the importance of an environmental management system

8/2/2019 The Importance of an Environmental Management System

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www.iso14001environmentalmanagementsystem.com

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TABLE of CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE NUMBER

1. Improving Profitability With ISO 14001 3

Environmental Management System

2. The Secrets to an Effective Environmental 5

Management System

3. Environmental Management Systems: 7

Building Your Green Team

4. A Customised Environmental Management 9

System Manual

5. Winning Projects With an Environmental 11

Management System Sample


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Improving Profitability

with the ISO 14001

Environmental

Management System

Whats good for the

environment is also good for

the bottom line. When

Geelong Wool Combing Ltd.

(GWC) began working on its

environmental management

system in 1997, it spent $100,000 plus $5,000 to $6,000 getting certified.

But the companys savings greatly outweighed what they spent forpreparing theirISO 14001 environmental management system.

By changing their boiler, GWC saved $180,000 annually. By optimising their

detergent consumption, they saved $60,000 every year. By making

improvements to their by-product recovery systems, GWC increased their

estimated income by $250,000. Moreover, when the wool-processing plant

looked into zero waste off-site, they managed to incorporate their waste

products into saleable compost, which allowed them to eliminate 20

tonnes of daily waste and an added avenue for generating income.

There are hundreds of other companies worldwide that have adopted a

certified environmental management system (EMS) in order to comply with

legislation. For most of these corporations, the initial objective might have

been to avoid any sort of penalty from governing bodies like the

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and

Communities. But with companies like GWC showing better profits by

planning and enforcing more efficient environmental systems, the shift

from mere compliance has gone on to continual improvement of the EMS.
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The ISO 14001 is the most utilised EMS in the world. An estimated 223,000

organisations in over 159 countries are certified for it. As the principal

management system standard, the ISO 14001 focuses on controlling the

effects a companys activities have on the environment such as emissions

to water or air. With this standard, companies are required to setobjectives, targets, and programmes needed to improve overall

environmental performance.

Remarkable cost savings can be sourced from improved efficiencies in

energy and water usage alone. The added value of minimising waste, as

GWC had done, brings enormous possibilities for an even greater bottom

line. The most basic commitments a company must meet with the ISO

14001 include compliance with legislation, continual improvement of the

EMS, and prevention of pollution.

In order for a company to fully benefit from the ISO 14001, it must have the

full commitment of top management. The burden of having to spend

thousands of dollars in preparing the EMS can quickly be remedied by

opting for a professionally written, AS/NZ ISO 14001-compliant template

that is easily used and understood by the very people who need to enforce

it. With a fully compliant EMS template, companies neednt hire costly

consultants who might charge fees of up to $40,000.

Businesses that use theISO 14001 environmental management system, like

the GWC, have not only improved profitability and saved enormous sums

on production costs, but they have also achieved minimised impact on the

environment and, along with it, an improved public perception of

businesses as environmentally responsible entities.


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The Secrets to an Effective Environmental Management

System

Reading a wordy and complex thick

guide on, say, reducing waterconsumption by one million gallons a

day or implementing a process to reduce

the amount of paint sludge in several

company-owned factories, can easily get

in the way of work. Work that prevents a

company from, well, working is

obviously not cost-effective and

therefore inefficient. However,

businesses that inescapably affect theenvironment with its day-to-day

operations simply cant give up enforcing an environmental management

system(EMS) because its cumbersome to draft and difficult to understand.

Simple, understandable, and positive. This is how the University of

Queensland wanted their EMS. In a case study reported by the Department

of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, the countrys first university

to get an environmental management system certification relayed that

their desire to achieve an effective EMS was not borne out of mere

obligation, but rather stemmed from the universitys own desire to use all

resources efficiently and enhance and protect campus environment

through sustainable practices.

This began with staff efforts at paper recycling, which eventually led to

preparation of an actual environmental strategy they called Unigreen. Later

on, the University of Queensland pushed for an ISO 14001 certification as a

way of setting an example for their suppliers and contractors, which they

required to be certified as well.
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The University of Queensland has some 50 sites spread over more than

334,000 square metres, with lakes, gardens, roads, sewage treatment

plants, an incinerator and a range of the facilities relevant to the

universitys daily function. Suffice it to say with a staff of 5,000 and a

student population of 28,000, the coverage of their EMS wasnt about to besimple because it needed to incorporate a wide range of activities.

