Ems implementation guideline

Environmental Management Systems:
An Implementation Guide for
Small and Medium-Sized Organizations

Start
Start

Management Environmental
Review Policy

Continual
Improvement!
Checking /
Corrective Action Planning

Implementation

NSF International
Ann Arbor, Michigan
November 1996

Environmental Management Systems:

An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations

Written by:

Philip J. Stapleton, Principal
Glover-Stapleton Associates, Inc.

Anita M. Cooney, Project Manager
NSF International

William M. Hix Jr., Intern
NSF International

Acknowledgments

This document was prepared with funding through a cooperative agreement with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Wastewater Management and Office of Compliance.

NSF International gratefully acknowledges the following Steering Committee Members for their
invaluable contributions to the design and content of this Guide:

Jeffrey R. Adrian, The John Roberts Company
Lemuel D. Amen, Washtenaw County Department of Environment & Infrastructure Services
Stephen P. Ashkin, Rochester Midland
Christine A. Branson, Industrial Technology Institute
Ken Burzelius, Midwest Assistance Programs, LeSueur County
Marci Carter, Iowa Waste Reduction Center, University of Northern Iowa
John Dombrowski, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Compliance
David Fiedler, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality - Environmental Assistance Div.
Jim Horne, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Wastewater Management
Wendy Miller, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Compliance
Charles Tellas, Milan Screw Products
Bryant Winterholer, K. J. Quinn & Co., Inc.

The authors of this Guide would like to thank Douglas Baggett of Hach Company, and Charles Tellas
of Milan Screw Products, Inc., for sharing their experience and insight via case studies of their
respective companies.

The authors of this Guide would also like to thank Craig Diamond and Tom Ambrose of NSF
International for their significant contributions to the development of this Guide. Your suggestions
and assistance were greatly appreciated.

Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small
and Medium-Sized Organizations

CONTENTS

Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1

Section 1: Why Your Organization Should Have an EMS ............................. 3

Section 2: Key EMS Concepts .......................................................................... 6

Section 3: Step-by-Step Action Plan ................................................................ 8

Section 4: Key Elements of an EMS ............................................................... 11

Section 5: The Registration Process ............................................................. 56

Section 6: Sources of Assistance .................................................................. 63

Appendices
Appendix A - Case Studies
Milan Screw Products .......................................................................................... 65
Hach Company ................................................................................................... 70

Appendix B - Background on ISO 14000 and Other EMS Standards ........... 75

Appendix C - Sources of Information and Other Contacts ........................... 80

Glossary of Acronyms ...................................................................................... 89

Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 90

Appendix D - Tool Kit
Sample Environmental Policies ........................................................................... 92
Sample Process Flow Chart ............................................................................... 96

CONTENTS (cont’d.)

Descriptions of Environmental Aspect Identification Techniques........................98
Sample Procedure: Environmental Aspects Identification ................................100
Resources for Tracking Environmental Laws and Regulations ........................104
Sample Procedure: Tracking Environmental Laws and Regulations ................106
Worksheet: Setting Objectives and Targets......................................................109
Sample Procedure: Setting Objectives and Targets .........................................113
Sample Tool: Environmental Management Program ........................................116
Sample Schedule for EMS Action Plan ............................................................118
Responsibility Matrix .........................................................................................120
Environmental Training Log ..............................................................................123
Sample Procedure: Internal Communications ..................................................125
Sample Procedure: Communications with External Parties..............................128
Sample Document Index...................................................................................131
Outline of Sample EMS Manual, Other Documents .........................................133
Sample Procedure: Document Control .............................................................135
Sample Procedure: Corrective Action (Includes Tracking Log) ........................139
Environmental Records Organizer....................................................................144
Sample Procedure: EMS Audits .......................................................................148
Sample Procedure: Management Review ........................................................154

Introduction

This Guide is intended to support and facilitate the development of environmental
management systems (EMS) among small and medium-sized organizations. The Guide
explains how you can develop and implement an effective EMS and how it can support your
organization’s mission and goals. Development of an EMS is a voluntary approach to
improving your organization’s environmental performance.

The Guide is designed primarily for use by EMS implementers — the people within a small
or medium-sized organization that will lead the EMS development effort. The heart of the
Guide is found in Section 4, “Key Elements of an EMS.” For each of the recommended EMS
elements, this section discusses the importance of the element, how you can get started, and
some key suggestions for implementation. In addition, examples of how other organizations
have addressed various EMS elements are provided in Section 4.

The Guide uses the ISO 14001 Standard as a model for an EMS. The ISO 14001 Standard
is the widely accepted official international standard for environmental management systems.
This Guide is not intended for use by registrars (or others) for registration purposes, nor is it
intended to provide specific interpretation of the ISO 14001 Standard.

How this Guide is Organized

Section 1 Describes the many benefits of an EMS and how it can help your
organization to compete and prosper in today’s global marketplace.

Section 2 Summarizes the overall management systems concepts. This section
explains what a management system is and how it can support your
organization’s mission.

Section 3 Describes the overall process for building an EMS and provides
recommendations for planning the overall EMS development effort.

Section 4 Provides detailed guidance on how your EMS should be designed and
implemented. This section discusses each of the key elements of an EMS
and how you can put them in place.

Section 5 Describes the process for registering an EMS and selecting a registrar.

Section 6 Discusses other sources of assistance your organization can use to build
and sustain its EMS.

Appendices Provide case studies, sample environmental policies, other sources of
information, and information on EMS standards. In addition, the Tool Kit
provides sample EMS procedures and other tools that your organization
can tailor to fit its EMS needs. The sample procedures are adapted from

1

actual EMS procedures used by other companies that have implemented an
EMS.

Introduction (cont’d.)

Use of Icons

A variety of icons are used in this Guide to highlight key concepts and suggestions for the
reader. A few of these icons include:

The light bulb is used to highlight EMS examples and experiences from small and medium-
sized organizations. It is also used to indicate that additional help is provided in the Tool Kit
or available from other sources.

The hand is used to point out key hints for implementing EMS elements.

The speech balloon is used to indicate quotes from representatives of organizations that have
implemented an EMS (as well as definitions from the ISO 14001 Standard).

2

Section 1: Why Your Organization Should Have an EMS
This section explains why an EMS can help your organization
to compete and prosper in today’s global market.

A systematic approach to
meeting your • Is your organization required to comply with
environmental and environmental laws and regulations?
business goals
• Are you looking at ways to improve your overall
environmental performance?
• Is the state of your organization’s environmental
affairs a significant liability?
Key EMS Benefits
• Does a lack of time or resources prevent your
- improved environmental organization from taking charge of its environmental
performance obligations?
- reduced liability
• Does your organization know how its environmental
- competitive advantage objectives relate to its business objectives?
- improved compliance
- reduced costs
- fewer accidents
If you answered YES to one or more of the above
- employee involvement questions, an environmental management system
- improved public image (EMS) can help your organization — and so will
this Guide!
- enhanced customer trust
- better access to capital
As one of your organization’s leaders, you know that
interest in environmental protection and sustainable
development is growing. Like many others, your
organization may be increasingly challenged to
demonstrate its commitment to the environment.
Implementing an EMS can help in a number of
important ways.
“We view the
establishment of an First, an effective EMS makes good business
EMS as a process sense. By helping you identify the causes of
that forces us to environmental problems (and then eliminate them),
better organize our an EMS can help you save money. Think of it this
priorities and way:
projects and to
identify problems • Is it better to make a product right the first time or
and exposures to perform a lot of re-work later?
before they occur.”
• Is it cheaper to prevent a spill in the first place or
clean it up afterwards?
• Is it more cost-effective to prevent pollution or to
- K.J. Quinn Co. manage it after it has been generated?
(A small specialty
chemical company)

Second, an EMS can be an investment in long-

3

term viability of your organization. An EMS will
help you to be more effective in achieving
environmental goals. And, by helping businesses to
“We found that an keep existing customers and attract new ones, an
EMS could improve EMS adds value.
employee retention,
Much of what you need for an EMS may already be
new hire selection, in place! The management system framework
working conditions, described in this Guide contains many elements that
and the perceptions are common to managing other business
of our customers, processes, such as quality, health safety, finance,
suppliers, lenders, or human resources. As you review this Guide, you
neighbors, and may find that you already have many EMS
regulators.” processes in place, but for other purposes (such as
quality). Integrating environmental management with
other key business processes can improve the
organization’s financial and environmental
performance.
- Milan Screw Products The key to effective environmental management is
(A 32-person manufacturer of the use of a systematic approach to planning,
precision fittings) controlling, measuring and improving an
organization’s environmental efforts. Potentially
significant environmental improvements (and cost
savings) can be achieved by reviewing and
improving your organization’s management
processes. Not all environmental problems need to
be solved by installing expensive pollution control
equipment.
Of course, there is some work involved in planning
and implementing an EMS. But many organizations
have found that the development of an EMS can be
a vehicle for positive change. These
organizations believe that the benefits of an EMS far
outweigh the potential costs (see next page). As
they say in the Total Quality Management (TQM)
world, “quality is free” — as long as you are willing to
make the investments that will let you reap the
rewards. The same holds true for environmental
management.
Want to know more about EMS costs and benefits?
Read on …

4

Costs and Benefits of Developing and Implementing an EMS

COSTS BENEFITS

• Staff / employee time • Improved environmental performance
• Possible consulting assistance • Improved compliance
• Training of personnel • New customers / markets
• Increased efficiency / reduced costs
• Enhanced employee morale
• Enhanced image with public
• Reduced training effort for new employees
• Enhanced image with regulators

If your organization already has or is considering
a quality management system (such as ISO 9000),
you will find some significant synergy between what
you need for quality management and for
environmental management.

Some Common Aspects of Quality and Environmental Management Systems

• Quality Policy • Environmental Policy
• Adequate Resources • Adequate Resources
• Responsibilities and Authorities • Responsibilities and Authorities
• Training • Training
• System Documentation • System Documentation
• Process Controls • Operational Controls
• Document Control • Document Control
• System Audits • System Audits
• Management Review • Management Review

One final note: Small and medium-sized
organizations often have some advantages over
larger organizations in ensuring effective
environmental management. In smaller
organizations, lines of communication are generally
shorter, organizational structures are less complex,
people often perform multiple functions, and access
to management is simpler. All of these can be real
advantages for effective environmental
management.
Are you interested in learning more about how
an EMS can help your organization? If so, let’s
look at some key management systems concepts
and how they are applied in the environmental area.

5

Section 2: Key EMS Concepts
This section explains what a management system is —
and how it can help your company.

The focus on You have probably heard of Total Quality Management
quality principles (TQM). Your organization may apply TQM principles to
some or all of its operations and activities.
An effective EMS is built on TQM concepts. To improve
environmental management, your organization needs to
focus not only on what things happen but also on why
they happen. Over time, this systematic identification
and correction of system deficiencies leads to better
Definition of an EMS: environmental (and overall business) performance.
A continual cycle of planning, Most EMS models (including the recently issued ISO
implementing, reviewing and 14001 Standard, which will be described later) are built
improving the actions that an on the “Plan, Do, Check, Act” model introduced by
Shewart and Deming. This model endorses the concept
organization takes to meet its of continual improvement.
environmental obligations.

Figure 1
Plan

Act Do

Continual Improvement:
Check
Enhancing your EMS
to better your overall
environmental In the ISO 14001 EMS Standard, these “plan, do, check,
performance act” steps have been expanded into seventeen EMS
elements. Each element is discussed in Section 4 of
this Guide.
Putting TQM principles into practice in the environmental
area is the job of top management. To build and
sustain an effective EMS, management must
communicate to all employees the importance of :
• making the environment an organizational priority
An effective EMS
(thinking of effective environmental management as
doesn’t just happen.
An effective EMS
fundamental to the organization’s survival)
needs ongoing
• building environmental management in
management support.
everywhere
(thinking about the environment as part of product
and process development, among other activities)

• looking at problems as opportunities

6

(identifying problems, determining root causes and
preventing their recurrence)

The concept of continual improvement recognizes
that problems will occur. But a committed
organization learns from its mistakes and prevents
similar problems from occurring in the future.
An effective EMS must be dynamic to allow your
organization to adapt to a quickly changing business
Flexible + simple = environment. For this reason, you should keep your
adaptable +understandable EMS flexible and simple. This also helps make your
EMS understandable for the people who must
implement it — you and your organization’s
employees.
As you build and implement an EMS, some
roadblocks may be encountered. Some people in the
organization may view an EMS as bureaucracy or
extra expense — an “add-on” to what you do now.
There may be resistance to change or fear of new
Employee involvement responsibilities. To overcome these potential
is crucial roadblocks, make sure that everyone understands
why the organization needs an effective EMS and
how an EMS will help you control environmental
impacts in a cost-effective manner. Getting people
involved in designing and implementing the EMS will
demonstrate the organization’s commitment to the
environment and help to ensure that the EMS is
realistic, practical and adds value.
Regulators have begun to
incorporate management Building or improving your EMS (with the help of this
system concepts into Guide) is a great opportunity to assess how your
regulatory programs (for organization manages environmental obligations and
example, OSHA’s Process to find better (and more cost-effective) solutions.
Safety Management While you will probably identify some areas where
Standard and EPA’s your current EMS can be improved, this does not
Risk Management Program mean that you should change things that are working
for Chemical Accidental well ! By reviewing what your organization does and
Release Prevention ). how well it works, you can ensure that your EMS will
be viable and effective, both now and in the future.
Don’t get discouraged if your system has some bugs
at first — this is to be expected. Remember, the
focus is on continual improvement !

7

Section 3: Step-by-Step Action Plan
This section explains the process of building an EMS.

Putting the theory of Building an EMS might sound like an overwhelming task
EMS into practice for a small organization, but it need not be. Time and
other resources are limited in any small organization, so
it is important that your resources are used wisely. One
way to do this is by following a simple, effective plan.
Fortunately, you can build on the experiences of other
organizations who have already implemented an EMS.
Steps to Consider Examples are provided throughout this Guide.
• Gain management
commitment Figure 2 illustrates some key steps in the EMS building
• Choose a champion process. The importance of careful planning cannot be
• Prepare budget and
overemphasized. Taking the time to figure out what you
need to do, how you will do it, and which people must be
schedule involved will pay big dividends down the road.
• Build cross-functional
team Using a team approach for building your EMS is a good
• Involve employees way to improve commitment and ensure that the
• Conduct preliminary objectives, procedures and other system elements are
review realistic, achievable, and cost-effective. Ideas for using
• Modify plan your team and involving employees are discussed on the
• Prepare procedures / following pages.
other documents
A few hints to keep in mind as you build your EMS:
• Plan for change
• Train employees • Help is available — don’t hesitate to use it.
• Assess performance (See Section 6 of this Guide for more on
resources.)
• Consultants can provide help in evaluating your EMS
and suggesting approaches used successfully
elsewhere. Look for ways to hold consulting costs
down. For example, you may be able to join forces
Milan Screw Products with other small businesses in your area to hire a
found that the use of a consultant.
cross-functional group
(the environmental task Some Thoughts on the Use of Consultants
group) was the key to
progress in evaluating • Assess your own in-house resources first.
and implementing their • Make sure both parties understand the scope of
EMS. Participation of work.
shop floor employees is
• Get references and check them. Look for
essential in successfully
implementing an EMS.
consultants with experience in small business and
your specific industry.
• Use consultants to gain insights on approaches used
by other companies.
• An EMS developed by consultants “in isolation” will
K.J. Quinn Company not work. Your own people need to be involved in
found that it could perform
the process.
a initial self-assessment of
its environmental programs
in 20-25 hours. • Look at your existing environmental compliance
plans and programs to assess how effective they
have been and how they might be improved.

8

Figure 2
Creating Your Own EMS: Key Steps
The first step in the EMS-building process is gaining
top management’s commitment to supporting the
1 Obtain EMS. Management must understand the benefits of
Management an EMS and what it will take to put an EMS in place.
Commitment Management commitment and vision should be clear
and communicated across the organization.

Not all small or medium-size organizations have the
luxury of choosing among multiple candidates, but
2 Choose your choice of project champion is critical. The
champion should have the necessary authority, an
a Champion understanding of the organization, and project
management skills. The champion should be a
“systems thinker” (some ISO 9000 experience would
be a plus, but is not necessary) and must have the
time to commit to the EMS-building process.

The project champion should prepare a preliminary
budget and schedule for developing the EMS. Costs
3 Prepare will likely include staff and employee time, training,
Budget and some consulting assistance, materials, and possibly
some equipment (such as a computer or word
Schedule processor). The schedule should consider the various
tasks described below, among others.

A team with representation from key management
functions and production or service areas can identify
and assess issues, opportunities, and existing
4 Build processes. You may want to consider including
Project contractors, suppliers, and other external parties to be
Team part of the project team where appropriate. This team
will need to meet frequently, especially in the early
stages of the project. The cross-functional team can
help to ensure that procedures are reasonable and will
build commitment to the EMS.

Employees are a great source of knowledge on
environmental and health safety issues related to
5 Involve their areas as well as on the effectiveness of current
Employees processes and procedures. They can help the project
team in drafting procedures. Employee ownership of
the EMS will be greatly enhanced by meaningful
employee involvement in the EMS development
process.

more ....

9

Figure 2 (cont’d.)
Creating Your Own EMS (cont’d.)
The next step is to conduct a preliminary review of
your current environmental programs and system and
6 Conduct
compare these against the criteria for your EMS (such
Preliminary as ISO 14001). Evaluate your organization’s structure
Review and its procedures, policies, environmental impacts,
training programs, and other factors. Determine which
elements of your current system are in good shape
and which need additional work.

The project plan might need to be modified based
7 Modify on the results of the preliminary review. The modified
plan should describe in detail the key actions needed,
Plan who will be responsible, what resources are needed,
and when the work will be completed.

At this point, you are ready to develop procedures
and other system documents. In some cases, this
8 Prepare might involve modifying existing environmental
Procedure procedures or adapting other business procedures
Documents (such as quality or health safety management
procedures) for EMS purposes. In some cases, you
might need to develop new procedures. Get help from
employees and the cross-functional team, as
discussed above.
In building your EMS, make sure that the system is
9 Plan for sufficiently flexible. While you will likely need to
modify your EMS over time, try to avoid making your
Change EMS so rigid that you must change it frequently to
reflect the realities of your operation.

Once the procedures and other documents have been
prepared, you are ready to implement the EMS. As a
10 Train first step, train your employees on the EMS, especially
with regard to the environmental impacts of their
Employees activities, any new / modified procedures, and any new
responsibilities.

After the EMS is up and running, be sure to assess
11Assess system performance. This will be accomplished
EMS through periodic EMS audits and ongoing monitoring
and measurement. Assessment of EMS performance
Performance provides the opportunity to improve the system and
your environmental performance over time.

10

Section 4: Key Elements of an EMS
This section provides guidance on how to build and implement an EMS.

As mentioned earlier, your EMS should be built on the “Plan, Do, Check, Act” model to ensure that
environmental issues are systematically identified, controlled, and monitored. Using this approach
will help to ensure that performance of your EMS improves over time.
This section describes seventeen EMS elements included in the ISO 14001 Standard. While there
are several good EMS models available, this Guide uses the ISO 14001 Standard as a starting point
for describing EMS elements for several reasons:

• ISO 14001 is a widely accepted international Standard for EMS;
• Companies may be asked to demonstrate conformance with ISO 14001 as a
condition of doing business in some markets; and
• The Standard is consistent with the key elements found in most EMS models.

Start

Management Environmental
Review Policy

Continual Planning
Checking /
Corrective Action Improvement !
• Environmental Aspects
• Legal / Other Requirements
• Monitoring and Measurement
• Objectives and Targets
• Nonconformance and Corrective
• Environmental
and Preventive Action
Management Program
• Records
• EMS Audits
Implementation

• Structure and Responsibility
• Training, Awareness, Competence
• Communication
• EMS Documentation
• Document Control
• Operational Control
• Emergency Preparedness
/ Response

11

Elements of an ISO 14001 EMS: A Snapshot

• Environmental policy — Develop a statement of your organization’s commitment
to the environment. Use this policy as a framework for planning and action.
• Environmental aspects — Identify environmental attributes of your products,
activities and services. Determine those that could have significant impacts on the
environment.
• Legal and other requirements — Identify and ensure access to relevant laws
and regulations (and other requirements to which your organization adheres).
• Objectives and targets — Establish environmental goals for your organization, in
line with your policy, environmental impacts, views of interested parties and other
factors.
• Environmental management program — Plan actions to achieve objectives
and targets.
• Structure and responsibility — Establish roles and responsibilities and provide
resources.
• Training, awareness and competence — Ensure that your employees are
trained and capable of carrying out their environmental responsibilities.
• Communication — Establish processes for internal and external communications on
environmental management issues.
• EMS documentation — Maintain information on your EMS and related
documents.
• Document control — Ensure effective management of procedures and other
system documents.
• Operational control — Identify, plan and manage your operations and activities in
line with your policy, objectives and targets.
• Emergency preparedness and response — Identify potential emergencies and
develop procedures for preventing and responding to them.
• Monitoring and measurement — Monitor key activities and track performance.
• Nonconformance and corrective and preventive action — Identify and
correct problems and prevent recurrences.
• Records — Keep adequate records of EMS performance.
• EMS audit — Periodically verify that your EMS is operating as intended.
• Management review — Periodically review your EMS with an eye to continual
improvement.

12

How Does the ISO 14001 Standard Support Environmental Compliance?

ISO 14001 requires an organization to:

• develop an environmental policy with a commitment to compliance;

• have a procedure for identifying and having access to environmental laws and
regulations;

• set objectives and targets that are in line with its environmental policy (which includes a
commitment to compliance);

• establish operational control procedures;

• establish procedures for emergency preparedness and response;

• establish a procedure for periodically evaluating compliance …

While these requirements relate directly to an organization’s compliance management, each
of the seventeen elements of the ISO 14001 Standard can contribute to enhanced
compliance (e.g., communication, training, documentation, records, nonconformance and
corrective / preventive action, EMS audits, management review, etc.). An EMS based on the
ISO 14001 Standard can complement and improve your organization’s compliance
management and help your organization to meet objectives and targets that go “beyond
compliance.” An EMS based on the ISO 14001 Standard can also help your organization to
meet objectives and targets that address issues that are not subject to regulation.

If you would like to order a copy of the actual ISO 14001 Standard, please contact one of
the authorized sources (see Annex C - page 88 for additional information).

The following is a overview of each of the 17 elements of the ISO 14001 Standard in
greater detail …

13

Plan
Act Do
Check

Environmental Policy
Why do we need an environmental policy?

What is my An environmental policy is your management’s
organization’s declaration of commitment to the environment. The
commitment to the policy should serve as the foundation for your EMS
environment? and provide a unifying vision of environmental
concern by the entire organization.
Your policy should be more than just flowery prose.
Continual Since it serves as the framework for setting
Improvement: environmental objectives and targets, the policy should
be brought to life in your plans and deeds.
“P r o c e s s o f e n h a n c i n g
the environmental Everyone in the organization should understand the
management system to environmental policy and what is expected of them in
achieve improvements in
order to achieve the organization’s objectives and
overall environmental
targets.
performance in line
Your policy should contain three key commitments (see
w ith the organization’s box, below), including a commitment to continual
environmental policy” improvement. This doesn’t mean that you must
improve in all areas at once, but that the policy should
drive your overall efforts to continually improve your
organization’s environmental management.
- ISO 14001 Sample environmental policies (which contain the three
key policy commitments) are provided in the Tool Kit
(see page 92).

Hints:
• Your organization probably has an environmental
policy now, even if it’s not written. For example, your
organization is probably committed to complying with
the law and avoiding major environmental problems,
at a minimum. Document your existing commitments
as a starting point.
Key Policy
Commitments • Your policy should be related to your products and
services, as well as supporting activities. Consider
- Continual improvement the results of your preliminary review before
finalizing the policy. Also, make sure the policy
- Pollution prevention
reflects the environmental aspects of your products,
- Compliance with relevant services and activities (as described in the next
laws and regulations section).
• Keep your policy simple and understandable. Ask
yourself: What are we trying to achieve? How can I
best communicate this to the rest of the
organization? Will we do what we said we would?
Keep in mind that your policy should be explicit
enough to be auditable.

