[Organisation’s Title] Environmental Management System

[Organisation’s Title] Environmental Management System
[This presentation is intended to increase awareness of staff and contractors working for the organisation of the organisation’s new environmental management system (assuming that the EMS is based on the requirements of AS/NZS ISO 14001: This presentation is not designed to be used as it exists, but rather has been developed as an example and may act as a framework from which to develop a more refined presentation to use for educating staff to the requirements of an Environmental Management System. It is expected that information specific to an organisation such as the identified significant environmental aspects, objectives and targets will be communicated to staff as part of the training presentation or program]. This presentation aims to introduce to you the organisations recently initiated environmental management system (EMS). It will outline the organisations significant environmental aspects and requirements of the new EMS. [Handout the competency assessment form.] The awareness presentation and associated assessment are important requirements of the new EMS. The assessment can be filled out during the presentation. It should be filled out individually, and handed in at then end. Feedback will be given to anyone who indicates they have a difficulty in understanding any of the presentation. [It can be delivered initially as a step in implementing the EMS. Thereafter, it should be delivered to new staff and contractors as part of their induction to the agency.] [Staff Awareness Training]

Objectives of this presentation
To provide awareness of: The agency’s new environmental management system (EMS) Importance of conformity with environmental policy, procedures & other requirements of EMS Significant environmental aspects & related impacts associated with people’s work Environmental benefits of improved environmental performance New roles & responsibilities Consequences of potential departure from procedures. [These are straight from clause of the standard.]

What is an environmental management system (EMS)?
Part of an organisation’s management system used to develop and implement its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects. (AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 cl. 3.8) Explain the italicised words: An EMS is an integral part of a larger management system of an organisation, and not a separate system. Most organisations will have systems for managing their human resources, business objectives and plans and finances, and many will also have systems for managing the quality of their products and services, occupational health and safety, security, and environmental impact of their activities, products and services. These systems will work more effectively and efficiently if they share processes, such as a planning cycle, establishment of objectives and programs to achieve them, monitoring and measurement, corrective and preventive action for continual improvement, and management review. The environmental policy articulates the overall intentions and direction of an organisation related to its environmental performance as formally expressed by top management. It provides commitment to compliance with legal and other requirements, prevention of pollution, and continual improvement. It also provides a framework for action and the setting of environmental objectives and targets. The EMS is primarily about putting the environmental policy into action. Environmental aspects are those activities, products and services of an organisation that have or can have an impact on the environment. An EMS identifies such environmental aspects and determines which of them can have a significant impact on the environment. This helps an organisation understand how it interacts with the environment. This in turn guides an organisation in determining where environmental controls or improvements are needed, and setting priorities for action to enhance environmental performance.

What is AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004? An international standard for requirements of an environmental management system. Produced by the International Organisation for Standardisation. Ratified jointly by Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand for application in Australia and New Zealand. Used as basis for third party certification of environmental management systems. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-government network of national standards institutes, co-ordinated from a secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. It develops and publishes international standards. Many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. Other members have their roots in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations. The short term for the organisation is always ISO, regardless of language or country. This comes from the Greek isos, which means equal. The Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee QR-011, Environmental Management Systems, adopted ISO in its entirety in Therefore, in Australia we refer to the standard as AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004. AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 provides an international standard for the requirements of an environmental management system. Establishing an environmental management system in accordance with the standard has been proven to assist an organisation in managing its environmental risks. Certification of management systems is provided by accredited conformity assessment bodies like NCS International. [Mention whether or not the agency is seeking or has sought or achieved certification.]

The ISO 14001 model of continual improvement
Environmental Policy Planning Management Review The structure of AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 follows a Plan-Do-Check-Act (or PDCA) management approach. The steps are as follows: PLAN : Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the specifications. DO : Implement the processes. CHECK : Monitor and evaluate the processes and results against objectives and specifications and report the outcome. ACT : Apply actions to the outcome for necessary improvement. This means reviewing all steps (Plan, Do, Check, Act) and modifying the process to improve it before its next implementation. In AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004, the Plan-Do-Check-Act approach is shown as a continual improvement spiral starting with development of the environmental policy. The outcome of management review is a set of changes to the rest of the system designed to improve the system, and ultimately, environmental performance. Implementation & Operation Checking

Why have an EMS? Improve management of environmental impacts
Set targets to reduce energy use, water use & waste to landfill Initiate and maintain procedures to improve efficiencies including: Environmentally friendly purchasing procedures Preferred business travel option Define key responsibilities for achieving targets Monitor and measure environmental performance against key indicators Regularly assess progress towards achieving set objectives Ensure due diligence and ongoing consideration of legal and other environmental requirements There is a large number of criteria to consider when deciding on whether the agency should have an environmental management system in the first place, and seek certification to the requirements of ISO in the second place. In the above list of points, delete those that are not applicable, and explain that the decision for the agency to establish and implement an EMS is based on the remaining points .