But with the persistence of those tasked to implement the schools EMS to

keep it simple, understandable, and positive, the University of Queensland

was able to come up with a system that was easily understood and still

right on target with their environmental objectives. To this day, the

university makes further improvements to its ISO 14001 certified EMS and

sets new targets every year to save costs and employ more efficient

procedures.

Every business, whether its a university, a car manufacturing plant, or a

construction company, can have a simple, understandable, and positive

EMS without spending several months drafting it. A clear EMS can also be

achieved without hiring expensive consultants who will most likely charge

thousands of dollars.

A reliable, professionally made ISO 14001-compliant and simple EMS

template can be acquired through a reputable online provider of EMStemplates. This relieves any business from having to draft a cumbersome

and complex EMS manual. There lies the first secret to a successful

environmental management system. The rest will be up to the commitment

of the companys top management and the dedication of its employees to

enforce it.
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Environmental Management

Systems: Building Your Green

Team

Who identifies the environmental

competence of all contractors working on a

project? Who monitors construction

activities to ensure appropriate control

measures are effective and in place? Who

reviews and improves method statements for environmental aspect before

commencing any work? Every organisation, especially one that deals with

complex and high-risk projects - like a construction firm, for instance) has to

have clear roles and responsibilities for the key individuals tasked to

enforceenvironmental management systems.

If a companys organisational chart doesnt clarify each employees

responsibilities and roles in the business, inefficiency will ensue, which is

most likely followed by chaos. When something bad happens like

complaints from other businesses about construction noise and vibration,

or waste management procedures werent followed, someone either needs

to be responsible for resolving the issue or be held accountable for it.

Otherwise, such incidents that delay work and incur costs will continue tohappen. When someone is tasked to manage and inspect every aspect of

the work related to your construction companys environmental impact,

everyone works better.

Plan. Do. Check. Act. Each phase of you companys environmental

management system requires the necessary personnel to ensure the

project is done and delivered according to environmental legislation and

your organisations own policies.

For instance, your project environmental manager is responsible for

coordinating and managing all the environmental activities during the


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construction phase. He develops and reviews your construction

environmental management plan. He monitors construction activities

performance and identifies environmental competence and requirements

for all staff working on the project. He does overall monitoring of the

programme for environmental works, environmental audit ofsubcontractors and suppliers, and performs several duties that concern

liaising with the clients environmental manager, the projects public

officer, and the construction team.

Meanwhile, your site environmental representative will be directly involved

in managing and coordinating environmental activities on-site. That person

will be reporting to your project environmental manager. He will assist the

manager in developing and maintaining your construction environmental

management plan (CEMP). He will undertake weekly (or as indicated inyour CEMP) site inspections, determine actions required, and identify

training needs and even provide it when required. He will investigate and

resolve complaints. He will circulate information on waste management

procedures.

All environmental management systems begin with creating or drafting

your construction companys policies. Such policies, as identified by ISO

14001, should be communicated to all employees and suppliers to ensure

that everyone works in line with those policies. Monitoring,documentation, compliance audits it takes a good green team to apply

the principles of environmental management. Make sure your team is

knowledgeable and trained so your construction projects fully benefit from

adopting a certified EMS.


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A Customised Environmental

Management System Manual

A grown man wearing an ill-fitting suit looks

odd. He looks odd because he might be walkingaround like a child playing dress-up. A theater

actor thats speaking lines from Mama Mia!

will seem ridiculous. He will seem ridiculous

because hes in a play called Speaking in

Tongues. An architect that brings the blueprint

of a two-storey narrow block house might

worry his site foreman and client. He might

worry his site foreman and client if hes

supposed to be designing a farmhouse. The same sort of principles may beapplied to your environmental management system manual. If the

significant document doesnt correspond to your construction project, you

might not make your deadline and end up incurring more costs that goes

above the project bid amount.

