented information must be available as evidence of competence.
What changed in ISO 14001:2026
Clause 7.2 is unchanged in substance. The only change is editorial: evidence of competence must now be “available as documented information” rather than “retained”, and the wording refers to meeting (rather than fulfilling) compliance obligations.
Who is covered?
The requirement applies to everyone working under your organization’s control whose work affects environmental performance – employees, temporary and agency workers, and contractors working on site or on your behalf. Annex A.7.2 highlights in particular people:
- Whose work could cause a significant environmental impact, such as operators of effluent treatment plants, drivers, chemical store staff and maintenance technicians;
- Who determine and evaluate environmental impacts or compliance obligations;
- Who contribute to achieving an environmental objective;
- Who respond to emergency situations (see 8.2);
- Who carry out internal audits (see 9.2);
- Who carry out evaluations of compliance (see 9.1.2).
Determining competence requirements
Start with the roles identified in 5.3 and the activities linked to significant environmental aspects in 6.1.2. For each role, define the knowledge, skills and qualifications needed, for example: understanding of the site’s permit conditions; safe handling and segregation of hazardous waste; spill response; operation of abatement equipment; or the ability to interpret monitoring data. Record these requirements in job descriptions or a competence matrix.
Training needs analysis
Identification of training needs is typically the first step in developing a competency-based training program. Compare the competence each person holds against the requirements for their role, and include new hires, temporary workers and contractors as well as existing staff. ISO 14001 specifically requires training needs associated with environmental aspects and the EMS to be identified, so your analysis should cover both job-specific environmental controls and general EMS knowledge. Training needs are also identified through appraisals, incident investigations, audit findings, changes to processes (see 6.3) and new compliance obligations.
Actions to acquire competence
Where gaps are found, your organization must act. Actions can include training, mentoring or reassigning existing staff, or recruiting or contracting people who are already competent. Where the work requires a license or certificate of competence, such as waste carrier registration or refrigerant handling certification, make sure it is held and kept in date before work starts. Line managers and supervisors should monitor the abilities of their teams and arrange refresher training when competencies expire or work methods change.
Evaluating effectiveness
Training alone is not sufficient to demonstrate competence; it must be confirmed through tests, observation of work, results or similar means. After a training course, check that the person can now carry out the task correctly – for example, by observing a spill drill, reviewing waste transfer notes completed by the trainee, or checking audit reports produced by a newly trained internal auditor. Record the outcome so you can show the action was effective.
Evidence of competence
Typical documented information includes a skills or competence matrix, training records, certificates and licenses, CVs, job descriptions, induction records and records of effectiveness checks. Keep this information under control in accordance with 7.5. For contractors, obtain evidence of competence before work begins, such as copies of licenses or the contractor’s own training records.
You should seek and record evidence that your organization has determined the competence needed for roles affecting environmental performance and compliance; that the people in those roles, including contractors, are competent; that training needs related to environmental aspects and the EMS have been identified and met; that actions taken to acquire competence have been evaluated for effectiveness; and that suitable documented information is available as evidence of competence.
More information on PDCA
Planning
Context
Planning
Support
Doing
Support
Operations
Checking
Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
Acting
Improvement
Want to know more?
- Read our customer's feedback
- Client list - who's using our templates?
- How the templates are formatted and download examples
- Why we use turtle diagrams and process maps
- What's the difference between a process and a procedure?
- About documented information
SSL certification
A certificate guarantees the information your internet browser is receiving now originates from the expected domain - https://www.iso9001help.co.uk. It guarantees that when you make a purchase, sensitive data is encrypted and sent to the right place, and not to a malicious third-party.
Free PDCA guidance
ISO Navigator™ is our FREE online training tool that shows you how to apply the principles of PDCA to your operations. We also offer many helpful templates that get you on the road to documenting your management system, please visit the download page.