14

Plan
Act Do
Check

• The policy can be a stand-alone document or it can
be integrated with your health safety, quality, or
Review: Have we ... other organizational policies.
• Consider who should be involved in developing
developed a written the policy and the best process for writing it. Input
policy? from a range of people in your organization should
increase commitment and ownership.
considered our key
products, activities, • Make sure that your employees understand the
policy. Options for communicating your policy
and services? internally include posting it around the site (e.g., in
the lunch room), paycheck stuffers, incorporating the
addressed the three policy into training classes and materials, and
key commitments? references to the policy at staff or all-hands meetings.
Test awareness from time to time by asking
effectively employees what the policy means to them.
communicated the
policy? • The policy should also be communicated externally.
Options for external communication include business
cards, newspaper advertisements and annual reports,
among other options. You can choose to
communicate the policy proactively or in response to
external requests.

Environmental
Policy
C I P
O M R
M P
E
R
P V
O
L V E
I E N
A M T
N E I
C N O Three Pillars
E T
N of an
Environmental
Policy

15

Plan
Act Do
Check

Identifying Environmental Aspects
How does my organization interface with the environment?

Environmental Aspect: To plan for and control its significant environmental
impacts, an organization must first know what these
“Element of an impacts are. But knowing what the impacts are is only
organization’s part of the challenge — you also should know where
activities, products, or these impacts come from.
services that can
interact with the If your organization has undertaken pollution prevention
environment.”
projects, you are probably familiar with this concept —
you must know how a waste is generated in order to
minimize or eliminate it. As with pollution prevention,
the identification and management of environmental
aspects can (1) have positive impacts on the bottom line
ISO 14001 and (2) provide significant environmental improvements.
Your EMS should include a procedure to identify the
Environmental Impact : environmental aspects that your organization:
“Any change to the
environment, whether • can control, and
adverse or beneficial, • over which it can have an influence.
wholly or partially
resulting from an
The relationship between aspects and impacts is one
organization’s activities,
of cause and effect. The term “aspects” is neutral, so
products, or services.”
keep in mind that your environmental aspects could be
either positive (such as making a product out of
recycled materials) or negative (such as discharge of
toxic materials to a stream).

Define Your organization is not expected to manage issues
environmental outside its sphere of influence. For example, while your
aspects
organization probably has control over how much
electricity it uses, it likely does not control the way in
which the electricity is generated.
Decide if under Once you have identified the environmental aspects of
your control and your products, activities, and services, you should
influence determine which aspects could have significant impacts
on the environment. These environmental aspects
should be considered when you set your environmental
objectives and define your operational controls (as
Identify related discussed later).
environmental
impacts A multi-step process (see figure at left) can be used to
make this evaluation. Keep the resulting information up-
to-date, so that potential aspects of new products,
Decide if the services, and activities are factored into your objectives
impacts are and controls.
significant

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Hints:

• In identifying aspects and impacts, you should also
look at activities not controlled by applicable laws
and regulations. But because many of your
aspects/impacts may be addressed by legal
requirements, your compliance program might yield
some valuable information. Permits, audit reports,
Service Organizations Can and other such documents can serve as useful
inputs. Beyond regulations, look at issues such as
Benefit from an EMS land, energy, and other natural resource use.
The US Postal Service examined
environmental aspects related to the • Once you have identified environmental aspects and
vehicles it operates, the chemicals it related significant impacts, use this information in
uses to maintain equipment, the setting your objectives and targets. This does not
solid wastes it generates, and the mean that you need to address all of your impacts
products (stamps) that it sells. at once. There may be good reasons (such as cost,
availability of technology, and scientific uncertainty)
for addressing some impacts now and deferring
action on others. Keep in mind that managing
environmental aspects could have positive business
K e y H ints: impacts.
• Look beyond
r e g u la tio n s a n d • Remember to look at services as well as products.
at non-regulated While the need to examine your on-site operations
activities might be obvious, you should also consider the
• P rio r i t i z e i n potential impacts of what you do off-site (such as
s e ttin g o b je c t i v e s servicing equipment at customer sites). Similarly, the
• C o n s id e r s e r v i c e s environmental aspects of the products, vendors, and
contractors contractors you use may be less obvious, but should
still be considered.
• Identifying significant environmental aspects is one of
the most critical elements of the EMS — and can be
Warner-Lambert Company developed one of the most challenging. Decisions you make in
process flow sheets to identify this task can affect many other system elements
“visualize” all waste streams from (such as, setting objectives and targets, establishing
operations, and to determine how much operational controls, and defining monitoring needs).
they were costing the company. It also Careful planning and conduct of this activity will pay
examined the packaging of products and dividends in later steps.
waste
Getting Started
• To understand your environmental aspects, it helps to
Factors to Consider: understand the processes by which you generate
• ecological effects products and services. A flow chart of your major
• human health impacts
processes might help you understand the inputs and
outputs of your processes and how materials are used.
• catastrophic effects A sample flow chart is provided in the Tool Kit (see
• resource depletion page 96). You may also want to consider the views of
• scale, severity interested parties — some organizations have found
duration of impacts external parties to be a good resource to help you
identify your organization’s environmental aspects.
• probability of occurrence
• cost of changing • There are many readily-available sources of
• other business effects information to help you perform your assessment. For
starters, look at your permits, various regulations that
apply to your operations, audit reports, EPCRA
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reports,

and monitoring records. Trade associations,
Review: Have we ... regulatory agencies, your customers and suppliers
also might provide useful information to support your
assessment.
evaluated our • Various techniques exist for evaluating environmental
products, activities, and impacts. Find one that can be readily adapted for your
services? use in identifying environmental aspects and
significant impacts. Consider techniques used for
determined which compliance with the OSHA Process Safety
aspects have Management Standard, environmental impact
assessments, and life cycle analysis. More information
significant impacts? on these techniques can be found in the Tool Kit (see
documented a page 98).
procedure? • Once you’ve found a process that works for your
organization, describe the process in a written
procedure. A sample procedure for performing the
assessment is provided in the Tool Kit (see page
100).

• You can start out with a simple process for identifying
aspects and then refine the process over time as
needed. You also can address the more obvious
impacts or “low hanging fruit” first, then tackle the more
complex issues later.

The Link Between Aspects and Impacts - Some Examples from a Real Company

Aspects Potential Impacts
Emissions of volatile organic Increase in ground level ozone
compounds
Discharges to stream Degradation of aquatic habitat and drinking water
supply
Spills and leaks Soil and groundwater contamination
Electricity use Air pollution, global warming
Use of recycled paper Conservation of natural resources

Things to Consider in Evaluating Environmental Aspects:

Air Emissions Water Effluents
Solid and Hazardous Wastes Land Use
Contamination of Land Raw Material and Resource Use
Local Issues Normal and Abnormal Conditions
(e.g. concerns raised by the community such (e.g., start-up, shutdown,
emergencies) as: noise, odor, dust, traffic, appearance, etc.)

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Legal and Other Requirements
What standards affect the organization?

Setting the legal To be in compliance with the laws and regulations that
framework for apply to your organization, you must first know what the
your EMS rules are and how they affect what you do. As
discussed earlier, compliance with legal requirements is
one of the “three pillars” upon which your environmental
policy should be based. Costs of non-compliance (in
terms of dollars, public image and possible damage to
the environment) can be very high.
Legal requirements include: An effective EMS will include a process for:
• Federal requirements • identifying applicable legal and other requirements,
• State or local requirements and;
• Permit conditions • ensuring that these requirements are factored into
Other requirements might the organization’s efforts.
include ( for example):
Changing legal requirements might require that you
• Company-specific codes modify your environmental objectives or other elements
• Standards in locations where of your EMS. By anticipating new requirements and
you sell products making changes to your operations, you can avoid some
future compliance obligations and their associated
• International Chamber of costs.
Commerce (ICC) Charter
for Sustainable
Development Getting Started
• Chemical Manufacturers
Association’s (CMA) Your EMS should include a procedure for identifying
and having access to the legal and other requirements
Responsible Care that apply to your organization. These “other
• American Petroleum requirements” might include industry codes, the CERES
Institute’s Strategies for Principles, or similar requirements to which your
Today’s Environmental organization may subscribe.
Partnership (API STEP)
The process of identifying applicable regulations,
• Other industry codes or interpreting them, and determining their impacts on your
programs to which your operations can be a time-consuming task. Fortunately,
organization voluntarily there are many ways in which your organization can
subscribes. obtain information about applicable laws or regulations.
These include:
• commercial services (offered on-line, on computer
disk, and on paper);
• regulatory agencies (federal, state and local);
Key Steps • trade groups / associations;
• public libraries;
- Identify • seminars and courses;
Requirements • newsletters / magazines;
- Analyze Impacts • consultants and lawyers;
• the Internet; and
- Communicate • customers, vendors and other companies.
- Act

Small business assistance programs exist in every state.
Under the Clean Air Amendments of 1990, each state
environmental regulatory agency must establish a
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technical and compliance assistance program to help
Get information
companies comply with air quality rules. These
on federal
environmental rules
programs are being expanded into other environmental
on the Internet at
“media” (e.g., water, waste management) as well. In
http://www.epa.gov
addition, National Compliance Assistance Centers can
provide compliance assistance for certain industry
sectors (see Section 6 Annex C for more information).
Review: Have we ... Once the applicable legal and other requirements have
been identified and analyzed for their impacts, you
identified applicable rules should communicate these requirements (and plans for
and other requirements complying with them) to the appropriate people within
and determined their the organization. Communicating the “other
requirements” that apply to your organization (as well as
impacts? their impacts) is an important — and often overlooked —
step.
established and
documented a process A list of some resources you can use to identify and
for keeping up-to-date? track environmental laws and regulations is provided in
the Tool Kit (see page 104). Annex C also contains
additional sources of information about environmental
communicated to the laws and regulations. The Tool Kit contains a sample
right people? procedure for tracking environmental laws and
regulations (see page 106).

Commonly Applicable Federal Environmental Laws in the US
Clean Air Act (CAA) Establishes ambient and source emission standards and permit
[40 CFR Parts 50-99] requirements for conventional and hazardous air pollutants.

Clean Water Act (CWA) Establishes ambient and point source effluent standards and
[40 CFR Parts 100-145, 220-232, 410-471] permit requirements for water pollutants, including those
discharged directly to a waterbody and to a public sewer.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Establishes a program for the review of, registration, and control of
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) pesticides.
[40 CFR Parts 150-189]
Resource Conservation and Recovery Establishes regulations and permit requirements for hazardous
Act (RCRA) waste management. Also, creates standards for underground
[40 CFR Parts 240-299] storage tanks holding oil or hazardous substances.

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Regulates the use, development, manufacture, distribution and
[40 CFR Parts 700-799] disposal of chemicals. Certain chemicals (such as PCB’s)
targeted for specific management standards.

Comprehensive Environmental Establishes program for cleaning up contaminated sites and
Response, Compensation and Liability establishes liability for clean-up costs. Also, provides reporting
Act (CERCLA, also known as “Superfund”) requirements for releases of hazardous substances.
[40 CFR Parts 300-311]

Emergency Planning and Community Establishes a program to inform the public about the hazardous
Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA) and toxic chemicals used by industries. Reporting requirements
[40 CFR Parts 350-374] apply to companies using, processing, or storing specific
chemicals over specified quantities.

Hazardous Materials Transportation Act Establishes standards for the safe transportation of hazardous
(HMTA) materials.
[49 CFR Parts 100-180]

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Objectives and Targets
How will objectives and targets help my organization?

What does my
organization do to Objectives and targets help you translate purpose into
achieve its policy? action — they should be factored into your strategic plan
and can facilitate the integration of environmental
management with other business management
processes.
You determine what objectives and targets are
appropriate for your organization. These goals can be
organization-wide or applied to individual units or
Environmental Objective: activities. In setting objectives, keep in mind your
environmental policy, including its three “pillars.” You
“Overall environmental should also consider your significant environmental
goal, arising from the aspects, applicable legal and other requirements, the
environmental policy, that views of interested parties, your technological
an organization sets itself options, and financial, operational, and other
to achieve, and which is business requirements.
quantified where
practicable.”
Policy

- ISO 14001
Environmental Legal / Other Views of
Aspects Requirements Interested Parties

Environmental Target:
“Detailed performance
requirement, quantified Objectives
where practicable, Environmental
applicable to the
and Program
organization or parts Targets
thereof, that arises from
the environmental
objectives and that needs
to be set and met in order to Technology Finance Operations Other
achieve those objectives.” Business

There are no “standard” environmental objectives that fit
all organizations. Your objectives and targets should
reflect what your organization does and what it wants to
achieve.

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Hints:
• Objectives and targets should be set by the people in the
functional area involved — they will be best positioned to
establish, plan for, and achieve these goals.
• Involving people in the area will help to build commitment.
• Objectives should be consistent with your overall business
mission and plan and the key commitments established in your
Factors to consider policy (pollution prevention, continual improvement, and
in setting objectives
compliance).

and targets: • Be flexible in your objectives. Define a desired result and let
the people responsible determine how to achieve the result.
• ability to control
• ability to track / • Keep your objectives simple initially, gain some early
measure
successes, and then build on them.
• cost to track / • Communicate objectives and targets (as well as your progress
measure in achieving them) across the organization. Consider a regular
• progress reporting
report on progress at staff meetings.
• links to policy • To obtain the views of interested parties, consider holding an
commitments open house or establishing a focus group with people in the
community. These activities can have other payoffs as well.
• Make sure your objectives and targets are realistic.
Determine how you will measure progress towards achieving
them.
• Keep in mind that your suppliers (service or materials) can
help you in meeting your objectives and targets (e.g., by
providing more environmentally friendly products).
A sample
worksheet and
procedure for CC POLLUTION
setting objectives PREVENTION CC
and targets are
included in the The most significant savings from Pacific Gas Electric’s EMS have
Tool Kit (see come from reductions in hazardous waste generation and disposal.
pages 109 113). Ten years ago the hazardous waste generated by operations
exceeded 90,000 tons per year — now that number is below 10,000
tons per year and is still falling.

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Comparing Objectives and Targets - Some Examples
Objectives Targets
Reduce energy use • Reduce electricity use by 10% in 1996
• Reduce natural gas use by 15% in 1996
Reduce usage of hazardous chemicals • Eliminate use of CFC’s by 1997
• Reduce use of high-VOC paints by 25%
Reduce hazardous waste generation • Reduce chrome wastes in plating area by
50% in 1997
Improve employee awareness of • Hold monthly awareness training courses
environmental issues • Train 100% of employees by end of year
Improve compliance with wastewater • Zero permit limit violations by the end of
discharge permit limits 1997

CC POLLUTION
PREVENTION CC

Warner-Lambert Company used a “holistic” approach to identify its waste streams.
The company looked beyond emissions from its property and considered all of the
ramifications of its activities …
By replacing chillers and redesigning the chilling system to be more efficient, the
company has realized $250,000 in energy savings. Because the company is more
energy efficient, it has reduced emissions at the local power plant!

By redesigning and revising dust collection, the company now uses 40 hp instead of
100 hp (without compromising the effectiveness of the dust collection system), has
lowered its operating costs (and, reduced emissions at the local power plant).

Review: Have we …
documented objectives and targets at relevant
functions and levels within the organization?
ensured that our objectives and targets are
consistent with the environmental policy (including
commitments to pollution prevention, continual
improvement, and compliance)?
ensured consistency with our business plan /
mission?
established a process for tracking and reporting
progress?

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Environmental Management Program(s)
Why do we need an environmental management program?

A road map for So far, this Guide has focused on the foundations of your
EMS (the planning elements) and on defining what your
achieving your organization intends to achieve in the environmental area.
environmental goals To ensure that objectives and targets are achieved, you
need an action plan.
The environmental management program should be linked
directly to your objectives and targets — that is, the
program should describe how the organization will
translate its goals into concrete actions so that
environmental objectives and targets will be achieved.
Objectives and To ensure its effectiveness, your environmental
Targets management program should:
Established • designate responsibilities for achieving goals, and
• define the means and time frame for achieving those
goals.
Environmental Keep in mind that your program should be a dynamic one.
Management Consider modifying the program when:
Program Defined • objectives and targets are revised or added;
• progress in achieving your objectives and targets is
made — or not made; or
Monitoring and
• products, processes, or facilities change or other
factors arise.
Measurement
Your action plan need not be compiled into a single
document. A “road map” to several plans is an acceptable
alternative, as long as the key responsibilities, tactical steps
and schedules are adequately defined in these other
documents.
Keep in mind that this program should not be developed in
a vacuum — it should be coordinated or integrated with
other business plans, strategies, and budgets. For
example, if you are planning changes to a manufacturing
process (say, for quality or production purposes), then it
makes sense to look at the possible environmental issues
associated with this process change at the same time.

Hints:

• Involve your employees early in establishing and
carrying out the program.
• Clearly communicate the expectations and
responsibilities laid out in the program to those who need
to know.

• Build on the plans and programs you have now for
environmental compliance, health safety, and/or quality
management purposes.
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Key Hints • Re-evaluate your action plan when you are considering
significant changes to your products, processes, facilities
• Involve employees
or materials. Make this re-evaluation part of your change
• Communicate
management process.
expectations
• Build on existing
• Keep it simple (see sample tool, below) and focus on
programs
continual improvement of the program over time.
• Keep program simple
Thought to Keep in Mind: There may be real
• Look for opportunities
opportunities here!! Coordinating your environmental
program with your overall business plans and strategies
may position your organization to exploit some significant
cost-saving opportunities.

CC POLLUTION
PREVENTION CC Review: Have we ...
prepared an action plan on how the organization
In an effort to reduce VOC will meet its objectives and targets?
emissions, Aeroquip included responsibilities, means and time
Corporation has successfully frames?
replaced a high-solids paint
with a water-based paint. incorporated environmental concerns in our
Solvent use has decreased
change management process?
significantly because the communicated the plan and tracked progress
dilution solvent for the paint is internally?
now deionized water.

Environmental Management Program -- Sample Tool

Action Respon- Resources Comments
Priority Schedule
Items sibilities Needed

•
•
•
•
•

(Note: A full-size copy of this tool is provided in the Tool Kit — see page 116.)

A Sample Schedule for an EMS Action Plan is provided in the Tool Kit (see page 118).

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Structure and Responsibility
How does our organizational structure affect environmental management?

Aligning your For your EMS to be effective, roles and responsibilities
resources must be clearly defined and communicated. In a small
to succeed organization, the commitment of all employees is
needed.
Top management plays a key role by providing the
resources needed to ensure that the EMS is
implemented effectively. Ensuring this capability is one
“Resources include of the most important jobs of top management (see
human resources “Finding Resources” on next page).
and specialized skills,
technology, and Any effective management system needs an advocate.
financial resources.” Top management should appoint a management
representative. This representative (1) ensures that
the EMS is established and implemented; (2) reports on
its performance over time; and (3) works with others to
modify the EMS when necessary. The management
- ISO 14001 representative could be the same person who serves as
the project champion (as discussed in Section 3), but
this is not mandatory. Management can use information
on EMS performance to improve the system over time.
(A business owner, plant or shop manager, or any
number of other people might serve as an effective
management representative.)
Characteristics of a
good management Small and medium-sized businesses may have an
advantage over larger businesses in structuring their
representative:
organizations for environmental management.
• Knowledgeable Because personnel and other resources are generally
• Assertive more limited in small businesses, people often “wear
• Independent more than one hat” and are experienced in performing
multiple functions. In some cases, the individual
responsible for environmental management in a small
firm is also responsible for quality, health safety,
facilities, or other related functions. For this reason,
integrating environmental responsibilities with other
functions can be greatly simplified.

Getting Started:
More organizational
advantages of small The following questions can help you determine the right
business: organizational structure for environmental management:
• shorter lines of • Look at the scope of your environmental
communication management program: What capabilities do we
need? Who needs to be involved to make the system
• less complex
effective? What training or other resources will they
organization need?
• limited delegation
• Look at your significant environmental impacts:
• simpler access to
What operations / activities need to be controlled?
management Who needs to be involved to ensure that controls are
implemented?

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• Look at the results of previous audits or other
assessments: What does this information tell us
about the effectiveness of our organizational
structure? How could it be improved?
• Look at the current responsibilities for
environmental management: How can we
Getting Started enhance ownership of environmental management
across the organization? How can other business
Look At: functions support the EMS? (See next page.)
• Program scope • Look at your quality management and / or other
• Environmental existing management systems: What roles and
aspects responsibilities exist in these management
systems? Where are the opportunities for
• Previous audits integration?
• Other systems Consider flow charting your organization’s
activities relating to environmental management.
This can help you understand how processes work
and the final product can be a great
communication and training tool. Flow charts
might be useful to look at processes such as
chemical purchasing and distribution, employee
training, and preventive maintenance, among
others.

Hints:
• Build flexibility into your organization’s EMS.
Recognize that environmental (and other)
management needs will change over time.
• Be sure to communicate to people what their
roles are (as well as the roles of others). One tool
for communicating these responsibilities is a
responsibility matrix (an example of which is
Consider integrating provided in the Tool Kit — see page 120).
EMS with your existing:
• information systems Finding Resources
• purchasing controls
• quality procedures In most cases, developing and maintaining an
• work instructions EMS will not require large capital outlays. What an
• training programs EMS will require is time. Many small organizations
• communication efforts have found that they can make effective use of
• reporting systems interns or temporary employees to perform
• recruitment, appraisal and potentially time-consuming EMS development
disciplinary processes tasks (such as collecting data, drafting and typing
procedures, etc.). This approach allows in-house
personnel to focus on more complex EMS
development tasks.
Also, exploit the links between environmental
management and other aspects of your
organization. Look for areas where environmental
management can support other business functions
(and vice-versa — see next page).

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More information on
resources is found in
Section 6 of this Guide

How Various Functions Can Support Your EMS

Functions How They Can Help (Possible Roles)

Purchasing • Develop and implement controls for chemical / other material
purchases

Human Resources • Define competency requirements and job descriptions for various
EMS roles
• Integrate environmental management into reward, discipline and
appraisal systems

Maintenance • Implement preventive maintenance program for key equipment

Finance • Track data on environmental management costs
• Prepare budgets for environmental management program
• Evaluate economic feasibility of environmental projects

Engineering • Consider environmental impacts of new or modified products and
processes
• Identify pollution prevention opportunities

Top Management • Communicate importance of EMS throughout organization
• Provide necessary resources
• Track and review EMS performance

Line Workers • Provide first-hand knowledge of environmental aspects of their
operations
• Support training for new employees

Review: Have we ....
defined roles for environmental management?
communicated those roles internally?
assessed resource needs?
designated a management representative?

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integrated environmental management with other
business functions wherever possible and practical?

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Training, Awareness and Competency
Why is training important to the success of our EMS?

Building internal There are two excellent reasons for training employees
about environmental management and your EMS:
capabilities
• Every employee can have an impact on the
environment.
• Any employee can have good ideas about how to
improve environmental management efforts.
Each person and function within your organization can
play a role in environmental management. For this
Implementing an EMS reason, your training program should cast a wide net.
involves everyone Everyone in the organization should be trained on the
environmental policy, significant environmental impacts
of their work activities, key EMS roles and
responsibilities, procedures that apply to their activities,
and the importance of conformance with EMS
requirements.
All personnel should receive appropriate training.
Reasons for However, training is just one element of establishing
Training
competence, which is typically based on a combination
of education, training, and experience. For certain key
• motivation roles (including tasks which can cause significant
• awareness environmental impacts), you should establish criteria for
• commitment measuring the competence of individuals performing
• skills/ capability
those tasks.
• compliance
• performance
Getting Started:
• A critical first step in developing your training
program is assessing your training and skill
needs. In assessing these needs, you should
consider both general and specific aspects (e.g.,
“What EMS procedures affect Joe’s daily work and
what happens if they aren’t followed?” “What
An example of a environmental impacts might Joe’s work cause?”
training log is “What broader understanding of environmental
issues and our EMS does Joe need?”)
provided in the Tool
Kit (see page 123). • Look at the training you conduct already, for
compliance with environmental and health and
safety regulations and other purposes. You may
find that your existing training efforts go a long way
towards satisfying the requirements for the EMS.