Why have an EMS? continued
Assist with environmental reporting as required by s.516A of the EPBC Act 1999 Government policy encourages commonwealth agencies to implement an EMS (at least one site) Contribute to preferred employer status Achieve cost savings Show leadership, nationally and/or internationally Obtain competitive advantage May be required by clients, customers and/or regulators Build goodwill from customers and stakeholders [s.516a of the EPBC requires all Commonwealth agencies, authorities and companies to report annually on how activities or administration of legislation accorded with the principles of ecologically sustainable development as well as the environmental impacts of their activities and measures taken to minimise the negative environmental impacts].

Role of management in establishment & implementation of EMS
Develop & approve environmental policy as a statement of commitment Provide resources Appoint management representative(s) to ensure EMS is established, implemented and maintained, and to report on performance of EMS including recommendations for improvement Provide support to management representative in establishment phase to overcome barriers Regularly review the EMS to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness. It is important to point out that the top management of the agency is directly behind the EMS. The first three and the last point come directly from the requirements in the international standard. Top management has a number of direct roles in the EMS. The fourth point is about management providing support when challenges arise in implementing the EMS.

The agency’s environmental policy
The remaining slides will work through the elements of the agency’s new environmental management system. It will follow the structure of the international standard, that is, the plan-do-check-act cycle of continual improvement. The first element is one of the most important—the environmental policy. [Hand out a copy of the policy, which should be limited to a page. Put the main points of the policy in the slide.] [Read out the main points of the policy, in conjunction with the following comments, where relevant: Sets the direction for the way the agency manages its environmental impacts Comes from top management, & reflects tone at the top of this agency. The pinnacle or apex of the EMS—the EMS is designed to develop and implement the policy. Includes commitments to pollution prevention, compliance & continual improvement Includes framework for objectives & targets Must be communicated & maintained If the environmental policy has been integrated with another management system policy, e.g. quality or occupational health and safety, then make this point clear. Indicate that the new EMS has been integrated as much as possible with existing management system processes. ]

Planning the EMS Environmental aspects Legal & other requirements
Objectives, targets & programs Planning the EMS has involved three elements: Environmental aspects Legal & other requirements Objectives, targets & programs We will now look in some detail at each of these in the agency’s EMS.

Environmental aspects
Identification of environmental aspects Determination of aspects with significant environmental impact Environmental aspects register Significant environmental aspects are the focus of the rest of the EMS An environmental management system (EMS) is the system by which an organisation controls the activities, products and services that cause, or could cause, environmental impacts. In doing this, the organisation minimises the environmental impacts of its operations. Those activities, products and services are called environmental aspects. This approach is based on the management of ‘cause and effect’. This is where an organisation’s activities, products and services are the causes or ‘aspects’, and their resulting effect, or potential effect, on the environment are ‘impacts’. The identification of environmental aspects is fundamental to the EMS. Once this is done, the aspects and associated impacts can be analysed to determine their risk. The risks can in turn be evaluated to determine which environmental aspects and impacts are significant risks to the environment and/or the organisation. The significant environmental aspects can then be the focus of the rest of the EMS so their environmental impact can be minimised. Environmental aspects must be documented and kept up to date. The significant environmental aspects are the focus of the rest of the EMS. The following slide shows the agency’s significant environmental aspects.

The agency’s significant environmental aspects
[This slide is to list the results of the determination of the agency’s significant environmental aspects. They could be the most significant, if there are many of them, or several slides could be used. The aspects could be shown in relation to their activities, products or services, and/or their environmental impacts.] [Briefly introduce each significant environmental aspect.] [Where appropriate, ask people in the room if any of these significant environmental aspects affect their work. Explain that it is important for people to understand those environmental aspects that can affect their work. That facilitates taking steps to minimise their environmental impact.] [If appropriate, as people who work with significant environmental aspects what they currently do to control their environmental impact, or suggest what could be done. The message is to show haw people can make a difference.]

