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Coordinating all the jobs and tests, measurements and results routinely
required for environmental protection is no small task.
In the past, most facilities approached each regulation as a separate task.
But recently a new approach is being adopted: a systems approach.
An Environmental Management System or EMS is a comprehensive
environmental protection program that is integrated
throughout an organization.
The purpose of the EMS is to coordinate all environmental
operations and to see that environmental objectives are
integrated into operational goals.
By far the most widely used EMS is the ISO 14001 standard -
an EMS structure that was developed in the mid-1990s and is now used by
tens of thousands of facilities worldwide.
Whether a facility adopts the ISO 14001 or develops another EMS,
the purpose is the same:
to say what you're going to do, that is, to make a plan for pollution prevention,
to do what you say; to execute the plan,
to document what you've done and then to improve the process by
fixing any shortcomings or discrepancies.
There are five main components to a complete EMS.
Each one contributes to the next, making a full working cycle to achieve
not only regulatory compliance today but continual improvement in
environmental performance tomorrow.
The foundation of the EMS is an Environmental Policy that clearly
spells out the organization's commitment to the environment,
to pollution prevention, to reduction of wastes, to decreased consumption
of raw materials and energy, and to conformance with all applicable
EMS requirements.
This policy is usually signed by the chief executive.
An Environmental Plan then builds a blueprint for action.
The plan first identifies all the environmental aspects of the
organization's activities, products, and services;
characterizes how they interact with the environment;
and determines all the legal and environmental requirements
that apply to its operations.
Then this information is used to setup performance objectives and a strategy
for achieving the objectives and maintaining on-going conformance
with all EMS requirements.
To turn the Plan into an effective, functioning process,
an Implementation Program is developed to define organizational
structures, allocate resources, and assign responsibilities.
The program also sets down guidelines and checkpoints
to ensure that everyone understands and carries out
his or her individual duties.
In many respects, Implementation is where the real work gets done -
where conformance hits the ground.
To determine whether the Implementation Program
is accomplishing the objectives,
Measurement and Evaluation must be performed.
All activities that have environmental impacts must be carefully monitored
and accurately measured.
This reveals non-conforming emissions, releases and faulty
operations or work practices.
Where objectives are not being met, prompt corrective action is initiated
to restore conformance.
The final responsibility is for management to Review and Improve
the entire system.
This process ensures that the system is functioning properly, that the facility
is conforming to the requirements and that there is continual improvement in
environmental protection.
Review and Improvement can lead to changes in the Environmental Policy
that ripple throughout the EMS to promote even better performance.