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Key Steps in Developing a Training Program

Step 1: Assess training needs requirements
Milan Screw Products found
Step 2: Define training objectives
that it could provide a great deal
of its EMS training during Step 3: Select suitable programs and methods
“brown bag” lunches, during Step 4: Prepare training plan (who, what, when,
which employees bring their where, how)
lunches, participate in a training Step 5: Implement training program
session, and remain “on the
Step 6: Track training (and maintain records)
clock” for the lunch period.
Step 7: Evaluate training effectiveness
Step 8: Improve training program (as needed)

Hints:

• Because of the level of effort involved in a training
program, this is one EMS area where you don’t want
to start from scratch. Many employees may already
be qualified on the basis of their experience and
previous training. (Keep in mind that all training
should be documented.) Since some employees may
require training on how to run a process safely, on-
the-job training certainly plays a role.
• Plan and schedule training opportunities carefully.
While finding enough time for training can be a
Training Resources: challenge, there may be creative ways to make “more
• internal trainers / time” (see box above left). Use venues like safety
experts meetings, staff meetings, and tool box meetings to
• consultants
provide “training” and reinforce key messages.
• community colleges
• New employees can pose a significant training
• vendors / suppliers challenge. Consider developing an EMS training
• customers package for new employee orientation. Even
• technical / trade / better, videotape one of your current EMS training
business associations courses to show new employees.
• self-study or
study groups • In reviewing training needs, don’t forget to consider
• training consortia the qualifications and training needs of your
(teaming with other environmental manager and your trainers.
local companies) Professional certification programs may be
• computer-based
appropriate for certain functions.
training • Factor your EMS skills requirements into your
recruiting, selection, and new employee orientation
efforts (as noted above).

• Establishing competency for various tasks can be a
challenge. Competency criteria for jobs that can

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cause significant environmental impacts should be as
objective as possible.

When Training Might One informal method for assessing competency is to
Be Needed question employees in critical functions as to how
they perform various aspects of their jobs (e.g.,
• New employee is hired
“Show me how you.......”). Use responses to
determine whether they have the requisite skills and
• Employee is transferred
understanding to do the job safely. This will help you
to new job
gauge whether additional training may be needed.
• Individual doesn’t follow
procedure / instruction • Consider “job aids” to supplement training or help
• Procedures are changed establish competence. Examples of job aids include
• New process, material, or written or pictorial job procedures, decision tables or
or equipment is introduced flow charts.
• Company changes objectives
and / or targets
• New regulation affects
company activities
• Job performance is not
A Few Thoughts about Adult
acceptable
Learning
• Adults need the opportunity to integrate
new ideas with what they already know.
• Information that conflicts sharply with
existing beliefs or has little conceptual
overlap with what is already known is
acquired more slowly.
• Adults prefer self-directed learning and
want to have a hand in shaping the
training program.
• Adults have expectations. It is important
Review: Have we … to clarify these up-front.
identified training • Adults prefer active participation to
needs? straight lecture.
developed a training - Adapted from “30 Things We Know for
plan? Sure About Adults Learning”
provided the required (Training Magazine, July 1988)
training at all levels?
communicated training
responsibilities?
tracked and
documented training?

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Communications
How are communications critical to the success of our EMS?

Opening the
information The importance of employee involvement in developing
and implementing your EMS has been discussed earlier.
lines Effective environmental management requires effective
communications.

Consider Communications will help you:
communication • motivate the workforce;
strategies for: • explain the environmental policy (both internally and
• neighbors externally) and how it relates to the overall business
vision / strategy;
• community groups • ensure understanding of roles and expectations;
• other interest groups • demonstrate management commitment;
• local officials • monitor performance; and,
• identify potential system improvements.
• regulatory agencies
Effective internal communications require mechanisms
• emergency responders for information to flow top-down and bottom-up. Since
employees are on the “front lines,” they are often an
excellent source of information, issues and ideas.
Communicating with external parties is also important
for effective environmental management. Obtaining the
views of neighbors, community groups, and customers,
(among others), will help you understand how your
organization is perceived by others. Information from
external sources can be critical in setting environmental
and other business goals.
External Outreach
Warner-Lambert Company An effective EMS should include procedures for:
has hosted local community
• communicating internally (between levels and
leaders, state agencies, functions), and
and federal agencies, to
share its environmental • soliciting, receiving, documenting and responding to
activities and programs and external communications.
to obtain feedback.
Getting Started:
The first step in designing a communications program is
determining your audiences. Make a list of internal and
external audiences.

Milan Screw Products’ Once you identify the audiences, you should then
determine what you need to communicate with them.
staff interviewed (What do they need to know about your products or
neighbors, customers, operations? What are their concerns?)
suppliers, and
employees’ family Next, decide how you can best reach them. Appropriate
members to obtain the communication methods might vary from audience to
views of external audience. Start by looking at your existing methods for
parties. communicating, both internally and externally. These
might include:

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Sample procedures
for internal and external Internal Methods External Methods
communications are
• newsletters • open houses
provided in the Tool
• staff meetings • focus groups
Kit (see pages 125 128).
• employee meetings • press releases
• bulletin boards • annual reports
• brown bag lunches • advertising

Hints:
• Determine how proactive your external
communications strategy will be. Select an approach
that fits your organization’s culture and strategy. For
example, will reporting on environmental performance
and progress give you an edge over the competition?
CC POLLUTION While a proactive external communications program
CC POLLUTION
PREVENTION CC may require more resources, some organizations have
PREVENTION CC
and found that a proactive strategy can be quite beneficial.
Weigh the costs and benefits for yourself, but keep in
and
Communication mind that there might be many interested audiences.
Communication
Rochester Midland • In communicating with employees, it is helpful to
CorporationMidland explain not only what they need to do but why they
Rochester developed a need to do it. For example, when describing a
program to improve indoor
Corporation developed a requirement based on a regulation, simply saying “the
environmental qualityindoor
program to improve in regulations require it” is not sufficient explanation. Try
buildings where quality in
environmental its cleaning to explain the purpose behind the rule and why it is
products are used. This
buildings where its cleaning important. Also make a clear connection between the
model program uses This
products are used. requirement and how it applies to each person’s job.
cleaning procedures that
model program uses • Keep the message simple — all communications
reduce emissions, products
cleaning procedures that should be clear, concise, and accurate.
that are less hazardous,
reduce emissions, products
engineering controls for and
that are less hazardous, • Managing responses to external inquiries does not
consistent quality.
engineering controls for have to be a burdensome task. Use a simple method,
Rochester Midland placed such as stapling an inquiry to its written response and
consistent quality. then filing them together. The key is to be able to
postcards on building
Rochester Midland placed demonstrate that the organization has a system for
tenants’ desks building
postcards on that informed responding to external inquiries.
them of the program informed
tenants’ desks that
solicited feedback for
them of the program
continual improvement of
solicited feedback for Review: Have we …
the program.
continual improvement of established procedures for internal and external
the program. communication?
determined who is responsible for responding to external
inquiries?
identified target audiences?
determined the proper communications methods for each
audience?

EMS Documentation

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Why do we need documentation of our EMS?

Describing your EMS To ensure that your EMS is well understood and
and how the pieces operating as designed, you need to get information to the
fit together people doing the work. In addition, there are external
parties that might need to understand how your EMS
operates, such as customers, registrars, regulators,
lending institutions, and the public. A “road map” of your
EMS explaining how the pieces fit together can be a very
useful tool.
EMS documentation can be viewed as a series of
explanations or statements of how EMS criteria (such as
ISO 14001) apply to your organization. While you don’t
need to maintain a single “manual”, you should maintain
EMS information in a form that:
Rule of thumb: • describes the core elements of your EMS (and how
Try to keep the these elements relate to each other), and
description to no • provides direction to related documentation.
more than one page
per EMS element You can maintain this documentation either on paper or
electronically. There may be some advantages to
maintaining documents electronically, such as easier
updating, access control, and ensuring that the most up-
to-date version of a document is used by all readers.
EMS documentation is related to (but not the same as)
EMS records. EMS documentation describes what
your system consists of (i.e., what you do), while EMS
records demonstrate that you are doing what you said
you would do. EMS records are described later in this
Guide.
Easier to read and
understand =
easier to follow
Policy Hierarchy of EMS
Documentation
EMS Manual

Procedures

Forms, Drawings, etc.

One way to think about your EMS documentation is to
use the figure shown above, which also applies to ISO
9000 documents.

Hints:

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• Keep your EMS documentation simple and choose a

format that works best for your organization. The
documentation does not need to describe every detail
of your EMS or how your organization conforms to the
ISO 14001 Standard (or other EMS criteria). Instead,
consider providing references to other documents or
procedures.
• Use the results of your preliminary assessment to
prepare your EMS documentation. In the course of
conducting the preliminary assessment, you should
have collected or prepared useful material on how your
Use flow charts organization satisfies the EMS criteria.
or other graphics • The usefulness of your EMS documentation can be
where they help improved by including the organization’s mission
explain the statement, vision, guiding principles, and annual
system and its objectives (if these exist). These will help readers
understand the organizational context and how the
linkages EMS supports overall business goals.
• An EMS manual can be a useful tool for explaining
your EMS to new employees, customers, or others. A
sample outline for an EMS manual is provided in the
Tool Kit (see page 133).
• EMS documentation should be updated as needed,
based on any system improvements you put in place.
However, if you put too much detail in an EMS
manual, you may have to update the manual frequently
(see first hint, above).

What Constitutes EMS Documentation?

Consider including the following:
Review: Have we …
• your environmental policy
documented the
environmental • your organizational structure and key responsibilities
policy, organization,
key procedures, and • descriptions of how your company meets ISO 14001
other system requirements (e.g., “How do we identify
elements? environmental aspects?”. “How do we control
described where documents?” How do we conduct EMS audits?”)
people can find the
documents listed • references to key procedures / controls
above and related • direction to other related documents (such as
documents? emergency response plans, training plans, etc.)
explained the
linkages among
system elements?

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Document Control
How do we ensure everyone is working with the right information?

Getting everyone People in your organization probably use various
on the same page documents (drawings, work instructions and the like) as
they perform their duties. To ensure that your personnel
are consistently doing the job right, the organization
must provide them with the right tools. In this case, the
tools needed are the correct and up-to-date procedures,
Suggested elements drawings and other documents. Without a mechanism to
of document control: control EMS documents, the organization has no way of
knowing (or verifying) that people are working with the
• issue / revision date right tools.
• effective date To ensure that everyone is working with the proper EMS
• approval documents, your organization should have a procedure
(i.e., signature) that describes how documents are controlled.
Implementation of this procedure should ensure that:
• revision number
• document number • EMS documents can be located,
(or other identifier) • they are periodically reviewed,
• copy number
• current versions are available where needed, and
• cross-references
• obsolete documents are removed.
Your document control procedure should designate
responsibility and authority for preparing documents,
making changes to them and keeping them up-to-date.
In other words, you need to make it clear who can
actually change documents and what the change
process is.
Key Question:
Is everyone working Getting Started:
with the same set of
documents? • EMS document control requirements are almost a mirror
image of the ISO 9000 requirements. Organizations that
have or are developing an ISO 9000 management
system can enjoy some advantages here.
• Even if your organization doesn’t have an ISO 9000
system, you might be better off than you think. Your
organization probably has document controls in place for
other business purposes (such as finance, human
resources or purchasing). Assess how well these
controls work and if they can be adapted for your EMS.
Start with a few
copies, then add
more if the need
is shown.

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Hints:
• Don’t make your procedure more complicated than it
needs to be. While larger organizations often have
complex processes for document control, smaller
organizations can use simpler systems.
• Limiting distribution makes the job easier. Does
everyone have access to one or a few copies?
Determine how many copies you really need and
where they should be located for ease of access.
Documents that • If the people that need access to documents are
should be controlled: connected to a local area network, consider using a
paperless system. This can facilitate control and
• policy revision of documents considerably.
• manual • Prepare a document control index that shows all of
• procedures your EMS documents and the history of their revision.
• work instructions Put this index in your manual. Also, if multiple copies
of documents are available at the facility, prepare a
• forms drawings distribution list, showing who has each copy and
where the copies are located.
• As your procedures or other documents are revised,
highlight the changes (by underlining, boldface, etc.).
This will make it easier for the reader to find the
changes.
The Tool Kit contains a sample document control
procedure (see page 135) and a sample index of EMS-
controlled documents (see page 131).

Document EMS
Procedures Policy Others …
Requirements Documentation
Review: Have we …
developed a procedure Document
to control EMS Control
documents? Preparation Issuance Revision Disposition
Requirements
determined the number
of copies of documents
we need?
Records
established Requirements
Identification Retention Storage Disposition
responsibilities and
authorities for
document preparation,
revision, management,
and disposition? Linkages among EMS documentation, document
control and records

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Operational Control
What operations and activities must be controlled for environmental management?

Building in performance To ensure that your environmental policy is followed and
that your objectives are achieved, certain operations and
activities must be controlled. Where an operation or
activity is complex and/or the potential environmental
impacts are significant, these controls should take the
form of documented procedures. Procedures can help
your organization to ensure regulatory compliance and
consistent environmental performance. Procedures can
also play a key role in employee training.
Identification
Policy of Significant Documented procedures should cover those situations
Impacts
where the absence of procedures could lead to
deviations from the environmental policy or your
objectives and targets. Determining which operations
should be covered by documented procedures and how
those operations should be controlled is a critical aspect
Operational of developing an effective EMS.
Controls
In deciding which activities need to be controlled, look
beyond routine production on the shop floor. Activities
such as maintenance, management of on-site
contractors, and relationships with suppliers or
Objectives vendors could affect your organization’s environmental
performance significantly.
Targets

Examples of Activities Getting Started:
and Operations that
Might Require • Start by looking at the environmental aspects and
Operational Controls: potentially significant impacts which you identified
earlier. Identify the processes from which these
• management / significant impacts arise, and consider what types of
disposal of wastes controls might be needed to prevent or manage these
impacts. If you have flow charts of these processes,
• approval of new identify the points in each process where some type of
chemicals control may be appropriate.
• storage handling of
• Prepare draft procedures and review them with the
raw materials and
people who will need to implement them. This will help
chemicals to ensure that the procedures are accurate and
• wastewater treatment realistic.
• operation of paint line
• operation of plating
system
• management of
contractors

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Hints:
• Look at procedures you already have in place to
comply with environmental and health safety
regulations. Some of these may be adequate to
control significant impacts (or could be modified to do
so). Develop a chart to keep track of what is needed:

Procedure Procedure Procedure exists No procedure
needed exists, but is not and needed
(none exists) documented is documented

•
•
•
•

• Rules of Thumb: the more highly skilled and trained
your employees are, the less critical procedures will be.
The more complex the work or the greater the potential
Factors That Could impact on the environment, the more important these
Affect the Need for procedures will be.
Documented Procedures:
• Once you have identified operations that require
• risk of activity control, consider what kinds of maintenance and
calibration may be appropriate. However, the need for
• complexity of activity / maintenance on equipment that could have significant
methods environmental impacts should be obvious, and the
• degree of supervision need to plan and control such maintenance should not
be overlooked. This does not mean that an elaborate
• skills / training of preventive or predictive maintenance program is
workforce needed in all cases. Assess your existing maintenance
program and its effectiveness before making significant
changes.

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CC POLLUTION
Hints on Writing Procedures
PREVENTION CC

Rochester Midland • Understand the existing process (start with a flow
Corporation, a manufacturer of chart, if one is available). Build on informal
procedures where possible.
cleaning and other chemical
products, formed a partnership • Focus on steps needed for consistent
implementation.
with a cleaning contractor that
uses Rochester Midland’s • Use a consistent format and approach.
products, the owners of a • Review draft procedures with employees that will
building where the products are have to implement them. (Better yet, enlist
used, and building tenants, to employees to help write them.)
lessen the risks associated with • Keep procedures simple and concise. Excessive
cleaning products. The partners detail doesn’t provide more control and is not
needed.
began by developing common
goals, identifying alternative
cleaning products and
processes, and identifying
• Some of your identified environmental aspects may be
opportunities to reduce risks to related to the chemicals, raw materials, or other goods
building occupants and cleaning and services you obtain from vendors/suppliers.
staff. Over a two-month period, Likewise, the activities of your contractors can affect
they were able to: reduce your environmental performance. Communicate your
chemical exposures; improve expectations (including any relevant procedures) to
tenant satisfaction; improve these business partners.
communication, awareness, and
training; achieve a 50% • While the development of procedures can be time-
reduction in cleaning products; consuming, some organizations have come up with
and achieve measurable cost creative ways to reduce the data collection burden.
savings. Consider having a college intern or temporary
employee interview your employees “on the line” to
collect information on what employees do and how
they do it.

• If your organization uses a “work team” concept, ask
the work teams to draft procedures for their areas (or
to modify existing procedures for EMS purposes).

Review: Have we …

developed procedures to control key
operations / activities?

trained employees on these procedures?

covered normal operations, abnormal
operations, emergencies?

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Emergency Preparedness and Response
How should we be prepared for accidents and emergencies?

Minimizing the impacts Despite an organization’s best efforts, the possibility of
accidents and other emergency situations still exits.
of uncontrolled events Effective planning and preparation can reduce injuries,
protect employees and neighbors, reduce asset losses
and minimize production downtime.
An effective emergency preparedness and response
program should include provisions for:
• assessing the potential for accidents and
Don’t think only about emergencies;
response — focus on
how to prevent accidents • preventing incidents and their associated
environmental impacts;
in the first place!
• plans / procedures for responding to incidents;
• periodic testing of emergency plans / procedures; and,
• mitigating impacts associated with these incidents.
Review prior accidents Consistent with your organization’s focus on continual
and incidents as one improvement, it also is a good idea to review emergency
response performance after an incident has occurred.
guide to where future This review can help determine if more training is needed
incidents may occur. or if emergency plans / procedures should be revised.

Getting Started:
• This is another area where you should not have to start
Useful Information: from scratch. Several environmental and health and
• Material safety data sheets safety regulatory programs require emergency plans
and/or procedures. Look at what you have in place
• Plant drawings now and assess how well it satisfies the items
discussed above.
• Process flow diagrams
• One area where additional work is often needed is on
• Piping and instrumentation identifying the potential for accidents and
emergencies. A team of site personnel (from
diagrams engineering, maintenance and Environmental Health
Safety, for example) can identify most potential
• Design codes and emergencies by asking a series of “what if” questions
standards related to hazardous materials, activities, and
• Specifications on safety processes employed at the site. In addition to normal
operations, the team should consider start-up and
systems (alarms,
shutdown of process equipment, and other abnormal
sprinklers, etc.) operating conditions.

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• Ask yourself: Does everyone (including new
employees) know what to do in an emergency? How
would contractors or site visitors know what to do in an
emergency situation?
• Communicate with local officials (fire department,
hospital, etc.) about potential emergencies at your site
and how they can support your response efforts.

Hints:
• Mock drills can be an excellent way to reinforce
training and get feedback on the effectiveness of your
plans / procedures.
• Post copies of the plan (or at least critical contact
names and phone numbers) around the site and
especially in areas where high hazards exist. Include
phone numbers for your on-site emergency
coordinator, local fire department, local police, hospital,
rescue squad, and others as appropriate.

Checklist for Emergency Preparedness
and Response Plan
Does your plan describe the following:
• potential emergency situations (such as fires,
explosions, spills or releases of hazardous materials,
and natural disasters)?
• hazardous materials used on-site (and their
locations)?
Review: Have we …
reviewed operations for • key organizational responsibilities (including
potential emergency emergency coordinator)?
situations? • arrangements with local emergency support
developed plans / providers?
procedures for managing
these situations? • emergency response procedures, including
emergency communication procedures?
trained personnel and
obtained any necessary • locations and types of emergency response
emergency equipment? equipment?
established a feedback
loop so we can learn • maintenance of emergency response equipment?
from our experiences?
• training / testing of personnel, including the on-site
emergency response team (if applicable)?
• testing of alarm / public address systems?
• evacuation routes and exits (map), and assembly
points?

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Monitoring and Measurement
How do we know how we are doing?

Assessing how An EMS without an effective monitoring and measurement
well the system program is like driving at night without the headlights on —
is working you know that you are moving but you can’t tell where you
are going! Monitoring and measurement enables you to:

• gauge your environmental performance;
“If you can’t measure it, • analyze root causes of problems;
you can’t manage it.” • identify areas where corrective action is needed; and,
- Peter Drucker • improve performance / increase efficiency.
In short, monitoring helps you manage your business
better. Pollution prevention and other strategic business
opportunities are identified more readily when current and
reliable data is available.
Which operations and
activities can have
significant environmental
Your organization should develop procedures to:
impacts?
• monitor key characteristics of operations and
activities that can have significant environmental
impacts;
• track performance (including how well you meet your
What are the key objectives and targets);
characteristics of
these operations and • calibrate and maintain monitoring equipment; and,
activities? • through internal audits, periodically evaluate your
compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Getting Started:
How do we measure
these characteristics?
• Monitoring and measuring can be resource-intensive.
One of the most important steps you can take is to
clearly define your needs. While collecting information
is clearly important, resist the urge to collect data “for
data’s sake.”
• Review the kinds of monitoring you do now for
regulatory compliance and other purposes (such as
Attributes of an Effective quality or health and safety management). How well
Measurement Program
does this serve your EMS purposes? What additional
monitoring or measuring might be needed?
• simple • You can start with a relatively simple monitoring and
• flexible measurement system, then build on it as you gain
• consistent experience.
• ongoing
• results communicated
• reliable data produced

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Hints:
• Monitoring key process characteristics: Many management
theorists endorse the concept of the “vital few” — that is, that a
limited number of factors can be measured to determine the
outcome of a process. The key is to figure out what those
factors are and how to measure them. Root cause analysis is
one way to identify what those factors might be.
• Most effective environmental measurement systems use a
combination of process and outcome measures. Outcome
measures look at results of a process or activity (such as the
amount of waste generated or the number of spills that took
place). Process measures, on the other hand, look at
“upstream” factors, such as the amount of paint used per unit of
product or the number of employees trained. A combination of
process and outcome measures may be right for your
organization.

Environmental • Equipment calibration: Identify process equipment and
performance activities that truly affect your environmental performance. As a
evaluation is an starting point, look at the key process characteristics you
ongoing process identified earlier. Some companies choose to put key monitoring
equipment under a special calibration and preventive
maintenance program. This can help to ensure accurate
monitoring and lets employees know which instruments are most
critical for environmental monitoring purposes. In some cases, it
may be more cost-effective to subcontract calibration and
Regulators may provide maintenance of monitoring equipment than to perform these
incentives for effective functions internally.
compliance management
programs, including self-reporting • Assessing regulatory compliance: Determining your
compliance status on a regular basis is very important. You
(see the EPA’s Final Policy should have a process to systematically identify, correct, and
Statement - “Incentives for Self- prevent violations. Performance of the compliance
Policing: Discovery, Disclosure,
management program should be considered during EMS
management review (see page 54). The box below describes
Correction and Prevention of some of the characteristics of a good compliance management
Violations “ - December 22, 1995 program.
Federal Register, Vol. 60, No. 246).

Compliance Management Program Elements

• Organization policies and standards that describe how
Employees should have
employees are to meet the regulations
a mechanism to report • Assignment of responsibility for compliance oversight
regulatory violations (or • Processes to systematically ensure that policies and
other EMS issues) without fear of standards are carried out (e.g., monitoring and auditing)
retaliation by their employer. • Appropriate incentives and disciplinary procedures
• Prompt disclosure of findings
• Prompt and appropriate correction of problems

(adapted from EPA’s final policy statement on self-

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auditing;
December 22, 1995)

• Evaluating environmental performance: Go back and look
at your significant environmental aspects and the
objectives and targets associated with those significant
aspects. What information will you need to determine if the
company is achieving its objectives and targets?

