The Big Picture About Environmental Management Systems Lawrence D. Fredendall Department of Management Clemson University.

The Big Picture About Environmental Management

Systems

Lawrence D. Fredendall

Department of Management

Clemson University

What is a System?

Set of interacting elements that form a whole “regularly interacting or interdependent groups

of items forming a unified whole towards the achievement of a goal” (APICS Dictionary, Cox and Blackstone eds., 1998)

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

What is an EMS?– Part of overall management structure

Purpose of EMS– Address immediate & long-term environmental impacts

Why have an EMS?– Provide order and consistency in methods

EPA View of EMS Purpose(United States Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/ems/info/index.htm 6/25/2002.)

System wide approach to environmental management – Incorporates environmental considerations into daily

organization decisions– Provides a framework to continually improve

environmental performance

http://www.epa.gov/ems/info/index.htm

Why EMS? Path Toward Excellence (Cascio, Figure 3.1, The ISO 14000 Handbook, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1996)

Lev

el o

f im

prov

emen

t

Time

End-of-Pipe ApproachLimited to Compliance

Systems Approach

Defacto EMS

Environmental control processes exist, but– No integrated understanding of the processes– No understanding of total costs– Incomplete picture of potential liability– Accountability and responsibility unclear– Decisions are not integrated

Why an EMS at a College / University?

Engage the entire campusEnvironment is overlapping concern for

– Teaching– Research – Service

Integration of processes with the EMS

Why an EMS at a College / University?

SERVICE

TEACHINGEMS

Implementation

RESEARCH

Structured EMS(United States Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/ems/info/index.htm on June 25, 2002.)

Integrate EMS into Day-to-Day Decisions:1. Practical, usable, and useful2. Cost effective3. Supportive of other systems;4. Encourage continuous improvement5. Include 5 major components:

a. Policy settingb. Planningc. Implementation and operationd. Checking and corrective actione. Management review

http://www.epa.gov/ems/info/index.htm

ISO 14001

Structured, internationally recognized standard ISO 14001

– “enables an organization to establish, and assess the effectiveness of, procedures to set an environmental policy and objectives, achieve conformance with them, and demonstrate such conformance to others. The overall aim … is to support environmental protection and prevention of pollution in balance with socioeconomic needs.” ANSI/ISO 14001-1996, vi

ISO 14001(Cascio, The ISO 14000 Handbook, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1996)

Initiative to go beyond compliance– Not command and control model– Positive motivation– Reach is much further than regulatory requirements

Seeks culture shift– Challenge

Diffusion of environmental responsibility from environmental to all employees

Continual improvement of the EMS

ISO 14001 EMS Model ANSI/ISO 14001-1996, vi i

Environmental policy

Planning

Implementation and operation

Continual Improvement

Management review

Checking and corrective action

EMS Implementation Phases(Stapleton, Philip J., Margaret A. Glover, and S. Petie Davis, 2nd edition, Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations, NSF 2001, www.nsf-isr.org, 6/25/02, p. 12.)

PHASE DESCRIPTION

Define Goals Clearly state why an EMS is being developed. To comply with regulations? To improve environmental performance? To prevent pollution? To reduce potential liability?

Top Management Support .

To gain top management support, management must understand the benefits of an EMS and agree with the goals. Support is necessary to obtain resources.

Structure EMS project must have a leader, with authority and skills.

Implementation Team

Representatives from key areas to ensure ownership.

http://www.nsf-isr.org/

EMS Implementation Phases (Stapleton, Philip J., Margaret A. Glover, and S. Petie Davis, 2nd edition, Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations, NSF 2001, www.nsf-isr.org, 6/25/02, p. 12.)

PHASE DESCRIPTION

Preliminary Review

What is current compliance effort? What portions of EMS are in place? What are key environmental aspects and how effectively are they being addressed.

Budget and Schedule . .

Use preliminary review to develop budget and schedule. Identify key activities to be performed and resources needed for these. Include milestones and periodic reviews.