Legal & other requirements
Identification of legal requirements applicable to the agency Identification of other requirements to which the agency subscribes Legal & other requirements applied to environmental aspects Maintenance & incorporation in rest of EMS The environmental policy includes a commitment to complying with legal and other requirements. It is therefore important to identify those requirements, show how they relate to the environmental aspects, and keep them up-to-date. This is the second part of planning the EMS. Legal and other requirements must be incorporated in the rest of the EMS. Accordingly, most organisations automatically regard an environmental aspect as significant if there is a legal or other requirement associated with it. [Say this if it is true for the agency, otherwise delete it.] The next slide shows some of the more important legal and other requirements of the agency.

The agency’s legal & other requirements
[List in this slide the main legal and other requirements applicable to the agency, and the environmental aspects they apply to. Briefly introduce each one.]

Objectives, targets & programs
Objective: overall goal consistent with environmental policy that the agency wants to achieve Target: detailed performance requirement to achieve objective Environmental program/action plan: to achieve objectives & targets includes responsibility, means & timeframe The third part of planning an EMS is setting environmental objectives and targets, and programs for achieving them. [Explain what environmental objectives and targets are from the first two points.] Together, objectives and targets must be measureable, where practicable. Ideally, they should be SMART (Specific, Measureable, Realistic and Time-based). To achieve the objectives and targets, the agency needs an environmental program, or action plan, or a set of programs/plans. The next slide shows objectives and targets established for the agency’s most significant environmental aspects, and programs to achieve them.

The agency’s objectives, targets & programs
[List the objectives, targets and programs for significant environmental aspects here. Briefly introduce them.]

Implementation & Operation
Resources, roles, responsibility & authority Competence, training & awareness Communication Documentation Control of documents Operational control Emergency preparedness & response Implementation and operation of an EMS includes the elements mentioned in this slide. We will work our way through these.

Resources, roles, responsibility & authority
Management provision of appropriate resources Documentation of roles, responsibilities & authorities Appointment of management representative to: Co-ordinate establishment, implementation & maintenance of EMS Report to top management on performance of EMS & recommend improvements The first point is an obligation of management. Resources could include additional money for consultants to provide analysis or advice, additional staff, development of processes, and sometimes new technology. In an EMS, roles, responsibilities and authorities relevant to environmental management must be documented—they are so important! [Ask if people know any roles, responsibilities and authorities relevant to the EMS, e.g. HR manager, facilities manager, fleet co-ordinator, contract manger (for waste management). Mention these and any other relevant roles, responsibilities & authorities.] The EMS has a special role of management representative. [Mention the role in terms of the two last minor dot points. Say who the management rep is if it is not obvious by now.]

Competence, training & awareness
Identification of positions & roles associated with significant environmental aspects Assessment of competence Identification of training needs Fulfilment of training needs Propagation of awareness of the EMS, especially: Importance of conformity with the environmental policy and other requirements of the EMS Significant environmental aspects and related impacts associated with work Environmental benefits of improved personal performance Roles and responsibilities relevant to the EMS Potential consequences of departure from specified procedures. In an EMS, those positions or roles that have potential to cause a significant environmental impact, that is, are working in areas or jobs associated with the agency’s significant environmental aspects, have to be identified. The people occupying those positions or roles then have to be assessed as competent on the basis of appropriate education, training or experience. In an office based organisation like the agency, Following on from this, the training needs of people in these roles and positions has to be identified, and then training or other action has to be provided to meet those needs. On-the-job training and mentoring are mostly used in the agency. However, some new roles, like internal auditors, will require additional external training. Everyone in the agency is required to have a general awareness of the EMS. [Explain that this presentation has been designed to fulfill that requirement of the EMS, and then work through the minor dot points.]

Communication Internal communication
Communication from external parties Decision on proactive communication externally about significant environmental aspects Government agencies like this one usually havegood processes in place for internal communication—these need to be tapped into so that information on the EMS can be exchanged both upwards and downwards in the structure. Government agencies also usually have good records management systems We just need to ensure that external communications on environmental issues are appropriately received, documented and responded to. The third point is a requirement of ISO to document a decision about whether to communicate proactively externally about an organisation’s significant environmental aspects. [There are three likely options, so choose the one selected for the agency: Publication of significant environmental aspects on the Internet, or in annual reports, or in some other form. No publication of significant environmental aspects. Dealing with significant environmental aspects on a case-by-case basis.]