Focus on things that you can do something about!
• Start by selecting a few performance indicators that are:
Leading vs. Lagging
Indicators - simple and understandable
- objective
Number of people - verifiable
trained in spill - relevant to what your organization does (i.e., its activities,
prevention (Leading) products, and services)

vs. • Make sure you can commit the necessary resources to track
this information over time. It is OK to start small and build
over time as your company gains experience in evaluating its
Number of spills that
performance. Keep in mind that no single measurement
took place (Lagging)
will tell your organization how it is doing in the environmental
area.
• People respond best to information that is meaningful to
“their world.” Putting environmental information in a form that
is relevant to their function increases the likelihood they will
act on the information. Be sure to link your measurement
program with your communications program and other
elements of the EMS (such as management reviews, as
discussed later).
• The distinction between audits and environmental
performance evaluation can be confusing. The figure below
is intended to explain the two concepts. Both are important
to your EMS.

Distinguishing Auditing from Environmental
Performance Evaluation

Audits EPE

• periodic • ongoing
• sample of data • frequent
• independent • line function
• verifies conformance • assesses performance

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Example EMS Performance Indicators

• Pounds of VOC emitted per unit of production

• Pounds of hazardous waste generated per year

• Percentage of employees completing environmental
training

• Average time for resolving nonconformities

• Energy use per unit of production

• Percentage of solid waste recycled / reused

Review: Have we …

identified key process characteristics and how to measure /
monitor them?

set up a process to regularly evaluate (through internal audits)
compliance with laws and regulations?

determined how to measure performance against our
objectives and targets?

established procedures to maintain and calibrate key
monitoring equipment?

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Nonconformance and Corrective / Preventive Action
What do we do when we find a problem?

Fixing EMS problems
and avoiding them No EMS is perfect. You will probably find problems with your
in the future system, especially in the beginning (through audits,
measurement, or other activities). Your EMS will also need to
change as your organization changes and grows. When
system deficiencies are encountered, your organization will
need a process to ensure that:
Nonconformance • problems (including nonconformities) are investigated;
means...... • root causes are identified;
• system does not • corrective actions are identified and implemented; and,
meet the EMS criteria • corrective actions are tracked and documented.
(such as ISO 14001)
EMS nonconformities and other system deficiencies should be
-or- analyzed to detect patterns or trends. Identifying these
• implementation is not trends will allow you to anticipate and prevent future
consistent with the problems.
EMS description
Focus on correcting and preventing problems. Preventing
problems is generally cheaper than fixing them after they
occur (or after they reoccur). This approach is consistent with
the continual improvement philosophy.
Recurring problems
are expensive !
Management
Review
= System Improvement
System Corrective
Audits Action

Hints:
• If your organization has an ISO 9000 management system,
you should already have a corrective / preventive action
process for quality purposes. You can use this as a model
(or integrate with it) for EMS purposes.
• Small companies might find they can combine their
management review and corrective action processes,
especially if the same people are involved in both. At the
very least, a strong link should exist between the two
processes.
• The amount of planning and documentation needed for
corrective / preventive actions can vary with the severity of
the problem (and its potential environmental impacts).
Don’t go overboard with bureaucracy — simple methods
often work best.

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Why do EMS • Once you document a problem, the organization must be
problems occur? committed to resolving it. Corrective actions should be
implemented as quickly as possible. Be sure that your
Typical causes include: corrective / preventive action process specifies
• poor communication responsibilities and schedules. Review your progress
regularly and follow up on any deficiencies.
• faulty or missing
procedures • Make sure you collect the right data / information to make
• equipment malfunction good decisions. While many corrective actions may be
(or lack of maintenance) “common sense,” you need to look below the surface to
determine why a problem has occurred.
• lack of training
• lack of understanding (of • Initially, most EMS problems may be identified by your
requirements) auditors. However, over the long run, most problems and
• failure to enforce rules good ideas may come from the people in the shop doing the
work. This should be encouraged. Find ways to get
employees involved in the system improvement process (for
example, via suggestion boxes, contests and incentive
programs).

Key Steps: Sources Employee Other
Audits Monitoring
of change Suggestions Sources
• identify the problem
• identify the cause
(investigate)
Investigate and
• come up with solution Corrective
recommend
• implement solution Action
solutions
Process
• document solution
• communicate solution

Institutionalize
Management
Change
Review
People doing the work
are often in the best
position to see
problems and suggest
solutions. Review: Have we …
developed procedures for investigating, correcting,
and preventing system deficiencies?

The Tool Kit contains set up a process for assigning responsibilities for
and tracking completion of corrective actions?
a sample corrective
action procedure set up a process to revise procedures or other
and tracking log EMS documents based on corrective / preventive
(see page 139). actions?

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Records
How do we prove that our EMS is working?

Evidence that the The value of records management is fairly simple — you
EMS is working should be able to prove that your organization is actually
properly implementing the EMS as designed. While records have
value internally, over time you may need to provide evidence
of EMS implementation to external parties (such as
customers, a registrar, or the public). Records management
is often viewed as bureaucratic, but it is hard to imagine a
process or system operating consistently without keeping
Records should be accurate records.
important to the operation
of the EMS, including your Basic records management is straightforward — you need to
regulatory compliance efforts. decide what records you will keep, how you will keep them
and for how long. You should also think about how you will
dispose of records once you no longer need them.
If your organization has an ISO 9000 management system,

you should have a system for managing quality records.
Hints:
• Focus on records that add value — avoid bureaucracy.
If records have no value, then don’t collect them. The
records you choose to keep should be accurate and
complete.
• You may need to generate certain forms as you develop
your EMS. These forms should be simple and
understandable.
• Consider combining your records management
processes for environmental and health safety records.

• Establish a records retention policy and stick to it. Make
sure that your policy takes into account records retention
Key Questions: requirements specified in applicable environmental
regulations.
• what records are kept?
• who keeps them? • In designing your records management system, be sure to
• where are they kept? consider:
• how are they kept? - who needs access?
• how long are they kept? - to what records?
• how are they accessed? - in what circumstances?
• how are they disposed? • If your organization uses computers extensively, consider
using an electronic EMS records management system.
Maintaining records electronically can provide an excellent
means for rapid retrieval of records as well as controlling
access to sensitive records.
• Think about which records might require additional
security. Do you need to restrict access to certain
records? Should a back-up copy of critical records be

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maintained at another location?

Types of Records You Might Maintain (Examples):

• legal, regulatory and other code requirements
• results of environmental aspects identification
• reports of progress towards meeting objectives and targets
• permits, licenses and other approvals
• training records
• EMS audit and regulatory compliance audit reports
• reports of identified nonconformities, corrective action plans
and corrective action tracking data
• hazardous material spill / other incident reports
• communications with customers, suppliers, contractors and
other external parties
• results of management reviews
The Tool Kit contains • sampling and monitoring data
a tool for organizing your • maintenance records
filing system (see page • equipment calibration records
144). Copy the pages, cut out the
tabs, and use them to set up 5 ISO 14001 requires that organizations have procedures for
your files. training records and the results of audits and reviews 5

Review: Have we …
identified records to be maintained?
determined their retention times?
set up a good storage and retrieval system?

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EMS Auditing
Are we doing what we said we would do?

Objective evidence of Once your organization has established its EMS, verifying the
conformance with implementation of the system will be critical. To identify and
EMS requirements resolve EMS deficiencies you must actively seek them out.
In a small organization, audits are particularly relevant since
managers are often so close to the work that they may not
see problems or bad habits that have developed. Periodic
EMS audits will establish whether or not all of the
requirements of the EMS are being carried out in the
specified manner.
Audits are vital For your EMS audit program to be effective, you should:
to continual
improvement • develop audit procedures and protocols;
• establish an appropriate audit frequency;
• train your auditors; and,
• maintain audit records.
The results of your EMS audits should be linked to the
corrective action system (as described earlier).
While they can be time-consuming, EMS audits are critical to
EMS effectiveness. Systematic identification and reporting of
EMS deficiencies to management provides a great
EMS Audit:
opportunity to:
“ A systematic and
documented verification • maintain management focus on the environment,
process of objectively • improve the EMS, and
• ensure its cost-effectiveness.
obtaining and evaluating
evidence to determine
whether an organization’s
environmental management Getting Started:
system conforms to the
• How frequently do we need to audit? In determining the
environmental management frequency of your EMS audits, some issues to consider are:
system audit criteria
set by the organization, - the nature of your operations,
- the significant environmental aspects / impacts (which
and for communication you identified earlier),
of the results of this - the results of your monitoring program, and
process to management.” - the results of previous audits.
As a rule of thumb, all parts of the EMS should be audited
at least annually. You can audit the entire EMS at one
time or break it down into discrete elements for more
frequent audits. (There may be advantages to more
frequent audits, but the decision is up to you).
- ISO 14001

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• Who will perform the audits? You will need trained EMS
Audit procedures should auditors. Auditor training should be both initial and
describe: ongoing. Commercial EMS auditor training is available, but
• audit scope (areas and it might be more cost-effective to link up with businesses
activities covered) and other organizations in your area (perhaps through a
trade association) to sponsor an auditor training course. A
• audit frequency
local community college might also provide auditor training.
• audit methods
• key responsibilities EMS auditors should be trained in auditing techniques and
• reporting mechanisms management system concepts. Familiarity with
environmental regulations, facility operations, and
environmental science is a big plus, and in some cases may
be essential to adequately assess the EMS. Some auditor
training can be obtained on-the-job. Your organization’s
first few EMS audits can be considered part of your auditor
Traits of a training program (but make sure that an experienced
auditor takes part in those “training” audits).
good auditor:
• Independent (of the If your company is registered under ISO 9000, consider
activity being audited) using your internal ISO 9000 auditors as EMS auditors.
Although some additional training might be needed, many of
• Objective the required skills are the same for both types of audits.
• Impartial
• Tactful • How should management use audit results?
Management can use EMS audit results to identify trends
• Attentive to detail or patterns in EMS deficiencies. The organization must
also make sure that any identified system gaps /
deficiencies are corrected in a timely fashion and that the
corrective actions are documented.

Hints:
• Your EMS audits should focus on objective evidence of
conformance. (If you cannot tell whether or not a particular
procedure has been followed, then you should consider
revising the procedure). During the actual audit, auditors
should resist the temptation to evaluate why a procedure
was not followed — that step comes later.

Sources of Evidence: • During the course of the audit, auditors should discuss
identified deficiencies with the people who work in the
area. This will help the auditors verify that their
• interviews understanding is correct. It can also serve as refresher
training (on EMS requirements) for employees.
• document review
• observation of • If possible, train at least two people as internal auditors.
This allows your auditors to work as a team. It also allows
work practices audits to take place when one auditor has a schedule
conflict (which is unavoidable in a small organization!).

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ISO has finalized three
guidance standards for
environmental auditing — Some Options for Auditing
ISO 14010, ISO 14011, and - Barter for audit services with other small companies
ISO 14012. These - Use external auditors
- Have office personnel audit production areas (and vice-
guidelines may help your versa)
organization to develop its
EMS auditing program (see • Before you start an audit, be sure to communicate the audit
Annex B for additional scope, schedule, and other pertinent information with the
information). people in the affected area(s). This will help avoid
confusion and will facilitate the audit process.
• Consider linking your EMS audit program to your regulatory
compliance audit process. But keep in mind that these
Results of
audit programs have different purposes, and while you
regulatory
might want to communicate the results of EMS audits widely
compliance
within your organization, the results of compliance audits
might need to be communicated in a more limited fashion (in
audits are often
order to maintain attorney-client or attorney work product
good indicators
privilege, for example).
of EMS
deficiencies.
• The Tool Kit includes a sample EMS audit procedure (see
Use compliance
page 148).
audit fidings to
guide your EMS
audit efforts. Periodic
EMS Audits

EMS Corrective Action
Established Process
Even if you have
an effective Management
internal audit
Reviews
program,
consider periodic
external audits to
ensure
objectivity.
Linkages among EMS audits, corrective action and
management reviews

Review: Have we …

developed an audit program?
determined an appropriate audit frequency?
selected and trained EMS auditors?
conducted EMS audits as described in the program?
developed a process to keep records of these audits?

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Management Review
How do we ensure that our EMS will remain viable?

Closing the continual Just as a person should have periodic physical exams,
improvement loop your EMS must be reviewed by management from time to
time to stay “healthy.” Management reviews are the key
to continual improvement and to ensuring that the EMS
will continue to meet your organization’s needs over time.
Management reviews also offer a great opportunity to
Management reviews can keep your EMS efficient and cost-effective. For
be used to demonstrate example, some organizations have found that certain
top management’s ongoing
procedures and processes initially put in place were not
needed to achieve their environmental objectives or
support for the environment
control key processes. If EMS procedures and other
activities don’t add value, eliminate them.
The key question that a management review seeks to
answer is:
“Is the system working?” ( i.e., is the EMS suitable,
adequate and effective, given our needs?)

Hints:
• There are two kinds of people who should be involved
in the management review process:
- people who have the right information / knowledge
- people who can make decisions
Hold • Determine the frequency for management reviews that
management will work best for your organization. Some
reviews “after organizations combine these reviews with other
hours” so that meetings (such as director meetings) while other
production will organizations hold “stand-alone” reviews. For ISO 9000
purposes, management reviews are typically held once
not be affected. or twice per year.
• Regardless of what approach your organization takes,
make sure that someone takes notes on what issues
were discussed, what decisions were arrived at, and
The Tool Kit what action items were selected. Management
contains a sample reviews should be documented.
Management
Review procedure • The management review should assess how changing
(see page 154). circumstances might influence the suitability,
effectiveness or adequacy of your EMS. Changing
circumstances may be internal to your organization
(i.e., new facilities, new materials, changes in products
or services, new customers, etc.) or may be external
factors (such as new laws, new scientific information, or
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Plan
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changes in adjacent land use).
Information sources • Once you have documented the action items arising
to consider: from your management review, be sure that someone
• audit results follows-up. Progress on these items should be
• internal suggestions tracked.
• external communications
• progress on objectives • As you evaluate potential changes to your EMS, be sure
and targets to consider your other organizational plans and
• other environmental goals. Environmental decision-making should be
performance measures integrated into your overall management and strategy.
• reports of emergencies,
spills, other incidents
• new or modified legislation Questions to Ponder During Management
and regulations Reviews
• new scientific/ technical data
on materials and processes • Did we achieve our objectives and targets? (if not,
used by the organization why not?) Should we modify our objectives?
• Is our environmental policy still relevant to what we do?
• Are roles and responsibilities clear and do they make
sense?
• Are we applying resources appropriately?
• Are the procedures clear and adequate? Do we need
The Internet is a others? Should we eliminate some?
good way to • Are we monitoring our EMS (e.g., via system audits)?
stay on top of What do the results of those audits tell us?
changing laws,
regulations, • What effects have changes in materials, products, or
technologies, services had on our EMS and its effectiveness?
and other • Do changes in laws or regulations require us to change
environmental some of our approaches?
information.
• What stakeholder concerns have been raised since our
last review?
• Is there a better way? What else can we do to
“Many of the benefits improve?
of an EMS cannot be
anticipated beforehand.
You will have to discover
them as pleasant
surprises at some point
Review: Have we …
after implementation. established a process for periodic reviews of our
They will be there.” EMS?
documented the results of such reviews?
followed-up on action items to ensure closure?

- Milan Screw Products CONGRATULATIONS !! YOU NOW HAVE ALL
OF THE ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE EMS !!

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Section 5 : The Registration Process
This section describes the registration process, and will help you to decide
if your organization should pursue registration.

Environmental management system registration is the
process whereby a non-biased third-party attests that an
1st Party Audit organization s EMS conforms with the requirements of an
Internal Audit EMS standard, such as ISO 14001. The third-party
organization that performs the registration services is called
2nd Party Audit a registrar,” and is selected by the organization that
Customer audit of a desires registration services. The type of registration
supplier services that will be offered for ISO 14001 will be similar to
3rd Party Audit those offered for the ISO 9000 series of quality management
Audit by another party system standards. In North America, over 13,000
independent of a supplier companies have been registered to ISO 9000.
and its customer
A registrar can be accredited by a third-party accreditation
body that is independent of the registrar. Accreditation is
the process in which a registrar s competence is evaluated
by a third-party accreditation body with national or
Registration
vs. governmental recognition. Accreditation greatly enhances a
Certification registrar s credibility.

Both terms can be used to ISO 14001 does not require that an organization implement
describe the third-party the Standard at the corporate level. For example, one
process. In the U.S., the organization may choose to implement the Standard
term registration is throughout the entire organization, while another may
generally used for implement the Standard in one particular facility. An
management systems, organization can elect to register the entire organization, a
while the term division(s), selected facilities, a particular facility, or selected
certification is generally operations within a facility. The key factor in choosing the
used for products. organizational unit for registration purposes is that it has its
own functions and administration.

Registrars may have different registration processes and
may offer different types of services. The following is a
description of a fairly typical registration program which is
provided for illustrative purposes:

The Registration Process

Step 1: Application for Registration
The organization seeking EMS registration submits an
application indicating the activities and facilities of the
organization or site to be registered.

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Step 2: Review of EMS Documentation / Desk Audit
The organization submits documentation of its EMS, which
includes its environmental policy and documentation
indicating how it meets each clause in the ISO 14001
Overview of
Standard. The documentation is reviewed by a designated
the Typical
lead auditor. The auditor generates a written report which
EMS Registration
indicates conformance or nonconformance of the
Process:
documented EMS to each clause of the Standard.
1. Application
Step 3: On-site EMS Readiness Review
The lead auditor conducts an on-site visit in order to resolve
2. EMS Documentation any EMS documentation nonconformities and to verify that
Review - Desk Audit the facility is prepared for a full registration audit. The on-
site visit is also used to assess the resources and logistics
3. On-site EMS necessary for the full registration audit.
Readiness Review
Step 4: Registration Audit
4. Registration Audit An audit team conducts an on-site audit to evaluate and
verify through objective evidence (interviews, procedures,
5. Registration records, etc.) that the EMS conforms to the requirements in
Determination the ISO 14001 Standard, is effectively implemented, and
has sufficient provisions to be maintained.
6. Surveillance
Step 5: Registration Determination
A final report containing the results of the registration audit is
submitted to the organization. To receive a Certificate of
Registration, an organization must successfully meet the
requirements of the ISO 14001 Standard, as well as the
registration policies of the registrar.

The ISO 14001 Standard Step 6: Surveillance
does not require third- Surveillance audits are typically performed semi-annually to
party registration, but verify continued conformance with the ISO 14001 Standard.
market forces and During the surveillance audits, the audit team may only audit
regulatory incentives certain elements of the EMS. Over a three year period,
may provide strong however, all of the elements of the EMS must be reviewed to
encouragement for ensure continued conformance to the requirements of the
registration. ISO 14001 Standard.

Possible Registration Audit Results

There are three possible results from a registration or
surveillance audit. The registrar can determine that the
applicant is:

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♦ Recommended for registration
There are no major nonconformities.

- or -

♦ Recommended for registration following
verification of corrective action
Classification There are one or more major nonconformities which can
of be corrected and verified without a full re-audit.
Audit Findings:
- or -
Major Nonconformity
Absence or complete ♦ Recommended for an on-site reassessment
breakdown of an EMS There are several major nonconformities which indicate a
element. A large breakdown of the EMS. Another full on-site audit is
number of minor required.
nonconformities for one
element may be
considered a major
nonconformity. Should Your Organization Pursue Registration?
Minor Nonconformity There are numerous benefits associated with implementing
A single observed an EMS; some of those benefits can be the result of external
nonconformity. recognition. An organization that voluntarily implements an
EMS standard, such as ISO 14001, may be able to
demonstrate externally that it has made a commitment to
environmental protection.

The ISO 14001 Standard does not require registration. An
organization can demonstrate its commitment to proactive
environmental management to its stakeholders and other
interested parties in two ways:

An organization can have its EMS audited and
Registration Credibility registered by an independent 3rd party, i.e. registrar;

— or —

An organization can make a self-determination and
self-declaration of conformance to an EMS standard.

An organization should carefully consider several factors in
order to determine which approach is best. An
organization s reputation and relationship with its
stakeholders and other interested parties may play a
significant role in helping it to determine which option is most
desirable. An organization that is weighing the pros and
cons of self-declaration vs. registration should also consider
the following factors:

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Strategic goals;
Maintenance of current market position;
Opportunities for a competitive advantage;
Investor criteria for access to capital;
Possible regulatory incentives; and
The credibility of self-declaration.
“We concluded that
eventually Quinn
would have to be
In certain cases, EMS registration may be required by
ISO 14001 certified to
customers or may be necessary to fulfill a contract
compete internationally.”
requirement. Organizations that sell their goods or services
internationally may find that EMS registration is a strong
selling point in the global marketplace and may enable them
to obtain preferred supplier status. For certain
— K.J. Quinn organizations, registration to the ISO 9000 series of quality
management system standards has become a prerequisite
for doing business domestically and internationally. EMS
Hach Company will registration may be pursued by a wide variety of
organizations, including those that have obtained quality
“wait and see” if market
management system registration. EMS registration may
forces and potential
regulatory incentives result in a competitive advantage for organizations that
provide sufficient have achieved it.
benefits to offset the
An organization may pursue registration as a means to
costs of registration.
demonstrate to its shareholders that its EMS conforms to
the requirements in an international EMS standard.
Organizations that are striving for good community
— Hach Company relations may use registration as a vehicle to improve or
maintain their public image. Some lenders and insurers
have indicated that organizations that have obtained EMS
registration may be given preferential treatment because
“ … as is the case with they are perceived to be a lower risk.
ISO 9000, some early
indications are that Regulators, both at the state and federal level, have
ISO 14001 registration indicated that they may provide incentives, in the future, for
will be a prerequisite for organizations that successfully implement an effective EMS.
doing business Regulatory agencies are currently evaluating the
internationally, especially effectiveness of EMS implementation but have not
in Europe.” committed to what types of regulatory incentives may be
available. Examples of regulatory incentives could include
streamlined permitting processes and reduced fines.
Organizations that provide goods or services to government
— Globe Metallurgical Inc.
agencies may be granted preferred supplier status if they
implement an effective EMS.

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An organization evaluating whether or not registration is an
appropriate goal should consider the following questions:

Should Your
Organization Pursue The Organization
EMS Registration ?
1) What is your organization s motivation for implementing
Consider: ISO 14001?
Strategic goals
Customers 2) Is your organization s senior management committed to
Competitors ISO 14001 implementation?
Shareholders
Local community 3) How does environmental management fit into your
Lenders/Insurers organization s operating and strategic goals?
Regulatory agencies
Customers

4) Have your customers indicated that they will require ISO
14001 registration?

5) Do your customers give preferential treatment to
environmentally responsible suppliers?

6) Does your organization sell its products or services
internationally (particularly in Europe or Japan)?

7) Are your competitors pursuing ISO 14001 registration?

Shareholders

8) Are your shareholders concerned about your
environmental management practices?

9) Have your shareholders considered using your proactive
environmental practices as a marketing tool?

Local Community

10) Has your local community raised concerns about your
environmental practices?

11) Has your organization been looking for a means to
demonstrate your proactive environmental management
practices to your local community?

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Lenders/Insurers

12) Will your lenders or insurers offer your organization
better rates if it has a registered EMS?

Regulatory Agencies

13) Are your organization s activities highly regulated?
(Would any potential regulatory relief provide motivation
for registration?)

The benefits of EMS registration may vary significantly
among organizations. In addition, the costs associated with
the registration process will vary significantly among
organizations, depending on the size of the organization and
the number of facilities/divisions they choose to register. A
cost-benefit analysis may help your organization to weigh
the costs associated with EMS registration with the benefits
your organization can expect to achieve. Your organization
should determine if registration will add value to your
business.

Choosing a Registrar

If your organization chooses to pursue EMS registration, you
may want to consider the following factors when choosing a
registrar:

1) Are they accredited? Major accreditation bodies
include: the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI); the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB); and
the Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA) (the Dutch Council for
Accreditation).

2) How many years have they been in business?

3) Do they provide registration services for quality
management systems (ISO 9000)? (May be helpful if
your organization is pursuing registration to both ISO
9000 and ISO 14001.)

4) What is the experience base of the auditors? Do they
have experience in quality management systems and
environmental management? Do they have experience
in your particular industry?

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5) How many clients do they have? Can they provide you
with a list of customers/references?

6) Are they accredited in your Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) Code?

7) Do they have experience working with small and
medium-sized organizations?