The creation of an environmental management system in your construction

business is merely the beginning of an implementation process to manage

and continually improve the way your projects are done. The management

process requires a tool, and that tool comes in the form of the EMS manual.

Your construction EMS manual will include procedures on training,

managing records, completing internal audits, and identifying

environmental aspects. It needs to detail how requirements of the system

are going to be implemented. It will have programmes and operational

controls that fall under the EMS. It will contain documents that record EMS

training provided to employees, completion of management reviews, and

identification of environmental aspects. It should also include definitions

and references that will help those reviewing the EMS.


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Commissioning a consultant to create a customised environmental

management system (EMS) can be expensive. Most businesses spend

upwards of $10,000 for consultants and allocate several months drafting it,

ensuring it adheres to current Australian policies. However, there is a less

costly, less complex way to achieve an EMS manual that complies withstate and federal environmental legislation.

A customised and comprehensiveenvironmental management manualthat

reflects AS/NZS ISO 14001 standards can be commissioned through a

reputable online EMS provider. A professionally written EMS manual will

have policies, procedures, practices, and performance standards of your

construction company. The EMS manual will work for construction projects

like alteration or repair of a building, structural alteration, or repair of

viaducts or tunnels.

Your EMS manual might also come with a project-specific management

plan, which all construction companies frequently require since each

project differs in scope and location. All you need to do is fill it out

according to your current project requirements.

An environmental management system manual thats customised for every

construction project that comes your way is a necessary tool that ensures

you deliver a project within the deadline, according to specifications, andwith minimal impact to the environment. With a comprehensive and

professionally written manual made possible through online purchase, you

can provide high-quality work without the heavy costs.


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Winning Projects with an

Environmental Management

System Sample

Youve started your own construction

company and have begun an effort to land

projects by tendering bids. Government

contracts, youve found out, require certain

certifications before allowing any company

to even tender a bid. Most companies,

youve realised, also require all contractors

to acquire international and state

certifications before even considering to let

you tender. Before you sell all the construction equipment and relieve the

carpenters, the engineers, and the foreman of their jobs, see about an

environmental management system sample.

An environmental management system (EMS) manages the impact of an

organisation or a companys activities on the environment and provides a

structured approach to planning and implementing protection measures.

An internationally certified EMS provides companies like yours the

credentials needed to land projects and do business with numerouscompanies that only deal with environmentally responsible suppliers and

contractors. Acquiring that certification, then, becomes fundamental in the

operation and development of your business.

But where do you start? How do you even begin to formulate your

companys environmental policies? Which state legislations do you need to

take into account when drafting your EMS? How do you know each policy

and procedure will work to your companys and the environments

advantage?
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However, drafting your companys EMS will no longer seem like a daunting

task now with reliable online EMS providers offering comprehensive and

customised EMS templates for manuals and plans all of which are

guaranteed to comply with AS/NZS ISO 14001 standards, state and federal

government guidelines, and environmental legislation.

All you need to do is quite easily fill-in-the-blanks. Youll only need to

specify what your company intends to achieve with the EMS. Is it

accomplishing zero waste on-site or managing water usage during

construction? Youll also have to identify and document actual and

potential environmental impacts of your company. These projections will

need to be specified later on in your EMS plan, which should be project-

specific.

Youll also need to specify the allocated roles and responsibilities of certain

employees to ensure that implementation of the policies and procedures in

your EMS are carried out effectively.

Adoption of an EMS isnt just used to comply with state and federal

legislations and avoid penalties. Its certification isnt just to satisfy and

meet government contracts and private businesses requirements. Its

implementation serves a purpose far greater than compliance and

managing environmental impacts of your companys day-to-day activities.When the policies and procedures in your EMS are implemented to the

letter, your company is able to cut costs and gain alternate income sources.

A reliable and professional EMS provider will present an environmental

management system sample that you can review and determine if it is,

indeed, one that perfectly fits your business; soon enough, you will be

competing for government and private projects, and gaining a reputation

for providing quality projects that have well-managed environmental

impacts.
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