Documentation Environmental policy, objectives and targets
Description of the scope of the environmental management system Description of the main elements of the environmental management system and their interaction, and reference to related documents Documents and records required by the standard Documents and records determined by the organisation to be necessary to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of processes that relate to its significant environmental aspects. There is a minimum list of documentation required for a (certified) environmental management system: Environmental policy, objectives and targets Description of the scope of the environmental management system Description of the main elements of the environmental management system and their interaction, and reference to related documents Documents and records required by the standard Documents and records determined by the organisation to be necessary to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of processes that relate to its significant environmental aspects. The last point will come up again shortly.

Document control Document approval
Document review, update and re-approval Identification of changes and current revision status Availability at points of use Legibility and identification Identification and distribution of external documents Management of obsolete documents. Document control refers to a procedure for: Document approval Document review, update and re-approval Identification of changes and current revision status Availability at points of use Legibility and identification Identification and distribution of external documents Management of obsolete documents. [This is usually easy for government agencies, as most of this will already be in place. Mention anything that is new.] [Briefly describe availability of and access to the documents of the agency’s EMS at the fourth point.]

Operational control Control of all operations associated with significant environmental impacts Operational control must include documented work instructions and operating procedures defining the manner in which control will be maintained, on a risk management basis Operational control extends to significant environmental aspects of goods & services used by the agency, for communication to suppliers & contractors. The first point is simply about the need for operational control (or internal control) of significant environmental aspects. This is to ensure that they are carried out in accordance with requirements of the EMS, i.e. reduce environmental impact, achieve environmental objectives & targets.. The second point is about providing documented work instructions and procedures to control processes and operations which do or could have a significant environmental impact. This is the same as a requirement made two slides ago regarding documentation required for an EMS: “Documents and records determined by the organisation to be necessary to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of processes that relate to its significant environmental aspects.” The international standard clearly puts the responsibility on the organisation to determine when operational procedures need to be documented. You do not have to document everything! Instead, a risk management approach should be used. Criteria to consider when adopting a risk based approach to documenting procedures include: Likelihood and consequences of environmental impact Legal and other requirements Size and complexity of the organisation and the need to ensure that a procedure is undertaken consistently throughout the organisation Benefits for training. Finally, operational control procedures are also required for significant environmental aspects of goods and services used by the organisation. These do not strictly have to be documented, but documentation facilitates communication of them to suppliers, including contractors. Please assist by identifying procedures that could be documented to reduce environmental risk. We are only interested in documenting procedures where this contributes to environmental control.

Emergency preparedness & response
Identification of potential for accidents and emergency situations Determination of appropriate response to accident and emergency situations to minimise environmental impact Testing of emergency response Review of emergency preparedness & response procedure, especially after incidents [Most large office-based organisations already have an emergency preparedness & response plan as an OH&S requirement. If this is the case, explain that is just needed to be referenced in the EMS, and that the requirement for an EMS is the same.]

Checking Monitoring & measurement Evaluation of compliance
Nonconformity, corrective action & preventive action Control of records Internal audit The next step in establishing the EMS was to ensure that there is a way of checking that all is going to plan. This involves: Monitoring & measurement Evaluation of compliance Nonconformity, corrective action & preventive action Control of records Internal audit We will work through these.

Monitoring & measurement
Monitoring of activities, functions and processes associated with significant environmental impacts Monitoring of performance, operational controls, & conformity with environmental objectives & targets Calibration or verification of monitoring & measurement equipment In an environmental management system, environmental performance is the measureable results of an organisation’s management of its environmental aspects. The standard requires an organisation to have a procedure for monitoring and measuring, on a regular basis, the key characteristics of its operations that can have a significant environmental impact. The procedure must include the recording of information to monitor environmental performance, operational controls, and progress on achieving the organisation’s environmental objectives and targets. [Mention some of the things that were already monitored by the agency. Mention some of the new things that will be monitored from now on.] [Mention this if relevant:}Any monitoring or measuring equipment that requires calibration or verification must have its calibration and verification maintained, as evidenced by records.

Evaluation of compliance
Periodic evaluation of compliance with legal & other requirements Recording of evaluations. In addition to monitoring and measurement of operational activities, the standard requires an organisation to periodically evaluate its compliance with applicable legal requirements and with other requirements to which it subscribes, and to keep records of the results of the evaluations. This is consistent with that commitment to compliance made in the environmental policy.

