More Information About The Different Areas In An EMS. Flashcards
How many areas are there in the initial env. Review ? Name them
4 key areas :
1. Env aspects : this takes the most time . Involves assessing the actual impacts of the company , identifying normal (emissions from daily operations)and abnormal activities(spills) . Assessing which ones are significant and addressing them with objectives. There can be an objective targeting insignificant areas.
2. Compliance and obligations: this usually about legislations and other obligations the company has committed to . Here you critically assess if the company is following all require and promises they may have made . Here if they are not complying it must be stated and addressed ( usually in a table form with either yes or no by the sides).
3. Assessing existing environmental mgt practices processes and procedures : here you compile and summarize all existing data regarding environmental issues.
4. Evaluating past emergency situations and accidents: here you you review past incidents and the likelihood they might reoccur as well as how to be prepared for the, if they do . All situations here must be related to the environment.
In compliance and obligation is it difficult to find all legislation?
Yes it is because sometimes there might be environmental regulations that are not apart of the legislation but are beneficial to the environment and are included in the environmental code.
Initial environmental review also involve four analysis/assessments in the new version of ISO14001. What are they ?
- Addressing Internal and external issues eg. The system may need to be written in two languages.
- Scope : define the extent and applicability of the system because it can cater to everything.
- Identifying risks (e* spills )and plan to prevent them . As well as identifying opportunities
( the potential to install solar panels on roof ) and capitalizing on them. - Identifying interested parties and catering to their needs (you must choose what is relevant and what isn’t).
What does the standard say about environmental policies?
Top mgt shall establish, implement and maintain an env. Policy within the defined scope of the EMS.
What are some guidelines for developing an environmental policy ?
Kindly note that the below should be explicitly said!! In one way or another .
1. It should be relevant and appropriate to the context of the organization including the scale nature and environmental impacts of its activities , products and services.
2. It should serve as a framework for objectives.
3. Should state commitment to fulfilling compliance obligations.
4. Should state commitment to protecting the environment including preventing pollution and other specific commitments relevant to the context of the organization.
5. Should include a commitment to continually improve on the EMS to enhance environmental performance.
What are the points in the env. Policy that must not be explicitly stated but must be followed?
- The policy shall be documented .
- The policy shall be communicated with the entire organization
- The policy shall be available to interested parties.
Is the statement true/false : the significant environmental aspects should relate to the objectives . As the objectives is aimed addressing the significant environmental aspects.
True .
What can you say about objectives and targets ?
First of for every objective or target there must be an action plan to address it . Once the objectives have been set to clearly communicate the action assigned the objectives you can have it in a table form.( objective ➡️action plan / activity➡️ responsible person (very important) ➡️ end date ( also very important).
However if the objective is reduce something by a percentage each year then the proposed deadline can be ongoing .
How should good objectives be ?
S: specific
M: measurable
A: achievable / agreed
R: relevant/ realistic
T: timed
There must always be persons responsible and must have good correlation with significant aspects
What is the suggested structure for a waste procedure?
- Purpose of the procedure
- Scope of the procedure
- Responsible persons
- Implementation ( here is where you outline what should be done in detail and by whom).
- Monitoring, record keeping and reporting
- Deviations and noncompliance
- Reference documents
Should always have the authors name , name of the procedure , date , version number , page number , number of attachments , who established it and number of pages
According to ISO14001 before you write down a procedure what must you do ?
- Really understand what it is you need to achieve including legal requirements.
- Understand how things work currently and why they work how they do.
- Discuss with people who actually do the work to identify challenges and identify how those challenges can be solved .
- Once you get ideas discuss them with the people who do the work to test if it is feasible.
- If a procedure in practice will be complex run a trial .
- When you and the people who do the work are happy then you write it down
What are the steps to conducting a good audit ?
- Prepare and plan the audit
- Conduct interviews with relevant people.
- Take an observational tour .
- Request for relevant documents both during preparation and on-site
How many types of audits are there ? Name them
There are two main types of audits : internal audits and third party audits(external audit).
Write what you know about internal audits
Flexible
Done 1-2 times a year
Internal auditor must not be the environmental manager .
What do you know about external audits ?
Done 1-2 times in a year .
Done in a 3 year cycle year 0 certification audit, year 1 +2 surveillance audit , year 3 comprehend recertification audit.
This is done by special authorized bodies and in Sweden only 13 of those bodies exist .
