Environmental Management System
   An environmental management system (EMS) may be structured in a similar way to a quality management system or as part of existing management systems. However, the operational controls are aimed much more at complying with  legislation and controlling actual or potential environmental aspects of the organisation. The EMS may be linked by cross-reference or integrated with the organisation's other management systems such as health and safety, repetitive or other related systems.

   The focus of the EMS is to control all direct or indirect aspects the organisation has, or could potentially have, on the environment; for example, emissions to air, land or water. The organisation should implement improvement programmes, which may lead to financial benefits.

   The EMS should be appropriate to the organisation's products, services and activities and be incorporated accordingly in a statement of the company policy. Commitment to the implementation and maintenance of the EMS should be reflected in the allocation of resources.

   Preparatory Environmental Review
   A preparatory environmental review (PER) is a thorough review of all the environmental aspects of the business activity. It identifies areas requiring improvement, existing environmental aspects, legislative and other regulatory requirements, site history and previous environmentally related problems and it is also extremely valuable for the implementation of an EMS to ISO 14001. A summary of the most pertinent points of the review should be used as  the foundation on which to build the EMS.

   Environmental Policy
   The environmental policy should include a commitment to continuous improvement, pollution prevention and strict  compliance with relevant legal and regulatory obligations. The policy must be appropriate to the organisation's activities, products and services, and consider any parent company policy.

   The standard requires that the environmental policy be publicly declared, so that all employees and the public have access to it. In practice, making many people aware of a company's policy is difficult, without publishing it or physically supplying it to local libraries or customers and suppliers etc. The policy should also provide a framework for both establishing and reviewing the organisation's objectives periodically, to ensure progress is satisfactory and, consequently, that continual improvement is evident.

   Standard Terminology
   Environmental aspects refer to the way an organisation's activities interact with the environment, e.g. emissions to air, land or water that may harm the environment in the long or short term. Annex A of ISO 14001 and ISO14004 offer some guidance.

   Environmental Aspects
   ISO 14001 require that aspects deemed 'significant' be identified, controlled and, where possible, improved, using the most economical means possible, particularly where technology is concerned (eg. Best Available Technology  (BAT)).The process for identification, evaluation and review of aspects should be documented, including the grounds for determining 'significance'. This may relate to applicable legislation, quantity, scale, severity, likelihood of  incident, cost, impact on the community or other reasonable grounds as may be determined by the organisation . For example, an aspect may be rated significant automatically by the presence of controlling legislation, with waste being a prime  case. That is not to say that other factors for determining significance should be discounted altogether. The spirit of the standards also expects that each aspect be considered not only in the light of normal  operating  conditions, but also abnormal operating conditions (such as start up and shut down, maintenance or ther periods of abnormality), and reasonably foreseeable emergency conditions (fire, flood, leaks, major spills etc). It is vitally  important that the procedure works well, as this forms the basis for the EMS.

   Legal and Other Requirements
   EMS standards require companies to pay attention to the identification and periodic review of applicable legislation, regulations and other policy requirements. It is particularly important to identify how the legislation may affect them,so that compliance measures can be adopted, perhaps in the form of operational controls, ensuring requirements are understood by employees and implemented effectively. A summary of the pertinent points of applicable legislation will usually suffice and will avoid employing teams of lawyers. A good updating service is the key to keeping abreast of the ever increasing and complex amount of environmental legislation. A great deal of legislation relates to pollution control. In the UK, the Environment Agency is a good source of information and advice.

   Objectives and the Management Programme
   Effective environmental management requires identification of objectives. A formal management programme is a convenient tool to ensure that clear, structured objectives are set and that personnel are given the means, and specific but reasonable deadlines, to achieve the targets. This will ensure that continual improvement can be demonstrated. Correct identification of significant environmental aspects will usually determine the immediate objectives to focus upon. Individual personnel can then be assigned responsibility for achieving the set targets within a specified time-scale. Records of all activities undertaken should always be available.

   The objectives set by an organisation must be effectively communicated to all employees and other interested parties,  specially where individual responsibilities are concerned. The management programme requires regular monitoring   and auditing by independent auditors. Certification Body auditors will concentrate closely on the  progress made and on new objectives involving new products, processes or services.

   This requirement of the standard can often be instrumental in achieving financial savings. Achieving objectives can  result in cost savings due to improved efficiency, waste minimisation, loss prevention and greater employee awareness. In some cases the costs associated with implementing an EMS will be recovered by the satisfactory completion of just one objective.

   Organisation, Responsibility, Training, Awareness and Competence
   The documented EMS should make clear the environmental and reporting responsibilities of the organisation. Personnel should be allocated responsibilities on the basis of appropriate training, education and experience. All staff and employees, including managers, plant operators, cleaners, contractors and suppliers, require awareness  training and instruction. Site inductions and briefings are good opportunities to introduce policy and assign individual  environmental responsibilities.