8) Are they geographically convenient to your operations?
Can they provide you with a lead auditor who is located
close to your organization? (Geographic proximity can
reduce travel expenses.)

9) Is registration continuous or does it expire? (Is a full
registration audit required again after a period of time?)

10) What are their costs over a four-year period?

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Section 6: Sources of Assistance
This section describes where your organization can find additional help.

There are many free or inexpensive resources available to help your organization develop and
implement an EMS. The following is a description of some of these resources. A list of
contacts is included in Annex C of this Guide.

Federal Government Agencies

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) provides information on a number of
topics that can be useful in the development and implementation of an EMS. Some of these
resources include: assistance with interpretation of environmental laws and regulations;
information on pollution prevention technologies; case studies; fact sheets; and hotlines to
answer questions about environmental issues.

The USEPA’s Office of Compliance has established telecommunications-based national
Compliance Assistance Centers for four specific industry sectors (and is currently working on
two new centers). The existing centers include: the National Metal Finishing Resource Center
(NMFRC); Printer’s National Compliance Assistance Center (PNEAC); GreenLink - the
Automotive Compliance Information Assistance Center; and the National Agriculture
Compliance Assistance Center. Office of Compliance staff is planning to develop a Chemical
Manufacturers’ Center and Printed Wiring Board Center.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides assistance to small and medium-sized
organizations. The SBA can provide information and assistance related to: operation and
management of a business; sources of financial assistance; international trade; as well as laws
and regulations.

State Agencies

Your state environmental regulatory agency can provide assistance with the development of
an EMS. Contact your state environmental agency and inquire about education and outreach
programs for businesses that are developing an EMS. Many state environmental agencies
can also provide publications, pamphlets, and on-line help related to environmental laws,
innovative pollution prevention technologies, waste reduction, and permitting. Some states,
such as Minnesota and Pennsylvania, are developing programs specifically designed to help
organizations seeking ISO 14001 registration.

Associations

Industry trade associations can provide assistance with the development of an EMS. These
organizations can provide information on a number of industry-specific environmental
management issues, and can be instrumental in placing you in contact with other organizations
that can share their experience and expertise in EMS implementation.

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Your local or state chamber of commerce can be helpful in providing information about
legislative and regulatory issues that affect environmental management for small and medium-
sized organizations. Other services that are commonly offered include handbooks, workshops,
conferences and seminars.

Non-Profit Organizations

Another resource to consider is the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which is a
growing nationwide system of services that provide technical support to businesses interested
in assessing and improving their current manufacturing processes. The MEP is a partnership
of local manufacturing extension centers which typically involve federal, state, and local
governments, educational institutions, and other sources of information and funding support.
The MEP can also often provide assistance with quality management, development of training
programs and business systems.

The Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding
technology access and technology management among U.S. manufacturers. ITI provides
technical assistance to small and medium-sized organizations through the Michigan
Manufacturing Technology Center. ITI also has experience with the development of business
performance tools and provides services for energy, environment, and manufacturing
assessments; as well as, QS 9000 and ISO 14000 training and implementation.

Other Companies

Another recommended source of information and expertise is the companies with which you do
business. It is likely that your suppliers and customers have experience with many of the
aspects of an EMS, and are willing to share their experiences and provide advice to your
organization.

On-line Resources

There is a wealth of information related to EMS implementation available electronically via the
Internet. Many state, federal, and local agencies have home pages on the Internet containing
information that can be useful to your organization. Numerous non-governmental organizations
have home pages that contain information on topics such as ISO 14000, pollution prevention,
recycling and waste minimization, environmental laws and regulations, innovative
manufacturing technologies, and materials substitution. If your organization does not have
Internet access, contact your local library to see if it provides Internet access to its users.

67

Appendix A
Case Studies

MILAN SCREW PRODUCTS

Background

Milan Screw Products is a small manufacturing firm located in southeastern Michigan that
employs 32 individuals. Milan Screw Products manufactures precision fittings for the fluid
power, automotive, and refrigeration industries, and is registered to the ISO 9002 quality
management system Standard. There are approximately 1,500 companies in the United
States in the screw-machine products industry. Most of these companies are family-owned
and family-managed, and typically have approximately 50 employees.

While there are generally few hazardous materials used in the screw-machine industry, there
are environmental issues associated with the containment of coolants and cutting oils, the
substitution of chlorinated solvents, and the disposal of waste oils. The most persistent
environmental challenge is the containment of cutting oil within production machines. Many
screw-machine shops have production equipment that was manufactured in the 1950s, which
may have leaky gearbox covers and inadequate oil splash guards. The cutting oils also create
cleaning and disposal issues (e.g., stained carpets; waste bins filled with saturated oil
absorbents swept from the shop floor; and liquid wastes from the solvents and soaps used in
cleaning).

While many shops have simply accepted the oily film that soon coats everything from the light
fixtures to the floors, Milan Screw Products decided that it was going to improve the
management of its environmental issues. Top management recognized that a clear
environmental policy, objectives and targets, written procedures, training, and corrective action
(elements similar to its quality management system), would help them to proactively manage
their environmental practices. The motivation to implement an EMS was derived from the
company’s desire to improve its environmental performance, and in light of the company’s
quality management system experience, the EMS approach seemed to be the best way to
achieve it. Milan Screw Products was soon committed to implementing an environmental
management system.

EMS Implementation

One of the first steps in the implementation of the EMS at Milan Screw Products was the
establishment of a cross-functional environmental task group. Top management appointed
five representatives from production, support, and management. The environmental task
group is responsible for assuring continued regulatory compliance (including the submission of
all permits/forms to federal, state, and county environmental agencies), and improving the
company’s environmental performance. Milan Screw Products found that participation of
shop-floor employees is essential to the successful implementation of an EMS because it
encourages their ownership of the process. Top management was pleased with the
heightened environmental awareness among task group members and their growing

68

understanding of the company’s environmental responsibilities. In addition, environmental
compliance activities were soon effectively managed by the environmental task group and
would only require top management review.

While progress had been made, the organization was lacking a structure for its EMS program
and had no means to measure progress. In March 1995, Milan Screw Products joined the
EPA-sponsored EMS Demonstration Project at NSF International. One of the first steps in the
project was the self-assessment process. Milan Screw Products completed NSF’s EMS Self-
Assessment Tool, which is a checklist that enables an organization to determine how its EMS
measures up against an EMS standard, such as ISO 14001. Milan Screw Products’ score was
very low because they did not have a formal EMS in place. The score did not discourage
Milan Screw Products and the company set a goal for itself — complete EMS implementation
by June 1996.

Policy

Milan Screw Products developed an environmental policy that includes a commitment to
regulatory compliance, continual improvement, and the prevention of pollution. The
environmental policy was modeled after the organization’s quality policy, which was developed
with the help of a consultant.

Planning

In order to determine the company’s environmental aspects, the environmental task group
members set up an easel and participated in a brainstorming session. The task group listed all
of the company’s inputs (e.g. energy, water), outputs (e.g. oil mist, noise), and conversions
(e.g. steel bars to chips, and cutting oils to mist). The task group examined the company’s
purchases, processes, and waste streams. The task group also identified the company’s
stakeholders. Some of the stakeholders were interviewed so that the company could gain a
better understanding of their environmental concerns. These stakeholder concerns were
added to the list of environmental aspects. A neighbor reported that their only concern was
that oil from the shop could damage their lawn. A supplier’s sales representative reported that
the oil on his shoes was a nuisance. Customers were pleased to learn that the company was
implementing an EMS because they want to be assured of continued production (fines
imposed on a small company could result in a shut down). The task group also interviewed
employees and some of their family members. All in all, the environmental task group had
done an excellent job at identifying their environmental aspects. The task group then rated the
probability of an environmental impact occurring against the severity of the impact. They then
grouped the environmental aspects/impacts in general categories (e.g. oil-related problems).

It soon became clear that the company’s primary objective was oil recovery. The top
management at Milan Screw Products had been contemplating the need for a new facility.
The identification of the company’s environmental aspects/impacts provided additional
motivation for the development of a new facility. The environmental aspects/impacts that were
identified and the company’s EMS have played a role in determining how the new facility will
be built. The company will continue to perform oil recovery practices, but will not set numerical
targets until the new facility is complete. Milan Screw Products started its first EMS cycle with
reasonable objectives that focus on its manufacturing practices. Over time, the company will
continually improve its EMS, and hopes to include objectives such as the recycling of office
paper.

69

The environmental task group will continue to be responsible for keeping Milan Screw Products
fully in compliance. The company has found that its trade association has been a tremendous
help in keeping them abreast of environmental compliance issues.

Milan Screw Products intends to develop its environmental management program at its
current facility and will improve the EMS at the new facility. The new facility will help the
company to achieve its environmental objectives and targets.

Implementation and Operation

Milan Screw Products has found that the structure and responsibility requirements of the
ISO 14001 Standard are easier to manage in a small company. Milan Screw Products has
developed six teams (each composed of individuals with similar job descriptions) for the quality
management system; the teams have been given more decision-making authority and have
been an effective element of the quality management system. These teams will help with
environmental issues over time. The environmental task group will continue to spearhead the
EMS program — the owner, plant manager, quality manager, safety manager, plant
supervisor/environmental coordinator, and a representative from production staff are actively
involved. The key to success in a small company appears to be the team approach, since
there is often no one that can be solely dedicated to managing environmental affairs.

Since finding the time to do employee training can be a challenging aspect of running a small
business, Milan Screw Products has scheduled training sessions a half hour before or after the
employees’ normal shift. Their best success has been with “brown bag” sessions where the
employees bring their lunches, listen to the training presentation, and remain “on-the-clock” for
their lunch/training period. Milan Screw Products has also found that videotaping training
sessions can be helpful for new-hire training. The environmental task group has helped with
training by gathering training materials.

The team approach that has been developed at Milan Screw Products has been an effective
means of fostering good internal communication procedures. In addition, Milan Screw
Products has gone beyond the requirements of the ISO 14001 Standard by soliciting the
opinions of external interested parties. The company has found that a good external
communication program has resulted in a lot of benefits because it builds trust. The company
has been straightforward with its community about potential oil problems, and the community
has been very supportive of their efforts and of their plans for a new facility. The external
communication program helped them identify some of their environmental aspects, and has
helped them to communicate with their customers. Milan Screw Products’ customers
appreciate that it is an environmentally-responsible company that is a leader in its industry.

Since Milan Screw Products has a registered quality management system, they have a sound
document control program in place. As mentioned previously, a quality management system
consultant helped the company with their ISO 9002 implementation, and the document control
procedures for quality will be adapted where applicable for the EMS. Milan Screw Products is
still in the process of establishing its EMS documentation.

As part of their brainstorming session, the environmental task group also listed potential
emergencies. The company used this information when it reviewed its emergency
preparedness and response procedures. The EMS implementation process helped the

70

company to consider possible areas of liability that it had previously overlooked (e.g. a delivery
truck leak).

Checking and Corrective Action

Milan Screw Products has made some preliminary calculations of some of its environmental
aspects. The new facility will facilitate the quantification of its environmental aspects and
impacts. The company intends to build on its quality management system corrective and
preventive action procedures to help them develop their EMS. In addition, the company
intends to utilize some of the lessons it has learned about data collection and monitoring and
measurement through its quality operating system and will apply these lessons to the EMS
over time.

Milan Screw Products has gained experience with management system audits through its
quality management system implementation. Top management has performed quality
management system audits with the help of an auditor training guide that their quality
management system consultant developed for their organization. The company has done in-
house auditor training with the help of the guide and has used the auditor training guide for its
EMS audits where applicable. Top management and the plant supervisor/environmental
coordinator have performed an EMS audit, even though they have not yet fully implemented
the ISO 14001 Standard.

Management Review

Milan Screw Products Management Review Board meets monthly. The company also
performs an annual review of its operations. A third-party (consultant) is used to verify the
results of the company’s annual in-house review. The EMS is being incorporated in the
management review process of the company.

The Milan Screw Products’ Experience

While Milan Screw Products has not completely implemented its EMS, it has made significant
progress over 1 ½ years. Due to the groundbreaking for the new facility in June 1996, the
organization had to shift its priorities to new construction (it is now hoping to completely
implement its EMS by April 1997). Top management at Milan Screw Products stated that
organizations that choose to implement an EMS should not get discouraged if the EMS
implementation needs to be set aside occasionally. You can start, stop, and resume your
efforts as needed — your aspects won’t change unless you change your processes or
products — and any progress that you have made will still be there.

Milan Screw Products’ top management believes that there are numerous potential benefits
associated with a successful EMS. Specifically, the company determined that an EMS could
improve employee retention, new hire selection, working conditions, and the perceptions of its
suppliers, lenders, customers, neighbors, and regulators. The EMS will also ease
management concerns that an environmental problem could arise from simple ignorance or
lack of training. The company’s top management has stated that it may be difficult to
perform a cost/benefit analysis on the value of EMS implementation because several of the
potential benefits are intangible and cannot be given a monetary value. Milan Screw Products’

71

proactive environmental program has improved its stature and fostered communication with
regulatory agencies. Top management also believes that the company will benefit from
being one of the first in their industry to successfully implement an EMS — it may encourage
their customers to perceive the company as being more innovative, more responsible, and
perhaps more desirable than their competitors. Top management has reported that it is
impossible to tally citations that are not written, fines that are not levied, nor lawsuits
that are not filed. Milan Screw Products’ top management has also stated that many of the
benefits of an EMS cannot be anticipated beforehand, and that an organization will discover
them as pleasant surprises at some point after implementation.

To date, the biggest challenge that Milan Screw Products has encountered while
implementing an EMS has been allocating the human resources to the EMS project while
production demands are high. The company has also had to overcome old practices by
explaining the rationale behind its desire to successfully implement an EMS.

Milan Screw Products has not calculated the costs of EMS implementation to date. Top
management reports that it is difficult to attribute costs/benefits at this stage of EMS
implementation, particularly since the company is in a transition phase due to the new
construction. While it is too early to quantify costs and benefits, top management is confident
that the benefits will outweigh the costs — early projections of their oil recovery savings at the
new facility are estimated to be $20,000 per year.

Milan Screw Products will integrate its ISO 9002 quality management system with its ISO
14001 EMS. The company is developing one manual that will incorporate both quality and
environmental management system elements. For example, the organization has a quality
policy on white paper and its environmental policy on blue paper on facing pages. The
documents also refer to one another where appropriate. The document control programs for
both systems will be fully integrated as well. In addition, the audit function will be integrated
once auditor training for the EMS is complete.

Top management at Milan Screw Products has not determined if the company will pursue EMS
registration in the future. Top management has stated that it will depend on factors such as
costs and customer demand. The company intends to completely implement its EMS and will
evaluate the need for registration next year. Top management has stated that obtaining EMS
registration would be a great satisfaction and it may improve their customers’ perception of the
company, but it has not determined whether or not it can justify the costs.

Milan Screw Products encourages other small companies to implement an EMS because it
believes that small companies may not have sufficient resources to mitigate environmental
problems. An EMS can help a small or medium-sized organization prevent environmental
problems which may keep a small company in business. Top management at Milan Screw
Products has stated that an EMS enables an organization to look at its business from another
perspective. Organizations have considered quality, safety, etc., as integral parts of their
business and should look at their business from the environmental perspective as well. All of
the various perspectives result in greater opportunities for improving the organization as a
whole.

72

HACH COMPANY

Background

Hach Company is an international manufacturer and distributor of instruments and reagents for
colorimetric testing, with annual sales over $100 million. Hach Company manufactures
spectrophotometers, colorimeters, turbidimeters, and portable testing equipment for the water
and wastewater markets. The company manufactures instruments at its headquarters in
Loveland, Colorado, and has a chemical manufacturing and distribution plant in Ames, Iowa.
The Hach Company is registered to ISO 9001 and is a member of the Chemical
®
Manufacturers Association’s Responsible Care program.

Hach Company participated in the EPA-sponsored EMS Demonstration Project at NSF
International, and decided to pilot EMS implementation at its Ames facility. The Ames facility
has approximately 300 employees and faces environmental management challenges due to
its many chemical production processes. The Ames facility is the only Hach facility that is
®
currently participating in the CMA’s Responsible Care program. Hach Company decided to
implement an EMS at its Ames facility for several reasons. The company felt that a sound
EMS would: 1) provide assurance to the officers, board of directors, and company stockholders
that the company will continue to meet regulatory compliance requirements and is prepared to
handle other environmental issues; 2) provide a framework to maintain support and resources
from senior management to meet environmental objectives and targets; 3) help create market
opportunities for the organization; 4) be a mechanism to gauge environmental performance;
and 5) help the company identify its responsibilities beyond compliance in order to meet the
needs of stockholders, employees, neighbors, customers, vendors, and suppliers.

EMS Implementation

In order to examine the Ames facility’s environmental strengths and weaknesses, the facility’s
Quality Director performed an initial self-assessment of the EMS. The Quality Director
reviewed the EMS standard and interviewed the environmental safety and health staff at
length. The Quality Director determined that the facility’s EMS complied with approximately 30
percent of the EMS standard, which was consistent with the expectations of the
Environmental, Safety and Health (ESH) staff at this early stage of EMS implementation. This
process provided the ESH staff with a benchmark from which they could measure progress as
they continued to improve the facility’s EMS.

Policy

Hach Company had previously developed an environmental policy but added additional
policies to completely fulfill the CMA’s Responsible Care® Program’s objectives, and the policy
requirements of the EMS. Hach Company has issued its Corporate Environmental and Safety
Policies which address continuous improvement, periodic assessments, product stewardship,
regulatory compliance, operations, facilities, and employee health and safety. In addition, the
President of Hach Company has issued The President’s Commitment, which expresses top

73

management’s commitment to environmental stewardship and safety for employees and
customers.

Planning

In order to determine the Ames facility’s environmental aspects, the environmental safety
and health department reviewed the table of contents of their new ESH manual. The table of
contents helped them to develop an informal environmental effects register and a safety
register. The group then examined how environmental regulations affect their company; they
examined federal requirements (e.g. Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act,
etc.), in addition to state and local environmental regulations. The ESH staff proceeded to
explore the facility’s environmental aspects and resulting impacts beyond those addressed
by environmental regulations. They always strive to do the right thing — even if it is not
required by law. The group developed a three to four page document that focused on the
facility’s operations and processes and less on aspects such as energy use.

The group developed their environmental effects register to help them set objectives and
targets. The ESH staff is taking a systematic approach to setting objectives and targets.
While the EMS is still being developed, the objectives are focused at maintaining compliance
and tackling issues that had previously been unresolved, such as waste disposal costs. One
particularly important environmental issue for the company is determining the impact that the
company’s chemical products have on its international customers (35% of the company’s
products are sold internationally). These impacts will also be considered when setting
objectives and targets.

The ESH staff have access to copies of federal and state regulations, manuals, journals, on-
line resources, and software packages that help them to keep abreast of all pertinent
environmental regulations and statutory requirements. While the company is very good at
maintaining regulatory compliance, the procedures that they have developed for their legal
and other requirements have helped to make their compliance activities more focused and
efficient. The procedures that they follow to ensure compliance are properly documented and
will protect the company in the event of employee turnover. The ESH staff at the Ames facility
is developing extensive written procedures to address their compliance activities that are
above and beyond those required by the ISO 14001 Standard.

Hach Company has staff members that are dedicated to managing the company’s
environmental, health, and safety issues; hence, the company rarely uses outside consultants.
The environmental management program at the Ames facility is well positioned to meet its
environmental objectives and targets.

Implementation and Operation

The ESH staff at the Ames facility believes that the structure and responsibility requirements
of an EMS are easier to achieve in a medium-sized organization than in a large one. The staff
at the Ames facility has been given the autonomy to implement an EMS at their facility without
extensive corporate supervision. This has made the process easier because the lines of
communication are shorter and the EMS can be focused on the operations of one facility.

The Ames facility has an excellent training program due in part to the commitment of
resources in this area (the facility has a full-time ESH training coordinator). Implementing the

74

EMS has helped with the facility’s ESH training by helping to define training objectives. The
ESH staff is also developing procedures for all ESH training curricula. The documented
procedures will describe the goals and objectives of training and establish a curriculum for
applicable programs.

Internal communication within the Ames facility has improved due to EMS implementation.
The ESH staff are working with members of the operations, design, and purchasing
departments so that the groups can work together to set reasonable objectives and targets
that complement the goals set by other departments within the organization. Environmental
issues are becoming an integral part of the business.

The Ames facility is still in the process of completing its EMS documentation. The ESH staff
started to develop an ESH manual in September 1995. The group was hoping to have the
manual completed in one year; they now expect to complete it by May 1997. The ESH manual
that is being developed by the Ames facility staff is somewhat unique in that it must be able to
accommodate the extreme diversity of their operations — the manual must address over 6,500
chemicals (the Chemical Hygiene Program alone is described in approximately 90 pages).

The ESH staff at the facility includes two college students that are working at the facility as
temporary employees to develop some of the documentation (i.e. procedures) necessary for
a successful EMS. The students have been very helpful — they ask a lot of questions and
explain the procedures clearly and without jargon. The ESH staff has also run some mock-
drills or table-top exercises of its procedures.

Because Hach Company is registered to ISO 9001, the ESH staff has been able to learn
valuable lessons from the quality management system staff, including information about
document control practices. As the ESH staff began implementing their EMS, they
discovered that they were not as good at document control as they had previously believed.
The ESH staff has indicated that a sound document control system is crucial to a successful
EMS — without it, sooner or later someone will be working from an old version of a procedure.
The ESH staff has not used any software packages to revise their document control system;
the system is managed electronically by a top ESH staff member.

Checking and Corrective Action

As mentioned previously, the ESH staff at the Ames facility are developing extensive written
procedures to address their compliance activities including those that pertain to monitoring
and measuring activities. These procedures will be included in the ESH manual. The ESH
staff has the opportunity to build upon the facility’s quality management system corrective and
preventive action procedures to help them develop and successfully implement their EMS.

After the initial self-assessment audit which was performed by the Quality Director, the ESH
staff performed an informal interim audit. The Quality Director performed a second formal
audit of the EMS after one year of implementation. The ESH staff was pleased with the audit
process because the quality management system staff had extensive experience with auditing
management systems. The Quality Department acted as an independent party and performed
a very thorough audit. The Quality Department has stressed that the ESH staff must
document how they do things. There were times when the EMS element was in place but
needed to be documented.

75

Management Review

The management review requirements in the ISO 14001 Standard have not been implemented
at the Ames facility. The ESH staff members at the facility do not intend to fulfill the
requirements of the management review section of the standard unless they decide to pursue
EMS registration. They do not believe that the management review process adds value to the
EMS until registration is sought. Hach Company believes that all other elements of an EMS
can be implemented without management review.

The Hach Company Experience

The initial assessment of the Ames facility’s EMS showed that the EMS complied with
approximately 30 percent of the EMS Standard. After six months of fairly dedicated
implementation efforts, the ESH staff successfully implemented approximately 58 percent of
the Standard, and after one year of implementation they have successfully implemented
approximately 71 percent of the ISO 14001 Standard. During this time, the ESH staff’s
primary goal was to continue to ensure regulatory compliance. EMS implementation efforts
were carried out whenever time permitted.

Hach Company believes that there are numerous potential benefits associated with the
successful implementation of an EMS (e.g. assurances to stakeholders; a framework to
maintain support and resources from senior management; market opportunities; a mechanism
to gauge environmental performance and to identify responsibilities beyond compliance).
During the EMS implementation process, the Ames facility started to observe improvements in
its environmental performance. Waste disposal costs dropped 70 percent in one year. The
EMS was a contributing factor to the cost reduction, along with the company’s quality focus
and continuous improvement efforts.

Since the EMS has not been completely implemented and the system is relatively new, the
benefits have been hard to quantify, but they are there. The EMS program helped to
spearhead a major renovation program within the facility for safety and environmental
improvements. Employees have started to ask questions and are carefully following
procedures. In addition, the ESH Department is getting additional respect from other business
units. The ESH staff will continue to ensure compliance and they are working closely with
plant managers to minimize the impact of compliance activities on production. The ESH staff
is now in the position to discuss why they want to go beyond compliance and what the
business reasons are for doing so.

