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INTRODUCTION
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency.
WHAT IS EMS ?
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a framework that helps a company achieve its environmental goals through consistent control of its operations. The assumption is that this increased control will improve the environmental performance of the company. The EMS itself does not dictate a level of environmental performance that must be achieved; each company's EMS is tailored to the company's business and goals.
Internal
Enhanced compliance
Pollution prevention Resource conservation New customers/markets Increased efficiency/reduced costs Enhanced employee morale Enhanced image with public, regulators, lenders, investors Employee awareness of environmental issues and responsibilities
(Note: Internal labor costs represent the bulk of the EMS resources expended by most organizations) External
ISO 14001
The most commonly used framework for an EMS is the one developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the ISO 14001 standard. Established in 1996, this framework is the official international standard for an EMS.
conclusion
An environmental management system takes time and commitment from the entire organization. Effective running of an EMS will provide ongoing environmental benefits, cost savings and contribute to building an attractive work place culture.
ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
INTRODUCTION
Environmental audit is a general term that can reflect various types or evaluations intended to identify environmental compliance and management system implementation gaps, along with related corrective actions. In this way they performs similar function to financial audits.
Industrial accidents
Major incidents such as the Bhopal, Chernobyl and Exxon-Valdez disasters have reminded companies that it is not sufficient to set corporate policies and standards on environmental health and safety matters without ensuring that they are being implemented. Audits can help reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises.
Regulatory developments
Since the early 1970s regulations on environmental topics have increased substantially. This has made it steadily more difficult for a company to ascertain whether a specific plant in a particular country is complying with all of the relevant legislation.
Public awareness
The public has become increasingly aware of, and vocal about, environmental and safety issues. Companies have had to demonstrate to the public that they are managing environmental risks effectively.
litigation
The growth of legislation has led to a corresponding explosion of litigation and liability claims, particularly in the United States. In Europe and elsewhere, there is growing emphasis on the responsibilities of individual directors and on making information available to the public.
definition
The ICC (international chambers of commerce) defines environmental auditing as: a management tool comprising a systematic, documented periodic and objective evaluation of how well environmental organization, management and equipment are performing, with the aim of helping safeguard the environment by: (i) facilitating management control of environmental practices and (ii) assessing compliance with company policies which would include meeting regulatory requirements. The European Commission in its proposed regulation on environmental auditing also adopts the ICC definition of environmental audit.
objectives
The overall objective of environmental auditing is to help safeguard the environment and minimize risks to human health. Clearly, auditing alone will not achieve this goal (hence the use of the word help); it is a management tool. The key objectives of an environmental audit therefore are to: determine how well the environmental management systems and equipment are performing verify compliance with the relevant national, local or other laws and regulations minimize human exposure to risks from environmental, health and safety problems.
benefits
Organizations understand how to meet their legal requirements and other requirements; Meeting specific statutory reporting requirements; Organizations can demonstrate they are environmentally responsible; Organizations can demonstrate they meet the requirements of their environmental policy; Understanding environmental interactions of products, services and activities, and managing environmental risks; Understanding how to develop and implement a more effective ISO 14001 EMS; and Organizations can understand how they can improve environmental performance and save money.
conclusion
An environmental audit is useful for finding the areas of your business that impact the most on the environment. It is also an effective risk management tool for checking how effectively your business acts in accordance with environmental regulations. An environmental audit assesses the nature and extent of harm to the environment caused by the activities, waste or noise from your business. Use the audit as a tool to help you: assess how you can manage or improve the condition of the environment prioritise what actions you can take to reduce your impact on the environment demonstrate accountability to third parties such as government, customers and shareholders. Environmental audits must be independent, objective, credible and transparent in order to be successful. Audits should also be regular and ongoing, and conducted against a benchmark or initial assessment, generally detailed in your environmental plan.