SWOT analysis and process flow diagram of mineral extraction in the Province of El Oro for compliance with requirement 4.1 of the ISO 14001:2015 Standard

Abstract

Introduction: A mineral extraction company located in the province of El Oro decided to begin implementing an environmental management system based on ISO 14001:2015 requirements. To do so, it analyzed each of the requirements in their content and subsequently designed a simple but effective methodology that met these requirements. The company decided to use requirement 4.1 (understanding the organization and its context) as a pilot test. The overall objective of this research was to develop a SWOT analysis proposal and a mineral extraction process diagram that complies with the ISO 14001 requirement, taken as a sample. This approach will serve to plan the entire management system, since requirement 4.1 (understanding the organization and its context) constitutes one of the most important guidelines for its overall environmental management. The methodology used was to create work teams with senior and middle management. Analysis and discussion sessions were held, and worksheets were used to collect information, which was then prioritized to work with the most relevant information. In the case of the process diagram, a block diagram was created that provided an overview of mineral extraction, and the inputs and outputs were subsequently identified and written, resulting in the final process diagram required for the company to continue with its ISO 1400 implementation. The results obtained were matrices that were simultaneously adjusted to what the requirement requested and resulted in a SWOT matrix detailing the external and internal issues relevant to the company's mission and that affect the expected results of the environmental management system as required by the requirement. The conclusion is that with the final deliverables obtained, the company fully complies with requirement 4.1: understanding of the organization and its context. It also has a general and accurate view of its business environment, as well as an internal description. All the above, with the idea that the company can subsequently determine its environmental objectives that will allow it to manage its environmental aspects and therefore prevent significant environmental impacts. General study area: Environmental Management Systems Specific study area: Compliance with requirement 4.1 of the ISO 14001 Standard: Type of article: Systematic bibliographic review.