One of the challenges that the ESH staff at the Ames facility experienced as they
implemented the EMS, was the difficulty they had driving the EMS down through the
organization and up through the management. The ESH function is often viewed as a
separate entity in many organizations and not an integral part of the business. This perception
was initially a barrier to EMS implementation. ESH is now viewed as a more integral part of
the operation.

The implementation of the EMS and its associated costs can be difficult to quantify. The ESH
staff does not intend to complete a comprehensive analysis of EMS implementation costs

76

unless the organization chooses to further explore EMS registration. To date, the most
significant costs are due to personnel expenditures and office supplies. The ESH staff at the
Ames facility has estimated that if the facility had to start from scratch, EMS implementation
over a two-year period would cost approximately $20,000 - $30,000 per year. Hach Company
estimates that a company must be willing to commit at least one person-year to
implementation of an EMS. The ESH staff cautioned that some of the costs of implementation
can be hidden, but must be accounted for (e.g., indirect labor, training, etc.). The Ames facility
spent approximately $5,000 on supplies and printing costs for EMS implementation. The ESH
staff reported that initially the costs of EMS implementation can outweigh the benefits, but an
EMS can help prevent an environmental problem and strengthen an organization’s
commitment to be a good corporate citizen.

Currently, there are no plans to integrate the ISO 14001-based EMS and ISO 9001
programs at the Ames facility. The quality management system staff has suggested that
operating parallel systems is the best approach for both the ESH and quality departments at
this time. The quality management system was adapted from existing procedures and could
possibly be more efficient; the EMS has the opportunity to start from scratch and may be able
to develop elements that are more effective and more appropriate for ESH issues. In addition,
the quality management system staff are hesitant about fully integrating an “immature” EMS
into their quality management system in the event that it might jeopardize the company’s ISO
9001 registration status. In the event that the company chooses to pursue EMS registration,
the issue of integration will be revisited, because integration could result in synergy and cost-
savings for both programs.

Hach Company has not determined if it will pursue EMS registration. The company will “wait
and see” if market forces, particularly demands from their international customers, and
potential regulatory incentives will provide sufficient benefits to offset the costs of registration.
The ESH staff may not attempt to comply with the remaining 20 - 25 percent of the ISO 14001
Standard unless the company decides to pursue EMS registration. In the event that the
company decides to pursue EMS registration, the ESH staff is confident that it will be easy to
put the remaining elements in place, given sufficient notice, time, and planning.

While questions remain about the value of EMS registration, Hach Company has been able to
make some conclusions about EMS implementation at its Ames facility. There were concerns
initially about the EMS fitting within the company’s culture, but the ESH staff is pleased to
report that the EMS has helped to bring about a positive culture change within the
organization. The EMS approach agrees with the company’s audit policies and procedures,
because it fosters a systematic approach that lends itself to reevaluation. In addition, the
process of evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the facility’s EMS has identified
opportunities for improvement. Hach Company believes that it has benefited from
assessing and improving the EMS at its Ames facility.

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Appendix B

Background on EMS Standards

The Development of ISO 14000

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is responsible for the development
of the ISO 14000 series of international environmental management standards. ISO was
founded in 1946 and its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO has developed
international voluntary consensus standards for manufacturing, communication, trade, and
management systems. Its mission is to promote international trade by harmonizing standards.
Over 100 countries have national standards bodies that are members of ISO. The American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the U.S. representative to ISO.

In June 1991, ISO created the Strategic Advisory Group on the Environment (SAGE).
SAGE assessed the need for international environmental management standards and
recommended that ISO move forward with their development. In January 1993, ISO created
Technical Committee 207 (TC 207) which is charged with the development of the ISO 14000
series of standards. TC 207 is comprised of various subcommittees and working groups.
Representatives from the ISO member countries contribute their input to TC 207 through
national delegations.

In the United States, the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (U.S. TAG) develops the U.S.
position on the various ISO 14000 standards. The U.S. TAG is comprised of approximately
500 members representing industry, government, not-for-profit organizations, standards
organizations, environmental groups, and other interested stakeholders. The U.S. TAG has the
largest number of members of any ISO member delegation. There are several organizations
involved in the administration of the U.S. TAG s input to TC 207, including: ANSI; the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM); the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC);
and NSF International.

TC 207 is developing the ISO 14001 Standard which specifies requirements for an
environmental management system (the ISO 14001 Standard is the standard to which an
organization s EMS would be registered). In addition to ISO 14001, several guidance
documents are also being developed by TC 207. (See Annex B, Table I). The documents
being produced are in various stages of development. ISO 14001, ISO 14004 (an EMS
guidance document), and three environmental auditing guidelines (ISO 14010, ISO 14011, and
ISO 14012), were finalized and published in September 1996. Published ISO standards must
be reviewed and revised every five years.

The Emergence of EMS Standards

Numerous factors have contributed to the emergence of EMS standards. The following is a

78

brief overview of some of the major contributing factors.

ISO 9000

The ISO 9000 series of international quality management standards was published in 1987.
The standards were created to promote consistent quality practices and to facilitate
international trade. The ISO 9000 series of standards has been adopted by more than 80
countries and is used as a benchmark for quality management by industry and government
bodies worldwide. In some cases, ISO 9000 registration has become a prerequisite for doing
business domestically and internationally. In North America, over 13,000 companies are
registered to ISO 9000.

The quality management system framework can serve as a foundation for environmental
management systems. In essence, an EMS is the application of quality management system
principles to the management of environmental affairs. While the ISO 9000 and ISO 14001
standards have different focuses, they share similar requirements. (See Annex B, Table II).
The three specification documents for ISO 9000 series are ISO 9001, ISO 9002, and ISO
9003. The key difference between ISO 9000 and ISO 14001 is that ISO 14001 requires
planning steps to identify environmental aspects and significant environmental impacts which
become the basis of continual improvement, whereas ISO 9000 focuses on consistency of
process.

Sustainable Development

In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission)
coined the term sustainable development in its report entitled Our Common Future. This
report emphasized the need to balance environmental protection and economic growth.

In 1991, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) created the Business Charter for
Sustainable Development. The ICC Charter is comprised of sixteen Principles for
environmental management that foster sustainable development. The Principles in this
document include some of the basic elements of environmental management systems.

In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was held
in Rio de Janeiro. The conference, also called the Earth Summit (or Rio Summit), resulted in
two noteworthy documents Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration. Agenda 21 is a
comprehensive guidance document for sustainable development, while the Rio Declaration is
a set of 27 principles for achieving sustainable development.

The international initiatives on sustainable development marked the dawning of a new age in
environmental protection. The business community worldwide was asked to consider its
impact on the environment and to take steps to mitigate that impact.

Private Sector Programs Public Concern for the Environment

Private sector programs, such as the Chemical Manufacturers Association s Responsible Care
program, the Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI), and the Coalition for
Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) Principles (formerly the Valdez Principles),

79

resulted in model codes of conduct that encourage environmental stewardship. In addition,
public concern for the environment has provided strong motivation for the development of EMS
standards.

National EMS Standards Regional EMS Legislation

In 1992, the British Standards Institute published BS 7750, the first national standard for
environmental management systems. The British Standards Institute had previously published
BS 5750 (a national quality management system standard) which was a significant contribution
to the development of ISO 9000. ISO 14001 was largely based on BS 7750, and the two
standards share many similar requirements. The BS 7750 Standard, however, is viewed by
many to be more stringent than ISO 14001. For example, BS 7750 requires that an
organization compile a register of its significant environmental effects, and a register of all
legislative, regulatory, and other policy requirements. In addition, BS 7750 requires an
organization to make its environmental objectives publicly available.

Following the publication of the United Kingdom s BS 7750, a proliferation of national EMS
standards emerged, including standards from Ireland, France, South Africa, and Spain. The
various EMS standards did not all share the same requirements, and in some cases the
requirements were contradictory. It became clear that in order to facilitate international trade,
there would have to be one international EMS standard that would be accepted around the
globe.

In addition to the national EMS standards, regional EMS legislation was developed. The Eco-
Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) was adopted by the European Union (EU) in 1993.
EMAS is a regulation that enables industries to voluntarily implement formal environmental
management systems in order to improve their environmental performance. While ISO 14001
and BS 7750 apply to organizations (or parts thereof), EMAS is restricted to site-specific
industrial activities. EMAS participants must prepare an environmental statement specific to
each site concerned, and provide information to the public about their environmental aspects.
Third-party verification of the EMS is an essential component of EMAS. Participating
organizations are included on the EU list of participating sites.

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Documents Being Produced by TC 207's Subcommittees and Working Groups:

ANNEX B, TABLE I
Subcommittee Document # Title
14001 Environmental Management Systems -
1 Specification with Guidance for Use

14004 Guidelines on Environmental Management
Principles, Systems, and Supporting Techniques

14010 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - General
Principles on Environmental Auditing

14011 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Audit
2 Procedures for Environmental Management
Systems

14012 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Qualification
Criteria for Environmental Auditors

14015 Environmental Site Assessments

14020 Goals and Principles of All Environmental Labeling

14021 Environmental Labels and Declarations -
Environmental Claims - Terms and Definitions

3 14022 Environmental Labels and Declarations - Self
Declaration Environmental Claims - Symbols

14023 Environmental Labels and Declarations - Self
Declaration Environmental Claims - Testing and
Verification

14024 Environmental Labels and Declarations -
Environmental Labeling Type 1 - Guiding Principles
and Procedures

14025 Type III Labeling

4 14031 Evaluation of Environmental Performance

14040 Life Cycle Assessment - Principles and Framework

5 14041 Life Cycle Assessment - Life Cycle Inventory
Analysis

14042 Life Cycle Assessment - Impact Assessment

14043 Life Cycle Assessment - Interpretation

6 14050 Terms and Definitions

Working Group 1 ISO Guide 64 Guide for the Inclusion of Environmental Aspects in
Product Standards

81

Linkages Between ISO 9000 and ISO 14001

ANNEX B, TABLE II
* ** ***
ISO 9000 (9001 , 9002 , or 9003 ) ISO 14001
Quality Management Systems Environmental Management Systems
Quality Policy Environmental Policy
Resources Resources
Organization Structure Responsibility
Training Training
Management Representative Management Representative
Process Control Operational Control
System Documentation System Documentation
Document Control Document Control
Inspection Testing Monitoring Measurement
Corrective Preventive Action Non-conformance and
Corrective Preventive Action
System Audits System Audits
Management Review Management Review

*
ISO 9001: Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in Design/Development, Production, Installation and
Servicing.
**
ISO 9002: Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in Production, Installation and Servicing.
***
ISO 9003: Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in Final Inspection and Test

Note: This table does not represent a comprehensive comparison of ISO 9000 and ISO 14001.

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Appendix C
Sources of Information and Other Contacts
(Note: This list is not intended to be comprehensive. Appearance on this list should not be construed as an endorsement by NSF of any products/services listed
here.)
FEDERAL AGENCIES

Organization Resource Telephone Number / Internet Address Description

Hotlines

US EPA Center for Environmental 513/569-7562
Research Information

Small Business Compliance General Information: 202/564-7066 Centers are Internet Web Sites with:
Assistance Centers:
National Metal Finishing 202/564-7013 Comprehensive environmental compliance,
Resource Center http://cai.eclipse.net/home2.htm technical assistance, pollution prevention
information for metal finishing industry.
Printers’ National 202/564-7041
Compliance Assistance http://www.hazard.uiuc.edu/pneac/pneac. Complete compliance assistance pollution
Center html prevention information for printing industry.
GreenLink - The 1-888-GRN-LINK - or - 202/564-7032 for Information on a variety of topics, e.g., used
Automotive Compliance voice, facsimile or mailed information. oil management, storm water, USTs,
Information Assistance http://www.ccar-greenlink.org antifreeze, hazardous waste, and pollution
Center prevention alternatives.
The National Agriculture 913/551-7207 Environmental compliance and pollution
Compliance Assistance http://es.inel.gov/oeca/ag/aghmpg.html prevention information for the agriculture
Center community.
(Planned Centers:
• Chemical Manufacturers 202/564-7071
Center
• Printed Wiring Board 202/564-7124
Center)

Pollution Prevention 202/260-1023 Technical Information on materials and
Clearinghouse processes, including publications related to
waste minimization and pollution prevention.

83

FEDERAL AGENCIES


Public Information Center 202/260-7751 General information about EPA programs.

RCRA / Superfund Hotline 800/424-9346 Provides information about hazardous waste
202/382-3000 regulations and handles requests for federal
documents and laws.

Small Business and Asbestos 800/368-5888 Information and advice on compliance
Ombudsman 202/557-1938 issues for small quantity generators of
hazardous waste.

Technology Transfer and 513/569-7562 Access to the Office of Research and
Support Division Development s research information and
publications.

TSCA Hotline 202/554-1404 Assistance and guidance on TSCA
regulations.

Internet and On-line
Resources

Enviro$en$e http://es.inel.gov/ Solvent alternatives, international, federal
and state programs, other research and
development. Also, environmental profiles
of various industrial categories.

US EPA Home Page http://www.epa.gov Information about EPA regulations,
initiatives, and links to the home pages of
other governmental agencies and EPA
regional offices.

Hotlines

U.S. Small Business SBA Answer Desk 1-800-8-ASK-SBA Information about SBA programs, and
Administration telephone numbers for local offices.

84

FEDERAL AGENCIES


Resources

SBA Home Page http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/ Information about business services
available to your organization, with links to
other related sites.

Hotlines

Government Printing GPO Superintendent of 202/512-1800 Information about available documents and
Office Documents instructions on ordering GPO publications.

Resources

US Department of Pollution Prevention Information http://www.er.doe.gov/production/esh/epi Pollution prevention and environmental
Energy Clearinghouse c.html design information.

STATE AGENCIES


State Environmental Environmental Assistance Contact your state s Environmental Many state environmental protection
Protection Agencies Programs Protection Agency agencies provide publications, technical
assistance, and information on pollution
prevention technologies, waste reduction,
and regulatory compliance, at little or no
charge.

Small Business Assistance Call the EPA Small Business Provides information and technical
Programs (Mandated under Title Ombudsman (800/368-5888) for the assistance to small businesses regulated
V of the Federal Clean Air Act). phone number and address of the Small under the Clean Air Act.
Business Assistance Program in your
state.

State and Local Pollution Contact the National Pollution Prevention Provides information and technical
Prevention Programs Roundtable (202/466-7272) for the phone assistance on pollution prevention.
number and address of the pollution

85

STATE AGENCIES

prevention program in your state.

Internet and On-line (The following is only a sample of the
Resources information available on the Internet from
state agencies. Ask your state
environmental protection agency if they
have on-line resources, or access these
agencies through the EPA home page.)
State Environmental
Protection Agencies Michigan Department of http://www.deq.state.mi.us Fact sheets, training, and technical
(cont d) Environmental Quality assistance.

Minnesota Technical Assistance http://es.inel.gov/techinfo/facts/mpca/mpc Fact sheets on pollution prevention,
Program a.html materials substitution.

Ohio Department of http://arcboy.epa.ohio.gov Fact sheets on pollution prevention,
Environmental Protection materials substitution.

Wisconsin Department of http://es.inel.gov/techinfo/facts Fact sheets on pollution prevention,
Natural Resources materials substitution.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Association Telephone Number Description

American Electroplaters Surface 407/281-6441 An International professional organization of electroplaters and surface
Finishers Society finishers.

American Gas Association 703/841-8400 Comprised of individuals and companies in the gas, pipeline, and utility
industries.

American Paper Institute 212/340-0600 Association of over 175 pulp and paper manufacturers.

American Petroleum Institute 202/682-8000
Maintains a collection of journals, industry publications, and research
reports.

86

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS


Cement Kiln Recycling Coalition 202/789-1945 Promotes energy recovery of combustible hazardous wastes in cement
kilns.

Chemical Manufacturers 703/741-5000 Association of over 180 chemical manufacturers that work to promote
Association environmental, occupational safety, and other issues.

The Chlorine Institute 202/775-2790 Association of companies that produce, process, package, transport, and
use liquid and gaseous phase chlorine.

Council for Solid Waste Solutions 202/371-5319 A plastics industry organization that promotes reuse and recycling of
plastic.

Electric Power Research Institute 415/855-2000 Provides information related to all aspects of electric power.

Governmental Refuse Collections 301/585-2898 Association of officials from public agencies and private corporations that
Disposal Association work towards improvements in solid waste management.

Institute of Chemical Waste 202/244-4700 Industry and public agency officials that deal with chemical waste.
Management

National Association of Chemical 202/986-8150 Association of hazardous waste recycling companies that promote
Recyclers environmentally-friendly recycling technologies.

The National Pollution Prevention 202/466-7272 The largest membership organization in the United States devoted solely
Roundtable http://es.inel.gov/nppr to pollution prevention. Provides publications related to pollution
prevention.

National Solid Waste Management 202/244-4700 Association of 2,500 private organizations involved in the solid waste
Association industry.

Precision Machined Products 216/526-0300 Association of over 500 metal-turning companies.
Association http://www.pmpa.org

The Society of the Plastics Industry 202/371-5200 Serves as the voice of the plastics industry.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Air and Waste Management 412/232-3444 An international technical, scientific and educational organization that

87

Association provides a forum for viewpoints on environmental issues. Endorses the
Qualified Environmental Professional credential.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Institute for Hazardous Materials 301/984-8969 An organization that promotes professional practice in the field of
Management hazardous materials management. Provides recognition (via
credentials) to professionals working in environmental health and safety
fields.

National Association of Environmental 202/331-9659 An international professional association dedicated to the promotion of
Professionals ethical practice, technical competency, and professional standards in
the environmental field. Endorses the Certified Environmental
Professional credential.

National Environmental Training 602/956-6099 An international professional association that promotes quality,
Association standards, and competency in the environmental training field.
Operates the Certified Environmental Trainer program.

National Registry of Environmental 847/724-6631 An organization that provides a variety of professional credentials in the
Professionals environmental field.

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Organization Address Phone Number Description

Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) 2901 Hubbard Road 1-800-292-4484 Offers technical assistance to small and mid-
P.O. Box 1485 Fax: 1-313-769- sized manufacturers. Performs energy,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-1485 4064 environment, and manufacturing
assessments, as well as performance
benchmarking, and QS 9000 and ISO 14000
implementation assistance and training.

Manufacturing Extension Partnership Building 301, Room C121 1-301-975-5020 Assists manufacturers with assessing
(MEP) National Institute of Standards and 1-800-MEP-4MFG technological needs, and works to help small
Technology Fax: 1-301-963- manufacturers solve environmental problems
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-

88

0001 6556 with cost-effective solutions.

OTHER INTERNET AND ON -LINE RESOURCES

Resource Internet Address Description

ANSI Online http://www.ansi.org Contains information related to the
American National Standards
Institute, including meetings, events,
and standards information databases.

Business Resource Center http://www.kciLink.com/brc Provides information on a variety of
topics, including tips on management,
recycling, and financing.

Canadian Standards Association http://www.csa.ca/isotcs A center for information and services
related to ISO 9000 and ISO 14000,
maintained by the Canadian
Standards Association.

Clean Technologies Center (UCLA) http://cct.seas.ucla.edu Innovative technologies for pollution
prevention.

Consortium on Green Design and Manufacturing (UC-Berkeley) http://euler.berkeley.edu/green/cgdm.html Environmental design and
sustainable development.

Environmental Technology Gateway http://iridium.nttc.edu/environmental.html Access to other environmental links
and information, environmental
technologies.

Industrial Technology Institute Home Page http://www.iti.org Information about ITI, how to find
environmental information on the
Internet, and links to other
organizations.

ISO 14000 Information Center http://www.iso14000.com Answers to questions on ISO 14000
standards.

http://www.gnet.org Will provide training, conferencing,
ISO 14000 Integrated Solutions (ANSI/GETF)
on-line information services and
publications on a fee basis.

89

ISO Online http://www.iso.ch The ISO homepage provides
information on ISO, its structure,
members, technical committees,
meetings, and events.

OTHER INTERNET AND ON -LINE RESOURCES

Resource Internet Address Description

National Environmental Information Resources Center (NEIRC) http://www.gwu.edu/~greenu/ Provides access to a wide variety of
information about environmental
matters, with links to hundreds of
organizations.

NSF Home Page http://www.nsf.org Contains information on NSF
International and its pilot projects in
EMS implementation. NSF is one of
the administrators of the U.S.
Technical Advisory Group to TC 207
and one of the official sources of the
ISO 14000 standards.
http://www.stoller.com
SM Stoller Maintained by SM Stoller, this
homepage contains updates on ISO
14000.

PUBLICATIONS

Title Source Telephone Description
Number

Business Waste Reduction - Creating an Action Plan Michigan Department of 1-517-373-9400 A workbook with sections on
Environmental Quality - Organization and Policy, Data
Environmental Assistance Collection and Analysis, Identifying
Division Waste Reduction Opportunities,
Monitoring and Evaluating Program
Success; and Implementation
Resources.

EMS Self-Assessment Tool for ISO 14001 NSF International 1-800-NSF-MARK A tool to help organizations
benchmark their environmental
management systems against the
requirements of ISO 14001. The
tool contains all the requirements

90

from the Standard in exact
language.

PUBLICATIONS

Title Source Telephone Description
Number
Environmental Help for Small Manufacturers Michigan Manufacturing 1-313-769-4554 Contains information about
Technology Center/Small Fax: 1-313-769- integrated environmental
Business Development 4064 management, regulatory issues,
Center pollution prevention, spill prevention,
and environmental checklists.

The ISO 14000 Handbook CEEM Information Services 1-800-745-5565 A comprehensive guide to ISO
1-703-250-5900 14000 implementation and EMS
Fax: 1-703-250- certification.
5313

AUTHORIZED SOURCES OF THE ISO 14000 STANDARDS

NSF International (NSF) Phone: 1-800-NSF-MARK Orders by mail:
Fax: 1-313-769-0109 Attn: Publications
P.O. Box 130140
Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0140

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Phone: 1-212-642-4900 11 West 42nd Street
Fax: 1-212-398-0023 New York, NY 10036

American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) Phone: 1-414-272-8575 Milwaukee, WI
Fax: 1-414-272-1734

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Phone: 1-610-832-9585 West Conshohocken, PA
Fax: 1-610-832-9555

91

Glossary of Acronyms

ANSI American National Standards Institute
API STEP American Petroleum Institute’s “Strategies for Today’s Environmental Partnership”
CAA Clean Air Act
CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
CERES Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies
CFC’s Chlorofluorocarbons
CMA Chemical Manufacturers Association
CWA Clean Water Act
EHS Environment, Health and Safety
EMAS Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
EMS Environmental Management System
EPA (Also USEPA) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPCRA Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
FIFRA Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
HMTA Hazardous Materials Transportation Act
ICC International Chamber of Commerce
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ITI Industrial Technology Institute
MEP Manufacturing Extension Partnership
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration
PCBs Polychlorinated Biphenyls
RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
SBA U.S. Small Business Administration
SPCC Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure
TC 207 Technical Committee 207 (of ISO)
TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act
TQM Total Quality Management
USTAG U.S. Technical Advisory Group (to TC 207)
VOC’s Volatile Organic Compounds

92

Bibliography

• Canadian Standards Association, Competing Leaner, Keener and Greener: A Small Business
Guide to ISO 14000, 1995.

• Cascio, Joseph, editor. The ISO 14000 Handbook. CEEM Information Services with ASQC
Quality Press, 1996.

• Diamond, Craig P., “Voluntary Environmental Management System Standards: Case Studies
in Implementation.” Total Quality Environmental Management, (Winter 1995/1996), pp. 9-23.

• Institute of Quality Assurance, Quality Systems in the Small Firm: a Guide to the Use of the
ISO 9000 Series, March 1995.

• International Organization for Standardization, ISO 14001: Environmental Management
Systems - Specification with Guidance for Use. 1996.

• International Organization for Standardization, ISO 14004: Environmental Management
Systems - General Guidelines on Principles, Systems, and Supporting Techniques. 1996.

• Kuhre, W. Lee, ISO 14001 Certification: Environmental Management Systems , Prentice Hall,
1995.

• Michigan Department of Commerce and Natural Resources, Environmental Services
Division, Business Waste Reduction: Creating An Action Plan. November 1994.

