This document discusses how Annex SL supports various ISO standards, including ISO 14001, 9001, 27001, and 22301. It focuses on Clause 7 of Annex SL, which covers support. Clause 7 contains requirements around competence, awareness, communication, and documented information. It provides details on determining competence needs, creating awareness, developing a communications plan, and controlling documented information. The document also discusses defining and providing necessary resources as required by Clause 7.

1. Annex SL: Support
ISO 14001:2015
ISO 9001:2015
ISO 27001:2013
ISO 22301:2011

2. Introduction
Assent Risk Management has been implementing ISO
standards based on Annex SL for some time with ISO
22301 and ISO 27001 both using it.
(see: http://www.slideshare.net/rjc211/annex-sl-training-for )
We believe the annex SL structure makes ISO standards
much more adaptable for the organisation and therefore
much more effective.
This series aims to expand the concepts of the 10 Annex
SL clauses for those implementing new Standards such as
ISO 14001:2015 or ISO 9001:2015.

3. Clause 7: Support
The support sub-clauses contain many of the
familiar ISO themes including:
• Competence
• Awareness
• Communication
• Documented Information (Document Control)

4. Resources
The resources sub-clause is deceivingly short and
comprises only 1 line in both ISO 27001:2013 and ISO
14001:2015(FDIS).
“The Organisation shall define and provide the resources
needed…..”
Much of these resources can be drawn
from the exercises in clause 4 (Context)
however it is worth remembering the
types of resources.
Resource Types
• Financial
• Human
• Physical

5. Competence
Determine necessary competency of persons that affect Performance
(& Compliance Obligations ISO 14001:2015).
Competence on basis:
• Education
• Training
• Experience.
Determine needs to acquire competency.
Retain appropriate Documented Information.
See www.ableacademy.co.uk for our ISO Risk & Compliance Training.

6. Awareness
Awareness can be attained through many mediums
and we find the more creative ideas are most
effective.
Annex SL standards require awareness of:
• The Policy.
• Individuals’ contribution to the system.
• Implications of non-conformance.
• Standard specific requirements.

7. Communication
Communication is another areas that seems to have
increased in importance thanks to Annex SL.
Some clients are formulating a communications plan to
meet the requirements of this clause and some later
standards are requiring “documented information as
evidence”.
Communication should be both internal and external, and
the interested parties considered in clause 4 can be used
to inform a communications plan.

8. Documented Information
As many will now know, Documents, Forms, Records and Data have
been combined under the term “documented information”.
As previously observed, there is emphasis on making the amount of
information appropriate to the organisation.
The clauses reference creating and updating documents, as well as
general control of documents including Distribution, Storage, Change
and Retention/Disposal.
Remember: Documented information also includes that of ‘external
origin’ for example the standard documents themselves.

9. More information
• Please contact us at:
www.assentriskmanagement.co.uk
• Keep up to date with ISO Revisions at:
www.assentriskmanagement.co.uk/isorevision
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