   The first step is usually to undertake a training needs analysis relating to the environmental aspects of the organisation. This will highlight training needs that directly relate to the impact employees or contractors have on the  environment in the course of their work activities. Employees should be made aware of these activities to ensure  they understand the importance of compliance with the company's environmental policy and legislative requirements. Personnel should also clearly understand the procedures and general requirements of the EMS, the benefits of improved individual performance, emergency preparation and response, and the potential consequences of  departure from specified operating procedures. Adequate records of training should be maintained.

   Operational Controls and Emergency Response
   Clear, documented instructions are an essential part of any EMS, particularly where their absence could result in a   departure from planned activities and result in an uncontrolled environmental impact. These instructions should be  appropriate to the nature and complexity of the organisation's activity and the impact it could have on the environment. All appropriate staff should be given awareness training in the instructions and operation of the procedures. This type of personnel training is valuable and the real measure of any management system.

   Environmental Manual, System Documentation and Records
   Organisations will need to provide evidence that an EMS exists and is documented. Computer based systems are also recognised in particular clauses of the EMS specification. The framework of the system should be evident and  directions to related documents provided, enabling all elements of the system to be located and retrieved, although only current versions need be readily accessible. Obsolete documents should be removed from points of issue and  filed as records, if necessary. Records should include evidence of EMS maintenance and may include waste transfer notes, legislative requirements, licences, training, inspection and monitoring to demonstrate legal compliance, audits, non-conformity, incidents, accidents, complaints etc. They should be stored for specified periods in such a manner that they will not  deteriorate significantly enough to make them illegible or irretrievable.

   Communications
   Procedures should be established which define methods of recording communications and the responses to such. This should include both internal and external communications and may be used for instances such as complaints or enquiries from interested parties. In particular, records should detail the response to communications, the content of  individual communications, when they were made, by whom and for what reason. In most cases, a simple log of the  elevant details may suffice. The system may also be used to record internal communications to employees, keeping a check on the circulation of information, such as the environmental policy, objectives and pending legislation.

   Monitoring and Measurement
   It is essential that procedures are in place regularly to monitor and measure the key elements of business activities that may have environmental impacts. The achievement of objectives must be monitored at regular intervals to ensure  they remain effective. Calibration of certain equipment may also be required at specified intervals.

   A procedure for the periodic evaluation of compliance with applicable legislation is also an essential element, particularly in heavily regulated industries.

   Non-conformance, Corrective and Preventive Action
   EMS compliance is critical where the threat of prosecution or damage to a company's image is concerned. In these circumstances, the recording of non-conformances and implementation of corrective/preventive action is vital to prevent recurrence. Standards must be set and responsibility for actions made clear as soon as possible after any  occurrence, whether it is a deviation from operating criteria or an accident, incident or complaint. Procedures must  clarify reporting and evaluation methods to ensure the organisation learns from its mistakes. Non- conformances and  resulting actions should be discussed at management reviews to identify trends and give  management an opportunity to ensure that existing systems or changes are having the desired effect.

   Environmental Management System Audits
   Probably the most effective tool, in terms of evaluating whether the EMS is effective and continuously improving, is the requirement to carry out audits on all parts of the system. A programme of audits should comprehensively check  all parts of an organisation's system, from the policy to individual instructions. The absence of audits may ead to uncontrolled environmental hazards or accidents.

   Health and safety or quality management auditors may check some parts of the EMS. However, with environmental auditing, there is a need to deploy personnel who understand the significant effects an organisation may have on the environment as a result of its activities.

   Audits should record objective evidence of each item sampled (e.g. who, what, where, when and how). Non- conformances should immediately instigate effective corrective/preventive action and verification of results.

   The effectiveness of internal audits is paramount to the success of an EMS, so time and care should be taken to ensure they are carried out effectively. Adequate training and re-training of auditors is vital to the continued  success of an EMS.

   Management Review
   Management reviews give companies an opportunity to consider the continuing suitability and effectiveness of their EMS at least once a year. The review should analyse all aspects of the EMS, especially progress towards achieving active objectives. Data considered should include audit results, new or amended legislation and compliance, new or changed environmental considerations as a result of product or process developments, accidents and incidents,  complaints and the continued relevance of the company's environmental policy. The review should be documented  and actions should be accompanied by designated responsibilities and timescales.

   Revisions to ISO 14001
   A joint TC 176/TC 207 committee looked at the compatibility between ISO 9000 and ISO 14001 and found that the two  system models were diverging. To achieve this synchronisation, the ISO review committees revised ISO 14001 in  December 2004 with minor changes.

   If you have any queries concerning the ISO 14001 and EMS certification please contact NQA head office at Bangalore or the nearest regional office, where the staff of NQA will be more than happy to help you. Also you can download the EMS questionnaire and forward to us so that our representative will contact you with all details.

If you have any queries please contact your NQA India office where the staff will be more than happy to help you or e-mail: enquiries@nqaindia.com
                                                                                                                          go to top