• Tibor, Tom with Ira Feldman, ISO 14000: A Guide to the New Environmental Management
Standards , Irwin Professional Publishing, 1996.

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Chamber of
Commerce (ICC), and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).
Environmental Management System Training Resource Kit. Version 1.0, December 1995.

• The United States Postal Service, Environmental Resources Handbook. November 1995.

• Voehl, Frank; Jackson; and Ashton, ISO 9000: An implementation Guide For Small and Mid-
Sized Businesses , St. Lucie Press, 1994.

93

APPENDIX D
TOOL KIT
Sample Environmental Policies .......................................................................... 92

Sample Process Flow Chart .............................................................................. 96

Descriptions of Environmental Aspect Identification Techniques ....................... 98

Sample Procedure: Environmental Aspects Identification ................................ 100

Resources for Tracking Environmental Laws and Regulations ........................ 104

Sample Procedure: Tracking Environmental Laws and Regulations ................ 106

Worksheet: Setting Objectives and Targets...................................................... 109

Sample Procedure: Setting Objectives and Targets ......................................... 113

Sample Tool: Environmental Management Program ........................................ 116

Sample Schedule for EMS Action Plan ............................................................ 118

Responsibility Matrix ......................................................................................... 120

Environmental Training Log.............................................................................. 123

Sample Procedure: Internal Communications .................................................. 125

Sample Procedure: Communications with External Parties.............................. 128

Sample Document Index .................................................................................. 131

Outline of Sample EMS Manual, Other Documents ......................................... 133

Sample Procedure: Document Control ............................................................. 135

Sample Procedure: Corrective Action (Includes Tracking Log) ........................ 139

Environmental Records Organizer.................................................................... 144

Sample Procedure: EMS Audits ....................................................................... 148

Sample Procedure: Management Review ........................................................ 154

94

Sample Environmental Policies

95

Sample Policy — Actual policy reproduced with permission. Policy is not in original format.

NEO INDUSTRIES
HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Neo Industries is committed to managing health, safety and environmental (HSE) matters as an
integral part of our business. In particular, it is our policy to assure the HSE integrity of our processes
and facilities at all times and at all places. We will do so by adhering to the following principles:

Compliance

We will comply with all applicable laws and regulations and will implement programs and procedures to
assure compliance. Strict compliance with HSE standards will be a key ingredient in the training,
performance reviews and incentives of all employees.

Where existing laws and regulations are not adequate to assure protection of human health, safety and
the environment, we will establish and meet our own HSE quality standards.

Prevention

We will employ management systems and procedures specifically designed to prevent activities and / or
conditions that pose a threat to human health, safety or the environment. We will minimize risk and
protect our employees and the communities in which we operate by employing safe technologies and
operating procedures, as well as being prepared for emergencies.

We will strive to prevent releases to the atmosphere, land or water. We will minimize the amount and
toxicity of waste generated and will ensure the safe treatment and disposal of waste.

Communication

We will communicate our commitment to HSE quality to our employees, vendors and customers. We
will solicit their input in meeting our HSE goals and in turn will offer assistance to meet their goals.

Continuous Improvement

We will continuously seek opportunities to improve our adherence to these principles, and will
periodically report progress to our stakeholders.

{Signature}
Neil K. Holt March 1995
President

96

Sample Policy — Actual policy reproduced with permission. Policy is not in original format.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Environmental Quality Policy Statement

PGE is committed to a We will:
clean, healthy environment. Comply fully with the letter and spirit of
environmental laws and regulations, and strive to
We will provide our secure fundamental reforms that will improve their
customers with safe, reliable, environmental effectiveness and reduce the cost of
compliance.
and responsive utility
Consider environmental factors and the full
service in an environmentally acquisition, use, and disposal costs when making
sensitive and responsible planning, purchasing, and operating decisions.
manner. We believe that Work continuously to improve the effectiveness of our
sound environmental policy environmental management.

contributes to our competitive Provide appropriate environmental training and
educate employees to be environmentally responsible
strength and benefits our on the job and at home.
customers, shareholders, and
Monitor our environmental performance regularly
employees by contributing to through rigorous evaluations.
the overall well-being Seek to prevent pollution before it is produced, reduce
and economic health of the the amount of waste at our facilities, and support
pollution prevention by our customers and suppliers.
communities we serve.
Manage land, water, wildlife, and timber resources in
an environmentally sensitive manner.

Use energy efficiently throughout our operations, and
support the efficient use of gas and electricity by our
customers and suppliers.

Re-use and recycle whenever possible.

Use environmentally preferred materials.

Clean up residual pollution from past operations in a
cost-effective manner.

Work cooperatively with others to further common
environmental objectives.

September 1995 Communicate and reinforce this policy throughout the
company.
(Actual policy is printed on recycled paper)

97

Sample Policy — Actual policy reproduced with permission. Policy is not in original
format.

EMS Addendum

Statement of Corporate Environmental Policy

Milan Screw Products Inc. is committed to continual improvement of its
Environmental Management System (EMS), which includes waste minimization,
the prevention of pollution, and compliance with all relevant federal, state, and
local environmental legislation and regulations. The company will meet or exceed
the environmental requirements of other organizations to which Milan Screw
Products subscribes. To sustain this commitment, the requirements of the
Environmental Management System described in this Manual applies to all
activities, equipment, material and employees.

The company’s Environmental Compliance Officer is the company’s EMS
Management Representative who has the responsibility and authority to plan,
enforce, and maintain the company’s Environmental Management System. This
responsibility also includes stoppage of activities that deviate from the
requirements of this Manual. The Environmental Compliance Officer, with the
assistance of the Environmental Task Group, will propose annual targets and
objectives to be approved by the Management Review Board.

The EMS Management Representative may delegate some of this authority
downward through the organization in order to effectively implement the system.

Charles Tellas
President and CEO

December 10, 1995

98

Sample Process Flow Chart

99

Packaging Raw Chemicals
Supplies
Materials - cleaning
- skids - spray powder - plates solvents
aste ink waste
- pallets
kraft wraps - shop towels - paper ink - ink preservers
- water - plate gums

PRINTING PRESS
recycled
waste ink
fuel blend
PRODUCTS web dryer
brochures emissions waste solvents recycled
catalogs
art prints waste solutions sewer
annuals
thermal
recycled
oxidizer waste plates

recycled
waste packaging
trash
atmosphere
waste oil antifreeze recycled
waste paper
solvent-containing towels
recycled

fugitive air
centrifuge
emissions

atmosphere recovered spun shop
solvents towels

distillation secondary use in commercial laundry
parts washers

recycled back to company sewer

100

Descriptions of Environmental
Aspect Identification
Techniques

101

TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Process Hazard Analysis Used to identify and assess potential impacts associated
with unplanned releases of hazardous materials.
Methods in common use (due to OSHA Process Safety
Management regulations), but some subjective.
Typically uses team approach to identify and rank
hazards.

Emission Inventory Used to quantify emissions of pollutants to the air. Some
data may already by available to the organization, based
on EPCRA requirements and CAA Title V permitting
program.

Environmental Impact Used to satisfy requirements of National Environmental
Assessment Policy Act (NEPA) regarding the evaluation of
environmental impacts associated with proposed
projects. Methodology is in common use, but is not
typically used to assess environmental impacts
associated with existing operations.

Life Cycle Assessment Used to assess full range of impacts from products, from
raw material procurement through product disposal.
Emerging methods somewhat subjective and can be
resource intensive. Methods will be described in
developing ISO 14000 standards.

Design for the Used to incorporate environmental considerations into
Environment product design. Methods currently under development.

Pollution Prevention or Used to identify opportunities to reduce or eliminate
Waste Minimization pollution at the source and to identify recycling options.
Audits Requires fairly rigorous assessment of facility operations.
Typically does not examine off-site impacts.

Environmental Property Used to assess potential environmental liabilities
Assessments associated with facility or business acquisitions or
divestitures. Scope and level of detail is variable.
Typically does not assess impacts associated with
products or services.

Risk Assessment Used to assess potential health and/or environment risks
typically associated with chemical exposure. Variety of
qualitative and quantitative methods in common use.

Environmental Cost Used to assess full environmental costs associated with
Accounting activities and/or products. Emerging protocols require
comprehensive assessment to quantify costs.

Environmental Used to assess compliance with federal, state and local
Compliance Audits environmental regulations. Methods in common use.
Scope and detail vary, but typically not directed at
examining environmental impacts (particularly for
products).

Project Safety / Hazard Used to assess and mitigate potential safety hazards
Reviews associated with new or modified projects. Methods in

102

common use, but do not typically focus on environmental
issues.

Sample Procedure:
Environmental Aspects
Identification

103

EMS Procedure: Environmental Aspects Identification

I. Purpose

To identify the environmental aspects of the organization’s activities, products and
services in order to determine those which may have a significant impact on the
environment.

II. Scope

This procedure covers all activities, services and products of the organization. For
purposes of evaluation, activities, services and products with similar
characteristics may be grouped.

A baseline evaluation will be conducted of existing products, activities, and
services. The need for follow-up evaluations is determined based on changes in
evaluation methodology or significant changes in the organization’s mission,
products, or processes.

III. Definitions

Environmental aspects- Components of the organization's activities, products
and services that are likely to interact with the environment.

Environmental impact- Any change to the environment, whether adverse of
beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from the activities, products and services of
the organization.

IV. General

This procedure covers those environmental aspects of activities, products and
services that the organization can control or over which it can be expected to have
an influence. Significant environmental aspects identified through this process are
considered in the setting of environmental objectives and targets.

The procedure consists of an initial screening of activities, products and services,
based on available data by a cross-functional team of organization personnel.
The cross-functional team assesses the environmental aspects, determines which
of these might result in significant impacts, then sets priorities for further analysis,
as needed.

The Company reviews the information developed during the evaluation on a
regular basis to ensure that it is up-to-date.

104

V. Procedure

A. The environmental manager assembles a cross-functional team to perform the
evaluation. The team may include representatives from environmental, health
safety, product design, engineering, line management, maintenance, and
shipping / receiving, or other functions as appropriate. Separate teams may be
formed to evaluate particular groups of products, activities and services. The
team may call upon other individuals in the organization, as needed.

B. The team considers each of the stages in the life cycle of the organization’s
products, services and activities, including (where appropriate):

• pre-production or service strategy (design, procurement, etc.),
• manufacturing,
• production/distribution,
• use / service, and
• disposal / waste management.

Each product, service or activity is evaluated for environmental impacts in each
of these areas; however, products, services or activities may be grouped such
that those with similar characteristics can be evaluated concurrently. The team
rates the product, service or activity (or groups of same) against the factors
shown on Table 1 to identify those that may result in significant impacts.

C. For purposes of this evaluation, activities are those activities that are not
directly linked to a specific product, service or activity (such as equipment
maintenance). Activities that are directly linked to the manufacture of a
particular product are evaluated when that product is evaluated.

D. Results of team findings are documented. If the team determines that
additional information is needed to evaluate a particular product or activity, the
Team Leader assigns the responsibility for collecting that information to an
appropriate team member.

E. The environmental manager is responsible for working with plant management
to ensure that significant environmental aspects identified by the team are
considered in setting environmental objectives and targets for the site. (See
Procedure #).

F. The results of the most recent environmental aspect / impact identification are
reviewed as part of the Management Review process (See Procedure #).
Based on this review, the organization’s management determines the need to
update the environmental impact evaluation. Factors such as improved
assessment methodologies, or major changes to the organization’s mission,
products, and processes are considered in determining the need to update the
assessment.

105

TABLE 1. SCORING GUIDE FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS EVALUATION

For each product, service or activity (or group of products, services or activities),
each element in the table will be assigned two scores:
Degree of Impact
4 = serious (likely to result in severe or widespread damage to human health or the environment)
3 = moderate
2 = minor
1 = no impact (unlikely to have an adverse impact on human health or the environment)
Frequency of Impact
4 = continuous (impact occurs on an on-going basis)
3 = frequent (impact occurs more than once / month)
2 = infrequent (impact occurs more than once / year, less than once / month)
1 = improbable / never (impact has never occurred or is highly unlikely)

Pre- Manufacturing Production/ Use / Service Waste
Production Distribution Management
Category Indicator

Human Health
Employees

Surrounding
Community

Global

Environment
Air Quality

Surface
Water

Ground Water

Land / Soil

Ecosystem
Effects

Noise

Resource Use
Fuels

Water

Raw Materials

106

Resources for Tracking
Environmental Laws and
Regulations

107

Resources for Tracking Environmental Laws and Regulations
(Note: This table describes a variety of commercial and non-commercial
sources of information on federal and state environmental laws and
regulations. This list is not intended to be comprehensive. Appearance on
this list should not be construed as an endorsement by NSF of any
commercial products listed here).

Source Description

USEPA Regulatory explanations and guidance, research, case
1-800-368-5888 studies, contacts for additional information. Variety of
hotlines available for particular statutes (such as RCRA).
Internet access also available (http://www.epa.gov)

Small Business Assistance Guidance on regulations and compliance issues. Initially
Programs (various states) focused on clean Air Act requirements, but expanding into
other environmental media.

US Small Business Various services available to small businesses in the US.
Administration

US Government Printing Federal Register published daily with all federal proposed
Office and final rules. (Also available on line via GPO Access)
1-202-512-1800
Trade and Professional Provide a variety of services related to environmental laws
Associations (various) and regulations, including regulatory updates and training.
Contact individual associations for details.

Counterpoint Publishing CD-ROM and Internet dial-up access to legal / regulatory
1-800-998-4515 information for federal government and all 50 states, updated
daily.

Bureau of National Affairs Information on EHS laws, regulations and activities at
1-800-372-1033 international, national, and state level. Paper and electronic
access available.

Thompson Publishing Group Manuals on a variety of federal and state environmental
1-800-677-3789 programs with monthly updates and newsletters.

Achieve Technology, Inc. Access to federal and state regulations with monthly,
quarterly or annual updates on available on CD-ROM or
diskette.
Business and Legal Reports, Access to federal and state regulations with monthly, updates
Inc. on available on CD-ROM.
1-800-727-5257

Elsevier Science, Inc. Publishes compliance manuals with regular update service
1-212-633-3950 for RCRA and Clean Air Act.

108

Sample Procedure:
Tracking Environmental Laws
and Regulations

109

EMS PROCEDURE: REGULATORY TRACKING
AND ANALYSIS

I. Purpose

To ensure that the organization identifies, has access to, and evaluates laws,
regulations, and internal organizational requirements that apply to the
environmental aspects of its activities, products, and services.

II. Scope

This procedure covers laws, regulations, and other requirements established at
the federal, state, and local level that apply to the environmental aspects of the
organization’s activities, services and products. The organization takes these
requirements into account when setting its environmental objectives, as discussed
in Procedure #.

III. Definitions

Applicable laws and regulations- Legal requirements promulgated by federal,
state or local government authorities that apply to environmental aspects of the
organization’s products, activities or services.

IV. Procedure

A. The environmental manager is responsible for tracking applicable laws and
regulations, identifying those related to the organization 's activities, products
and services. The environmental manager is also responsible for evaluating
the potential impacts of these laws and regulations on the organization and its
products, activities and services.

B. The environmental manager employs a variety of techniques and information
sources to track, identify and evaluate applicable laws and regulations. These
include, but are not limited to: commercial services / databases; information
provided by its trade association; communications with federal and state
regulatory agencies; company environmental meetings; and periodic
environmental refresher training. The environmental manager monitors these
information sources on a regular basis to ensure that new issues are identified
on a timely basis.

C. As necessary, off-site resources (such as consultants and attorneys) may be
called upon to assist the environmental manager in evaluating applicable laws
and regulations or in developing programs in response to applicable laws and

110

regulations. Where off-site resources are used in this manner, the
organization’s environmental manager coordinates such efforts.

111

IV. Procedure (cont'd.)

D. The environmental manager disseminates information on applicable laws and
regulations (and their potential impacts on the organization’s activities,
products and services) to appropriate personnel. The determination of which
organization personnel must be informed and the method for providing this
information is at the discretion of the environmental manager, based on the
circumstances of the case.

E. The environmental manager compiles and maintains copies of significant
applicable environmental laws and regulations. Where copies of such laws
and regulations are not maintained at the organization’s offices, the
environmental manager ensures that ready access is available from other
sources, such as those listed above.

F. If site audits indicate that additional laws and regulations must be tracked and
evaluated, the environmental manager ensures that these activities take place.

112

Worksheet:
Setting Objectives Targets

113

Worksheet: Setting Objectives and Targets

Step 1: A cross-functional team is a good way for your organization to set realistic
objectives and targets. List here who needs to be involved on the team:
Name Contacted?
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •

Step 2: Think about what information sources your team will need to establish
objectives and targets. Pull together information sources such as:

Information Sources How they will help
e.g.,
• process maps • identify process steps with environmental aspects
• waste, and emission data • determine current wastes and sources
• site maps • etc.
• compliance audit reports
• descriptions of identified environmental
aspects
• communications from interested parties
• others??
•
•
(you may also want to do a plant tour or
“walk through” to identify other issues)

Step 3: Is there other information that might be helpful to the team?

Other Information Needed Where we will get it
• •
• •
• •

114

Step 4: List the significant environmental impacts (you identified these earlier).
Categorize these impacts by type:
Energy Raw Air Water Waste Land Other
Use Materials Impacts Impacts Impacts Issues (specify)

Step 5: Look at processes (such as plating or assembly) and activities (such as
shipping or purchasing). Are there any other issues the team should consider,
in addition to those listed above as significant impacts? (For example, you
might want to establish an objective to reduce spills of hazardous materials at
the loading dock, even if this was not identified as a potentially significant
environmental impact.)
Process or activity Issues Possible Objectives Targets

Step 6: List any new regulatory requirements that affect the facility (or other
regulations for which the need for additional actions has been identified).

Regulations, other requirements Possible Objectives Targets

Step 7: List communications with interested parties. Any need for additional
objectives related to views of neighbors, community groups or other parties?
Communications With Interested Parties Possible Objectives Targets

115

Step 8: Look at the lists of possible objectives developed in Steps 4 -7.
Brainstorm with the team on whether these objectives are:

• reasonable

• technologically feasible

• consistent with the business plan

• affordable.

List preliminary objectives and targets based on this exercise:

Selected Preliminary Objectives
•
•
•
•
•

Step 9: Determine how you will measure each of the selected preliminary objectives.
(If you cannot establish an effective way to measure it, put that objective “on-
hold” for later consideration).
Selected Objectives Performance Indicator(s)

Step 10: For each objectives that you selected, determine who is going to develop the
action plan (who, what , when, where, how). List these names below:
Selected Objectives Responsibility for Action Plan

116

Sample Procedure:
Setting Objectives Targets

117

EMS PROCEDURE: SETTING AND TRACKING OF ENVIRONMENTAL
OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS

I. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that the organization establishes and
maintains documented environmental objectives and targets.

II Scope

This procedure applies to environmental objectives and targets set at all relevant
levels within the organization.

III. Definitions

Environmental (or environmental) objective- A site goal that is consistent with
the environmental policies and considers significant environmental impacts and
applicable laws and regulations. Objectives are quantified wherever practicable.

Environmental (environmental) target- A detailed performance requirement
(quantified wherever practicable) based on an environmental objective. A target
should be met in order for the underlying objective to be achieved.

IV. General

The organization establishes environmental objectives and targets in order to
implement the environmental policies. Objectives and targets also provide a
means for the organization to measure the effectiveness of its environmental
efforts and improve the performance of the environmental management system.
In establishing environmental objectives, the organization considers:

• applicable laws and regulations (and requirements of other programs, such as
...);
• environmental aspects of the organization’s activities and products;
• technological, financial, operational, and other business requirements; and,
• the views of employees and other interested parties.

Based on the organization 's environmental objectives, targets are established for
different functions within the organization and for different areas of the plant. For
example, the organization may establish an environmental objective to reduce
waste generation by 10% per year. Based on this objective, different areas of the
plant might set targets for reducing individual waste streams in order to ensure
that the organization’s objective was achieved. An organization-wide
environmental objective might also be translated into individual projects (such as

118

changes in production processes, materials or pollution control equipment) in
different plant areas.

V. Procedure

A. The organization’s top management is responsible for establishing
environmental objectives on an annual basis. To initiate the process, the Plant
Manager holds a meeting of all staff members to discuss the development of
environmental objectives.

B. Objectives are action- and prevention-oriented and are intended to result in
meaningful improvements in the organization 's environmental performance.

C. Each plant area or functional manager is responsible for providing input from
his / her own function (Finance, Engineering, etc.) or shop area (Fabrication,
Assembly, Shipping / Receiving, etc.). The organization’s environmental
manager is responsible for providing input on applicable laws and regulations,
significant site environmental impacts, and the views of interested parties.
(These inputs are obtained from the separate analyses required by Procedure
#'s).

D. As a starting point, the organization’s management evaluates its performance
against environmental objectives for the current year. As part of this effort,
management examines the results of its environmental performance
evaluations.

E. Preliminary environmental objectives are developed for further discussion and
evaluation. Each manager is responsible for evaluating the potential impacts
within his / her functional or shop area (if any) of the proposed environmental
objectives. The organization’s environmental manager reviews proposed
objectives to ensure consistency with the overall environmental policy.

F. Environmental objectives are finalized, based on review comments from site
managers and employees. Each manager identifies the impacts of the
objectives in his / her function or shop area, establishes targets to achieve the
objectives, and develops appropriate measures to track progress towards
meeting the objectives and targets.

G. Each manager is responsible for communicating objectives and targets (and
the means for achieving them) to others in his / her part of the organization.
H. Progress towards the objectives and targets is reviewed on a regular basis at
management meetings. The progress is also communicated to plant
employees via bulletin boards and other similar means.
I. At the end of each calendar year, the organization’s management reviews its
performance with regard to achieving the objectives and targets. This
information is used as input to setting objectives and targets for the succeeding
year.

119

Sample Tool:
Environmental Management
Program

120

Environmental Management Program — Sample Tool

Objective / Target #1: ______________

Action Priority Respon- Schedule Resources Comments
Items sibilities Needed

121

Sample Schedule
for
EMS Action Plan

122

Sample Schedule for EMS Action Plan

Tasks
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Management Commits V

Choose Champion V

Prepare Schedule /
Budget (prelim.)

Project Team Meetings V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V

Involve Employees

Preliminary Review

Modify Plan

Prepare Documents

Train Employees

Assess Performance

123

Responsibility Matrix

124

Legend:
L = Lead Role
S = Supporting Role

Plant EHS HR Maintenance Purchasing / Engineering Production Finance EMS Employees
M’gr M’gr M’gr Materials Supervisor(s) Mg’t Rep.

Communicate importance L S S
of environmental
management
Coordinate auditing efforts L S S
Track / analyze new L
regulations (and maintain
library)
Obtain permits and develop L S
compliance plans
Prepare reports required by L
regulations
Coordinate L
communications with
interested parties
Train employees S L
Integrate environmental into L
recruiting practices
Integrate environmental into L
performance appraisal
process
Communicate with L
contractors on
environmental expectations
Comply with applicable L L S S S S S S S S
regulatory requirements
Conform with organization's L L S S S S S S S S
EMS requirements
Maintain equipment / tools L
to control environmental
impact
Monitor key processes S L
Coordinate emergency L S
response efforts
Identify environmental S L S S S S S S S
aspects of products,
activities, or services
Establish environmental L S S
objectives and targets
Develop budget for S L
environmental management
Maintain EMS records L
(training, etc.)
Coordinate EMS document S L
control efforts

125

Legend:
L = Lead Role
S = Supporting Role

Plant EHS HR Maintenance Purchasing / Engineering Production Finance EMS Mg’t Employees
M’gr M’gr M’gr Materials Supervisor(s) Rep.