Nonconformity, corrective action & preventive action
Identification of actual & potential nonconformities Action to correct nonconformities and mitigate environmental impact Investigation of nonconformities & determination of root cause Corrective action to avoid recurrence Preventive action to prevent occurrence Review of effectiveness of action taken. Nonconformity is non-fulfilment of a requirement, that is, when something does not go to plan. In an environmental management system, some examples of environmental nonconformity are: an environmental control is not implemented or is ineffective, an environmental emergency or accident happens, a licence condition is breached, acceptable levels of a monitored or measured characteristic are exceeded, an environmental objective or target is not met, a neighbour or member of the public complains about an environmental issue from your site, a documented procedure or work instruction is not followed, and so on. Actual and potential nonconformity is identified and suggestions for improvement are made by: Internal audit External audit Site inspections Feedback from external parties Complaints from customers or other stakeholders Suggestions for improvement from staff and contractors Occurrence of environmental emergencies and accidents Testing of emergency preparedness and response Management review Corrective and preventive action are used when a nonconformity is identified, regardless of its source. They involve getting to the root cause of the nonconformity, then determining and taking corrective action to ensure the actual nonconformity does not recur, or preventive action to ensure the potential nonconformity does not occur in the first place. It is important to review that any action taken is ultimately effective. The next slide shows how this works in practice.

This shows a flowchart of the corrective and preventive action process
This shows a flowchart of the corrective and preventive action process. The objective of the process is to drive continual improvement of the EMS. [Work through the flowchart, starting with identifying an actual nonconformity and taking corrective action, then identifying a potential nonconformity or suggestion for improvement and taking preventive action.] [If you are confident, turn off the projector and construct the flowchart on a whiteboard using contributions from the audience. This usually works if you use some nonconformities relevant to the agency.] Further details of the agency’s corrective and preventive action process will be released separately. Everyone in the agency will have a responsibility for identifying actual and potential environmental nonconformities.

Control of records Retention of all environmental records required for the successful development, implementation and maintenance of the EMS. Our agency has a good records management system—all we need to do is ensure that it is used by the EMS.

Internal audit Internal audit program designed to:
evaluate conformity with requirements of EMS & international standard evaluate effectiveness of EMS provide information to top management. Internal audits of an environmental management system provide information to management on whether the system conforms to planned arrangements and has been properly implemented and maintained. Ideally, an internal audit looks forward and evaluates the effectiveness of a management system in fulfilling the commitments made in the management system policy and achieving the objectives and targets established for the management system. In the early days of establishing the EMS, internal audits will focus on conformity with the international standard so that certification can be achieved and maintained. It is also appropriate to evaluate compliance with legal and other requirements in an internal audit. As our EMS matures, internal audit will increasingly consider risk management. That is, the internal audit program should consider the environmental importance of the agency’s operations in terms of its environmental aspects and impacts, and the results of previous audits. The agency needs to establish a pool of internal auditors. These people will be formerly trained in environmental management systems and internal auditing, and will be mentored while they develop their internal audit skills.

Management Review Holistic & strategic evaluation, by top management, of audit findings and the degree to which organisation’s environmental policy, objectives and targets, programs and procedures are functioning to improve environmental performance. This is the last element of the EMS, but one of the most important. It is over and above normal operational management This is where top management: takes a holistic and strategic look at the continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the environmental management system, and 2. approves actions to improve the system, and in turn improve the environmental performance of the organisation. The EMS Co-ordinator has an important role of providing information for top management to consider, including recommendations for improvement to the system.

Continual improvement of our EMS
Environmental Policy Planning Management Review We have now very briefly worked through all the elements of our new environmental management system. As you can see, the EMS is very “systematic”. It is designed for continual improvement. This means improvement in efficiency and effectiveness of the environmental management system, which in turn means improvement in environmental performance. Implementation & Operation Checking

Objectives of this presentation
To provide awareness of: The agency’s new environmental management system (EMS) Importance of conformity with environmental policy, procedures & other requirements of EMS Significant environmental aspects & related impacts associated with people’s work Environmental benefits of improved personal performance New roles & responsibilities Consequences of potential departure from procedures. [These are straight from clause of the standard.] In a moment we will take questions. But first, here is a recap of the objectives of this presentation. Hopefully by now you will realise that your individual commitment is vital to the success of the EMS. It is the commitment of individuals who share environmental values that transforms an EMS from paperwork into an effective system that can improve the environment. At the very least, your commitment can be shown through willingness to conform with the agency’s environmental policy, and any procedures and requirements of the EMS. We have only touched briefly on significant environmental aspects associated with your work. Further guidance on this will come out from time to time. We encourage everyone to make suggestions that can lead to improved environmental performance. Suggestions for further training will be seriously considered.

Questions? [The EMS Co-ordinator can take questions from the audience.]

[Organisation’s Title] Environmental Management System

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