Many organizations greatly underestimate the investment of resources needed to perform effective EHSMS internal audits.  The result is almost always a confused audit team which conveys a confused implementation effort to the rest of the organization.  The organization, including top management then looses respect for the EMS which can take years to overcome.  Don’t make this common mistake. 

If you are a team leader invest in your own competence by taking a certified EMS-LA course which includes an evaluation of your competence to lead audit teams.  Then invest in training a team of internal auditors in the requirements of ISO 14001 and ensure they understand the relationship between audit criteria, audit evidence and audit findings,  Lastly, make sure all the auditors poses the important personal attributes like being able to discuss without arguing, being able to listen effectively, good note taking and being perceptive.  Once you have covered those bases you are ready to lead a good internal audit that can provide important information upon which top management can act.