Communicate importance
of environmental
management
Coordinate auditing efforts
Track / analyze new
regulations (and maintain
library)
Obtain permits and develop
compliance plans
Prepare reports required by
regulations
Coordinate
communications with
interested parties
Train employees
Integrate environmental into
recruiting practices
Integrate environmental into
performance appraisal
process
Communicate with
contractors on
environmental expectations
Comply with applicable
regulatory requirements
Conform with organization's
EMS requirements
Maintain equipment / tools
to control environmental
impact
Monitor key processes
Coordinate emergency
response efforts
Identify environmental
aspects of products,
activities, or services
Establish environmental
objectives and targets
Develop budget for
environmental management
Maintain EMS records
(training, etc.)
Coordinate EMS document
control efforts

126

Environmental Training Log

127

EMS Training Log (Sample)
Training Topic Attendees* Frequency Course Length Course Method Comments Date Completed
EMS Awareness

Supervisor EHS
Training
Hazardous Waste
Management
Hazardous Waste
Operations
Spill Prevention
Response
Chemical Management
Emergency Response
Accident Investigation
Hazardous Materials
Transport
Hazard Communication

Personal Protective
Equipment
Fire Safety
Electrical Safety

Hearing Conservation
Confined Space Entry
Lock-out/Tag-out
Bloodborne Pathogens

Job-Specific Training
(list)

Attendees Code
1: All Employees
2: Supervisors / Managers
3: Operators
4: Maintenance
5: Material Handlers
6: Engineering
128

Sample Procedure:
Internal Communications

129

EMS PROCEDURE: INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

I. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure effective and timely communication of
environmentally-related information within the organization.

II. Scope

This procedure describes processes for internal communications on various elements of
the organization 's environmental management system, including the environmental policy
and objectives. This procedure also can be used for employee reporting of health
safety hazards, or for other related purposes.

III. General

A variety of processes are used for internal communication on environmentally-related
matters. The effectiveness of these communication processes are evaluated on an on-
going basis, through employee surveys, environmental training programs, organization
audits and inspections, and informal discussions.

Major topics of internal communication include:

• environmental policy, objectives, and targets;

• environmental management roles and responsibilities;

• organization performance compared to environmental objectives and targets;

• environmental policies and procedures; and,

• hazards and emergency situations.

IV. Procedure

General

A. The Plant Manager is responsible for communicating the organization 's environmental
policies and procedures to all employees. The Plant Manager is also responsible for
communicating roles and responsibilities for environmental management.

130

B. Area and functional managers are responsible for communicating environmental
targets (and performance vs. objectives and targets) to employees in their areas or
functions, as well as to the management team.

131

IV. Procedure (cont'd.)

C. Area and functional leaders are responsible for communicating environmental
procedures (and any changes to the procedures), results of accident and near miss
investigations in their areas, and other significant environmentally-related information
(such as upcoming training classes).

D. The selection of the most appropriate mechanism(s) used for internal communication is
left to the discretion of the responsible manager. Mechanisms that are used for various
types of communications include, but are not limited to:

• all employee meetings,
• area environmental meetings,
• workstation procedures,
• bulletin boards and posters,
• memoranda and employee letters, and
• newsletters.

Hazard and Emergency Reporting

A. All employees are responsible for reporting environmental or health safety hazards or
emergencies (including spills and fires) immediately upon discovery. Such hazards are
reported to the Area Manager. If necessary, such hazards should also be reported to
the appropriate emergency contacts (as identified in the emergency response
procedures {Procedure #}). The Area Manager in turn notifies the organization’s
environmental manager.

B. If the Area Manager is not available, employees report environmental or health safety
hazards directly to the environmental manager.

C. The organization’s environmental manager maintains a log of all reported
environmental or health safety hazards. The environmental manager tracks the
investigation and correction (as needed) for all reported hazards.

D. Communication of the results of investigating / correcting reported hazards is the
responsibility of the appropriate Area Manager.

E. Emergency response procedures are described in Procedure #.

132

Sample Procedure:
Communications with
External Parties

133

EMS PROCEDURE: COMMUNICATIONS
WITH EXTERNAL PARTIES

I. Purpose

This procedure is intended to establish a process for outreach and communication with
external parties regarding the organization 's environmental management system (Note:
the organization should also consider external communication regarding its significant
environmental aspects).

II. Scope

This procedure describes how the organization receives, documents, and responds to
communications from external parties. In addition, it discusses proactive steps that the
organization takes to maintain a meaningful dialogue with external parties on
environmental matters.

III. Definitions

Interested Parties- Individuals or groups with an interest in the environmental impacts of
the organization's products, activities or services. These parties include regulators, local
residents, employees, stockholders, insurers, customers, environmental groups and the
general public (adapted from ISO 14001).

IV. General

The organization uses a number of mechanisms to ensure effective communication with
interested parties. These mechanisms include regulatory filings (such as permit
applications and reports), open houses, the media, and informal discussions with
regulators, community representatives, and local business leaders.

To solicit the views of interested parties, the organization may use additional techniques,
including (but not limited to) surveys, community advisory panels, newsletters, or informal
meetings with representatives of external groups.

General rules for external communications require that the information provided by the
organization:

• be understandable and adequately explained to the recipient(s); and

• present an accurate and verifiable picture of the organization and its environmental
management system, its environmental performance, or other related matters.

134

V. Procedure

A. Management of Communications from External Parties

1. Inquiries and other communications (received by mail, fax, telephone, or in
person) from external parties concerning the organization's EMS or
environmental performance may be received by a number of the organization’s
representatives, including the Plant Manager, the environmental manager, and
the human resources manager, among others. All such communications are
reviewed by the Plant Manager or his / her designee to determine the
appropriate response.

2. Communication with representatives of regulatory agencies is delegated to the
organization’s environmental manager, who maintains records of all such
communications (both incoming and outgoing). In the absence of the
environmental manager, communications with regulatory officials are delegated
to the human resources manager.

3. Copies of all other written communications on environmental matters are
maintained by the human resources manager. All non-written communications
from external parties are documented using telephone logs or similar means.
All records of external communications are maintained as discussed in
Procedure # (Records Management).

4. A record of the responses to all communications from external parties is
maintained by the human resources manager in files designated for that
purpose.

B. Outreach to Interested Parties

1. On an as-needed basis, the organization solicits the views of interested parties
on its environmental management system, its environmental performance, and
other related matters. In particular, such outreach is conducted when significant
changes at the facility are being considered, such as facility expansion or other
actions that might affect the actual or potential environmental impacts of the
organization’s products, activities, or services.

2. As part of the Management Review process, the team designated to conduct
the Review evaluates proactive efforts to communicate with external parties.
Based on this evaluation and other factors, the organization’s management
determines the need for outreach with external parties in the coming year and
how such communications can be carried out most effectively.

External Hazard and Emergency Communication

Note: All external communication regarding emergency response are addressed in
Procedure #.

135

Sample Document Index

136

Sample Document Index
(sample indicates individual that revised document, his/her position/department, and date(s) of revision)

Document 1 2 3 4 5 6
Environmental Policy John Smith John Smith
Plant Manager Plant Manager
1/1/95 1/1/96
Environmental Manual

Procedure 1:
Environmental Aspects
Identification

Procedure 2: Access to
Laws and Regulations

Procedure 3: Setting
Objectives Targets

Procedure 4:
Environmental Training

Procedure 5: External
Communications
Procedure 6: Internal
Communications
Procedure 7: Document
Control
Procedure 8:
Emergency
Preparedness
Procedure 9: Corrective
Action
Procedure 10: Records
Management
Procedure 11: EMS
Audits
Procedure 12:
Management Reviews

Procedures 13-X (list
individually)
EMS Audit Checklist
Other plans
documents related to
above procedures (list
separately , e.g. SPCC
Plan, Emergency
Response Plan, etc.).
Other forms and
checklists (list)

137

Outline of Sample EMS Manual,
Other Documents

138

Outline of Sample EMS Manual, Other Documents
Basic EMS Manual
• Index / Revision History / Distribution List
• Environmental Policy
• Description of How Our EMS Addresses Each of the EMS Elements
- How We Identify Significant Environmental Aspects
- How We Access Legal and Other Requirements
- How We Establish Objectives and Targets
- How the Organization Supports EMS (organization charts, key responsibilities)
- How We Train our Employees
- How We Communicate (internally and externally)
- How We Control EMS Documents
- How We Identify and Control Key Processes
- How We Prepare for and Respond to Emergencies
- How We Monitor Key Characteristics of Operations and Activities
- How We Handle and Investigate Nonconformance
- etc.

Environmental Management Program Manual
• Annual Objectives and Targets
• Action Plan (to achieve objectives and targets)
• Tracking and Measuring Progress

EMS Procedures Manual
• Index / Revision History / Distribution List
• Organization-wide Procedures (in some cases, could be several procedures)
- Environmental Aspects Identification
- Access to Legal and Other Requirements
- Training, Awareness and Competence
- Internal Communication
- External Communication
- Document Control
- Change Management Process(es)
- Management of Suppliers / Vendors
- Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Monitoring and Measurement
- Calibration and Maintenance of Monitoring Equipment
- Compliance Evaluation
- Corrective and Preventive Action
- Records Management
- EMS Auditing
- Management Review
• Procedures / Work Instructions for Specific Operations or Activities
- Waste Management
- Wastewater Treatment (These are examples only)
- Operation of the Paint Line
- Operation of Plating Line
• Forms, Drawings, and Checklists (that support the EMS procedures)

139

Sample Procedure:
Document Control

140

EMS PROCEDURE: CONTROL OF EMS DOCUMENTS

I. Purpose

This procedure establishes a process for the review, distribution, and implementation of
documents that describe and control the EMS.

II. Scope

This procedure applies to the following documents (and any changes to them) which must be
controlled:

• the environmental manual;
• facility-wide environmental procedures;
• process - or activity-specific procedures and work instructions; and
• forms, checklists, and drawings used for EMS purposes.

III. General

A. Distribution lists are maintained by the ISO Management Representative (or designee).
Document distribution may be either controlled or uncontrolled.

B. Depending on the type of document, controlled copies are identified by stamp, signature,
or other similar means.

C. Uncontrolled copies of documents may exist for illustrative, instructional, knowledge
preservation, or external distribution purposes only.

D. All controlled documents are approved prior to issue. All controlled documents are marked
with the revision number and the revision date.

E. Initial distribution of documents may be determined by the originator of the document or
the ISO Management Representative.

F. Unless otherwise specified, the originator of a document is responsible for review and
approval of any subsequent changes to the document.

G. The ISO Management Representative (or designee) is responsible for removal of obsolete
controlled documents from all points of issue and use.

141

H. The ISO Management Representative (or designee) is responsible for ensuring that
changes to controlled documents are understood, distributed, and communicated to the
affected functions within the organization.

I. All controlled documents are listed on the EMS Document Index. The Index shows the
date(s) of any revisions and the person(s) initiating the revisions.

IV. Procedure

A. Environmental Manual

1. Copies of the environmental manual are numbered sequentially. Distribution of controlled
copies is the responsibility of the ISO Management Representative (or designee).

a. Controlled copies are stamped “Controlled” with the distribution date.

b. Uncontrolled copies can be issued by the ISO Management Representative (or
designee). All uncontrolled copies are stamped “Uncontrolled - For Reference Only”.

2. A Distribution List of controlled documents is maintained by the ISO Management
Representative (or designee). Each recipient initials the Distribution List to indicate his/her
receipt of the Manual.

3. Each individual issued a controlled copy of the Environmental Manual is responsible for its
safekeeping.

4. Uncontrolled copies of the Environmental Manual may be distributed outside the
organization (for example, to customers). All uncontrolled copies are stamped
“Uncontrolled - For Reference Only”.

5. The process for revising the Environmental Manual is described in Procedure #.

B. Facility-wide Procedures

1. Revision of facility-wide procedures is controlled as per Procedure # and is the
responsibility of the ISO Management Representative (or designee).

2. Distribution of facility-wide environmental procedures is specified on the Distribution List.

3. The ISO Management Representative (or designee) is responsible for distributing new
and revised procedures. A copy of the Distribution List is signed and dated by the ISO
Management Representative, and initialed by each recipient. This copy of this list is
maintained for at least one year.

4. When a new individual must be added to the controlled distribution for a procedure, the
requester notifies the ISO Management Representative. The ISO Management
Representative is then responsible for updating the Distribution List.
142

5. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for coordinating and executing the
implementation of facility-wide procedures, as well as for documenting any resulting
training. Evidence of such training is maintained in the employee training records.

6. Control of forms, checklists, and drawing used for EMS purposes follows the same process
as described in steps B.1 through B.5 (above).

C. Process- or Activity-Specific Procedures and Work Instructions

1. Revision of process- or activity-specific procedures and work instructions is controlled as
per Procedure # and is the responsibility of the ISO Management Representative (or
designee).

2. Distribution of process- or activity-specific procedures and work instructions is specified on
the Distribution List. Controlled copies are stamped “Controlled” with the distribution date.

3. The ISO Management Representative (or designee) is responsible for distribution of new
and revised procedures and work instructions. A copy of the Distribution List is signed and
dated by the ISO Management Representative, and initialed by each recipient. This copy of
the list is maintained for at least one year.

4. Area or functional managers are responsible for coordinating and executing the
implementation of activity- or process-specific procedures and work instructions in their
areas, as well as for documenting any resulting training. Evidence of such training is
maintained in the employee training records.

143

Sample Procedure:
Corrective Action
(includes tracking log)

144

EMS PROCEDURE: PREVENTIVE AND CORRECTIVE ACTION

I. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to establish and outline the process for identifying,
documenting, analyzing, and implementing preventive and corrective actions.

II. Scope

Preventive or corrective actions may be initiated using this procedure for any environmental
problem affecting the organization.

III. General

A. Corrective action is generally a reactive process used to address problems after they have
occurred. Corrective action is initiated using the Corrective Action Notice (CAN) document
as the primary vehicle for communication. Corrective action may be triggered by a variety of
events, including internal audits and management reviews. Other items which might result
in a CAN include neighbor complaints or results of monitoring and measurement.

B. Preventive action is generally a proactive process intended to prevent potential problems
before they occur or become more severe. Preventive action is initiated using the
Preventive Action Notice (PAN). Preventive action focuses on identifying negative trends
and addressing them before they become significant. Events that might trigger a PAN
include monitoring and measurement, trends analysis, tracking of progress on achieving
objectives and targets, response to emergencies and near misses, and customer or
neighbor complaints, among other events.

C. Preventive and corrective action notices are prepared, managed and tracked using the
preventive and corrective action database.

D. The ISO Management Representative (or designee) is responsible for reviewing issues
affecting the EMS, the application and maintenance of this procedure, and any updates to
EMS documents affected by the preventive and corrective actions.

E. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for logging the PAN or CAN into the
data base, and tracking and recording submission of solutions in the database. The
requester and recipient of the CAN or PAN are responsible for verifying the effectiveness of
the solution. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for overall tracking and
reporting on preventive and corrective actions.

F. Personnel receiving PAN’s and CAN’s are responsible for instituting the required corrective
or preventive action, reporting completion of the required action to the ISO Management
Representative, and assuring sustained effectiveness.

145

III. General (cont’d.)

G. Completed records of PAN’s and CAN’s are maintained in the database for at least two
years after completion of the corrective or preventive action.

IV. Procedure

A. Issuing a CAN or PAN

1. A CAN or PAN may be requested by any employee. The employee requesting the CAN
or PAN is responsible for bringing the problem to the attention of the ISO Management
Representative. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for determining
whether a CAN or PAN is appropriate and enters the appropriate information into the
corrective and preventive action database. Responsibility for resolving the problem is
assigned to a specific individual (“the recipient”).

2. The ISO Management Representative, working with the recipient, determines an
appropriate due date for resolving the CAN or PAN.

B. Determining and Implementing Corrective and Preventive Actions

1. The CAN or PAN is issued to the recipient, who is responsible for investigation and
resolution of the problem. The recipient is also responsible for communicating the
corrective or preventive action taken.

2. If the recipient cannot resolve the problem by the specified due date, he / she is
responsible for determining an acceptable alternate due date with the ISO Management
Representative.

C. Tracking CAN’s and PAN’s

1. CAN’s or PAN’s whose resolution dates are overdue appear on the Overdue Solutions
report. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for issuing this report on a
weekly basis to the Plant Manager and the recipients of any overdue CANs or PANs.

2. Records of PANs and CANs are maintained in the database for at least two years after
completion of the corrective or preventive action.

D. Tracking Effectiveness of Solutions

1. The recipient of a CAN or PAN, in conjunction with the requester, are responsible for
verifying the effectiveness of the solution. If the solution is deemed not effective, the
CAN or PAN will be reissued to the original recipient.

146

SAMPLE CORRECTIVE ACTION NOTICE

CAN Number: Issue Date: Solution Due Date:

Name Location Phone:
Requested By:
Issued To:

Problem Statement (completed by ISO Management Representative):

Most Likely Causes (completed by ISO Management Representative):

Implemented Solutions (completed by recipient - include dates as applicable):

Results (confirming effectiveness):

Closed by: Closing Date:

147

CORRECTIVE ACTION TRACKING LOG

CAN Requested Issued Solution Solution Solution Effectiveness CAN
Number By To Due Identified Completed Verified Closed
(Date) (Date) (Date) (Date) (Date)

148

Environmental Records
Organizer

149

Environmental Records Organizer (SAMPLE)

Permits Applications*

Air Emissions Permit

Air Permit Application

Previous Air Permit

Wastewater Permit

Solid Waste Permit

Hazardous Waste Permit

Stormwater Permit

Annual Licenses Fees*

Air Emissions Fees

Wastewater Fees

Hazardous Waste Fees

Solid Waste Fees

P2 Fees

Compliance Reporting*

Air Emissions**

150

VOC/HAPs Reporting

Ink Usage Reports

VOC Annual Analysis

Air Emissions Inventories

Historical Data

Wastewater**

Semi-Annual Wastewater Testing Reports

Pollution Prevention**

Annual P2 Report

Biannual Hazardous Waste Report

Hazardous Waste**

Open Manifests

Closed Manifests

Special Wastes**

Fluorescent Lamps

Ink Recycling

SARA 313*

Environmental Census Reports*
151

Compliance Plans*

Community Right-to-Know

Employee Right-to-Know

OSHA Lock Out

Minnesota AWAIR

Loss Prevention

Indoor Air Quality*

OSHA*

OSHA Posters

1996 OSHA Inspection

1994 OSHA Inspection

Safety Shoes

First Aid*

Spills Clean-Up*

152

Sample Procedure:
EMS Audits

153

EMS Procedure: Environmental Management System Audits

I. Purpose

To define the process for conducting periodic audits of the environmental management system
(EMS). The procedure defines the process for scheduling, conducting, and reporting of EMS
audits.

II. Scope

This procedure applies to all internal EMS audits conducted at the site.

The scope of EMS audits may cover all activities and processes comprising the EMS or
selected elements thereof.

III. General

Internal EMS audits help to ensure the proper implementation and maintenance of the EMS by
verifying that activities conform with documented procedures and that corrective actions are
undertaken and are effective.

All audits are conducted by trained auditors. Auditor training is defined by Procedure #.
Records of auditor training are maintained in accordance with Procedure # .

When a candidate for EMS auditor is assigned to an audit team, the Lead Auditor will prepare
an evaluation of the candidate auditor’s performance following the audit.

The ISO Management Representative is responsible for maintaining EMS audit records,
including a list of trained auditors, auditor training records, audit schedules and protocols, and
audit reports.

EMS audits are scheduled to ensure that all EMS elements and plant functions are audited at
least once each year.

The ISO Management Representative is responsible for notifying EMS auditors of any
upcoming audits a reasonable time prior to the scheduled audit date. Plant areas and
functions subject to the EMS audit will also be notified a reasonable time prior to the audit.

The Lead Auditor is responsible for ensuring that the audit, audit report and any feedback to
the plant areas or functions covered by the audit is completed per the audit schedule.

The ISO Management Representative, in conjunction with the Lead Auditor, is responsible for
ensuring that Corrective Action Notices are prepared for audit findings, as appropriate.

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IV. Procedure

A. Audit Team Selection - One or more auditors comprise an audit team. When the team
consists of more than one auditor, a Lead Auditor will be designated. The Lead Auditor is
responsible for audit team orientation, coordinating the audit process, and coordinating the
preparation of the audit report.

B. Audit Team Orientation - The Lead Auditor will assure that the team is adequately prepared
to initiate the audit. Pertinent policies, procedures, standards, regulatory requirements and
prior audit reports are made available for review by the audit team. Each auditor will have
appropriate audit training, as defined by Procedure #.

C. Written Audit Plan - The Lead Auditor is responsible for ensuring the preparation of a
written plan for the audit. The Internal EMS Audit Checklist may be used as a guide for this
plan.

D. Prior Notification - The plant areas and / or functions to be audited are to be notified a
reasonable time prior to the audit.

E. Conducting the Audit

1. A pre-audit conference is held with appropriate personnel to review the scope, plan and
schedule for the audit.

2. Auditors are at liberty to modify the audit scope and plan if conditions warrant.

3. Objective evidence is examined to verify conformance to EMS requirements, including
operating procedures. All audit findings must be documented.

4. Specific attention is given to corrective actions for audit findings from previous audits.

5. A post-audit conference is held to present audit findings, clarify any misunderstandings,
and summarize the audit results.

F. Reporting Audit Results

1. The Team Leader prepares the audit report, which summarizes the audit scope,
identifies the audit team, describes sources of evidence used, and summarizes the audit
results.

2. Findings requiring corrective action are entered into the corrective action database.

155

IV. Procedure (cont’d.)

G. Audit Report Distribution

1. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for communicating the audit results
to responsible area and / or functional management. Copies of the audit report are
made available by the ISO Management Representative.

2. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for ensuring availability of audit
reports for purposes of the annual Management review (see Procedure #).

H. Audit Follow-up

1. Management in the affected areas and / or functions are responsible for any follow-up
actions needed as a result of the audit.

2. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for tracking the completion and
effectiveness of corrective actions.

I. Record keeping

1. Audit reports are retained for at least two years from the date of audit completion. The
ISO Management Representative is responsible for maintaining such records.

156

Audit Plan

Area or Lead Audit Team Target Special
Function to be Auditor Members Date Instructions
Audited

157

Sample Communications to Audit Team
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AUDIT

Lead Auditor:
Audit Team Members:

Audit Area: Target Due Date:

Listed above is the area to be audited. The due date given is the target to have the entire audit completed,
including the report and follow-up meeting with the responsible area management. Listed below are the areas of
environmental management systems criteria that you are to assess. If you have any questions, please call me.
Special instructions, if any, are listed below. Thank you for your help. Effective audits help make an effective
environmental management system.

__ Policy __ Legal and Other Requirements

__ Environmental Aspect identification __ Objectives and Targets

__ Environmental Management Program __ Structure and Responsibility

__ Training, Awareness, Competence __ Communication

__ EMS Documentation __ Document Control

__ Operational Controls __ Emergency Preparedness

__ Monitoring and Measurement __ Nonconformance / Corrective Action

__ Records
__ Management System Audits
__ Management Review

Special Instructions:

ISO Representative (signature)

158

Sample Procedure:
Management Reviews

159

EMS PROCEDURE: MANAGEMENT REVIEW

I. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to document the process and primary agenda of issues to be
included in the Management Review meetings for evaluating the status of the organization’s
environmental management system (EMS).

II. Scope

This procedure applies to all Management Review meetings conducted by the organization.

III. General

The Management Review process is intended to provide a forum for discussion and
improvement of the EMS and to provide management with a vehicle for making any changes to
the EMS necessary to achieve the organization’s goals.

IV. Procedure

A. The ISO Management Representative is responsible for scheduling and conducting a
minimum of two Management Review meetings during each 12-month period. The ISO
Management Representative is also responsible for ensuring that the necessary data and
other information is collected prior to the meeting.

B. At a minimum, each Management Review meeting will consider the following:

• the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the environmental policy;

• the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the environmental objectives (as well as
the organization’s current status against these objectives);

• the overall suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the EMS;

• the status of corrective and preventive actions;

• the results of any EMS audits conducted since the last Management Review meeting;

• the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of training efforts; and,

• the results of any action items from the previous Management Review meeting.

C. Minutes of the Management Review meeting will be documented. These meeting minutes
will include, at a minimum:

• a list of attendees;
• a summary of key issues discussed; and,
160

• any actions items arising from the meeting.

D. A copy of the meeting minutes will be distributed to attendees and any individuals assigned
action items. A copy of the meeting minutes will also be retained on file.

161

Ems implementation guideline

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