Brookhaven's Environmental Restoration Division is one of eight Laboratory organizations that have achieved registration under the international environmental standard known as ISO 14001. An independent team of auditors visited Brookhaven in August 2000 and certified that the division's environmental management system conforms to ISO's stringent requirements.
ISO 14001 is a globally-recognized standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It requires an organization to identify and prevent potential environmental impacts; to monitor and communicate its environmental performance; and, to establish a process for continually improving its system of environmental protection. Fulfilling the requirements for ISO 14001 registration demands objective evidence demonstrating that the environmental management system is operating effectively.
In 1999, Brookhaven's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider project became the first Department of Energy laboratory facility and the first Long Island-based organization to achieve ISO 14001 registration. By the end of 2001, the entire Laboratory expects to obtain registration under this standard.