University-wide procedure for documentation and document management

PROCEDURE
Policymaker: Sustainability Manager
Valid from: 29 March 2019
Amended as of: 24 February 2023
Registration number: V-2023-0004-09
Responsible for review and queries: KTH Sustainability Office

1. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to describe how documents within the environmental management system are established, adopted, published and archived.

2. Scope/delimitation

The procedure covers documentation within the framework of the environmental management system.

3. Definitions

OS

Operational Support

Procedure

A specified way of performing an activity or process.

Reporting documents

Documents verifying compliance with a procedure, template or a certain working method.

PDCA cycle

Plan, Do, Check and Act. A systematic approach to analysing and developing operational processes.

4. Responsibilities

The Sustainability Manager is responsible for ensuring that general documents within the environmental management system are established, adopted, relevant, revised and communicated.

The head of school and University Director are responsible for ensuring that local documents are adopted and followed. Responsible functions are responsible for ensuring that local documents within the environmental management system are produced and made available to employees and other relevant parties. Responsible functions that create documents in the environmental management system are responsible for ensuring that this is done according to KTH’s current procedures for steering documents, templates and requirements.

5. Implementation

A description of the scope and structure of KTH’s environmental management system can be found on the KTH intranet.

5.1 Documentation in the environmental management system

The environmental management system includes the following types of steering documents:

Policy

See the procedure for the Sustainable Development Policy for KTH.

Objectives and action plan

See the procedure for establishing and monitoring sustainability and climate goals and the action plan.

Procedures

Procedures must be available and guide the organisation so that legal requirements, ISO 14001: 2015, the Environmental Management Regulation and binding environmental requirements are met.

KTH’s environmental management system is covered by two types of steering documents. System procedures that describe how KTH works in general on planning, implementing, monitoring and improving the environmental management system according to the PDCA cycle. The general procedures describe factors such as how goals and an action plan are established and how internal environmental audits are conducted.

Operational procedures describe how environmental and sustainable development is taken into account in areas such as education, research, procurement and business travel. The operational procedures can be available at both general level and school level. For example, there is a general operational procedure for the chemical product management and procedures for chemical product management at school level. There are also templates to support the work in accordance with the procedures.

The general procedures apply to the entire KTH organisation. Local procedures for OS and the schools apply only to their activities.

Job descriptions

General job descriptions are adopted by the Sustainability Manager under delegation. Local job descriptions are adopted by the head of school and University Director.

Reporting documents

Reporting documents verify that a procedure is being followed, such as an internal audit report, management review minutes, environmental reviews and memos. Reporting documents within the environmental management system are stored by OS and the schools in the “OneDrive” system and published on the KTH intranet.

5.2 Document Management

Preparation of documents

The responsible function that prepares documents within the environmental management system is responsible for ensuring that they comply with applicable procedures for steering documents, templates, binding requirements, requirements in ISO 14001 and the Environmental Management Regulation. KTH’s general visions, policies, instructions and guidelines must also be taken into account. Documents must be established according to existing templates and must be dated and clearly identifiable. Procedures are given a registration number provided by the registrar. Documents established within the framework of the environmental management system must be integrated into existing steering documents at KTH, where relevant.

Adoption of documents

Steering documents within the environmental management system must be adopted at general and local level according to procedures. General procedures are adopted by the Sustainability Manager, and local procedures are adopted by the head of school and University Director.

Preparation and consultation procedures

Relevant persons/functions must always be involved in the production of documents and procedures where relevant. Steering documents as well as major revisions should be sent for consultation.

Publication of documents

All steering documents must be published on the intranet: this is done by the KTH Sustainability Office and the functions responsible for steering documents within OS. The responsible functions store the documentation on the G: drive or in the “OneDrive” system. Responsible functions are responsible for ensuring that documents are adopted at local level and made available for publication to staff locally on the school’s environment and sustainable development website. Documents are valid from the date indicated in the page header.

Deletion of documents

Documents are deleted when necessary and the action must be traceable; in the document, change history, log or other appropriate location. The deleted document is archived along with other documents.

Archiving of documents

Documents adopted by the Sustainability Manager are archived digitally on the G: drive at the KTH Sustainability Office. Documents adopted at each school/OS are archived locally.

Registration

Certain documents in the environmental management system are registered, such as procedures, decisions, exposure registers (according to AFS 2011:19) and minutes from management reviews.

Revision of documents

Documents must be up to date and revised when changes are made within the organisation. Steering documents are reviewed before the annual external environmental audit to ensure that they are up to date. Reviews also take place when changes are made to the organisation. Changes are shown in the change log in each procedure. Revisions of documents are managed and adopted in the same way as newly created documents.

Communication of documents

Adopted documents and major revisions must be prepared and communicated with the relevant persons/functions at both general and local level.

6. Appendices

 No appendices.

7. Change log