Resource Approval

Ensure top management authorizes allocation of all key resources

Progress

Involve everyone in sharing progress through communication.

http://www.nsf-isr.org/

Barriers to Implementing Formal EMS

Denial of needWe are different / uniqueToo difficult to doNot enough timePolicy Resistance

Policy Resistance(Sterman: Business Dynamics Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World, McGraw-Hill, 2001)

Policy resistance is“the tendency for interventions to be delayed, diluted, or defeated by the response of the system to the intervention itself (Meadows, 1982)” (p. 5)

Unintended consequences“You cannot meddle with one part of a complex system from the outside without the almost certain risk of setting off disastrous events that you hadn’t counted on in other remote parts. If you want to fix something you are first obliged to understand … the whole system … Intervening is a way of causing trouble.” (Thomas, 1974, p. 90) (p. 8)

Improvement Paradox(Repenning and Sterman, Nobody Ever Gets Credit for Fixing Problems that Never Happened, California Management Review, 43 (4), Summer 2001, 64-88)

Easy to learn new techniques– Quality techniques

Difficult to implement innovations into organization

– Complex systems cannot be bought, they must be developed

– Interaction of program with physical, economic, social and psychological structures

Improvement Lag(Repenning and Sterman, California Management Review, 43 (4), Summer 2001, 64-88)

Improvement requires time Lag is a function of technical and

organizational complexity Simple processes have 2 to 3 month delay Complex processes have multi-year delays Capability improvements decay

The Structure of Improvement(Repenning and Sterman, California Management Review, 43 (4), Summer 2001, 64-88)

Performance depends on 2 factors:– Time spent working– Capability of process to perform work

Performance improvement happens when– Additional work is done, or– Process is improved

No one Ever Gets Credit for Preventing Problems(Repenning and Sterman, California Management Review, 43 (4), Summer 2001, 64-88)

Time Spent on Improvement

Delay

Investment in Capability Capability Capability Erosion

ActualPerformanceTime Spent

Working

Performance Gap

Desired Performance

++

+

-

+Pressure to Do Work

+

+

B1

Pressure to Improve Capability

+

+

B2

Work Smarter

Work Harder

-

R1

Reinvestment

B3

Shortcuts

-

Leaders’ Role

Provide ResourcesShow how change

– matches who we are and – what we do

SACS & ISO 14001 Process

Basic Structure

Implementation

Internal Review

External Review

SACS ISO 14001

•Steering Committee

•Must Do

•Assigned by MGT

•Should

•Documentation •Documentation

•Self Study •Internal Audit

•SACS •Auditor

ISO 14001 OverviewANSI/ISO 14001 - 1996

4 EMS requirements4.1 General 4.2 Environmental policy

4.3Planning4.3.1 Environmental Aspects4.3.2 Legal Requirements4.3.3 Objectives and Targets4.3.4 Establishing Programs

4.4 Implementation and Operation4.4.1 Responsibilities4.4.2 Training4.4.3 Communication4.4.4 Environmental Management System Documentation4.4.5 Document Control4.4.6 Operational Control4.4.7 Emergency Preparedness and Response

4.6 Management Review

4.5 Checking and Corrective Action4.5.1 Monitoring and control4.5.2 Non-Conformance and corrective and preventive action4.5.3 Records4.5.4 EMS Audits

Environmental Management System Requirements(ANSI/ISO 14001 - 1996)

4.2 Environmental policyTop management shall define the organization’s environmental policy and

ensure that ita) is appropriate to the nature, scale and environmental impacts of its

activities, products or services;b) includes a commitment to continual improvement and prevention of

pollution;c) includes a commitment to comply with relevant environmental

legislation and regulations, and with other requirements to which the organization subscribes;

d) provides the framework for setting and reviewing environmental objectives and targets;

e) is documented, implemented and maintained and communicated to all employees;

f) is available to the public





Management review


Planning

EMS Requirements (continued)(ANSI/ISO 14001 - 1996)

4.3 Planning4.3.1 Environmental aspectsThe organization shall establish and maintain (a) procedure(s) to identify the environmental aspects of its activities, products or services that it can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence, in order to determine those which have or can have significant impacts on the environment. The organization shall ensure that the aspects related to these significant impacts are considered in setting its environmental objectives.

The organization shall keep this information up-to-date.

4.3.2 Legal and other requirementsThe organization shall establish and maintain a procedure to identify and have access to legal, and other requirements to which the organization subscribes, that are applicable to the environmental aspects of its activities, products or services.


4.3.3 Objectives and TargetsThe organization shall establish and maintain documented environmental objectives and targets, at each relevant function and level within the organization.

When establishing and reviewing its objectives, an organization shall consider the legal and other requirements, its significant environmental aspects, its technological options and its financial, operational and business requirements, and the views of interested parties.

The objectives and targets shall be consistent with the environmental policy, including the commitment to prevention of pollution.


4.3.4 Environmental management programme(s)

The organization shall establish and maintain (a) programme(s) for achieving its objectives and targets. It shall include:a) Designation of responsibility for achieving objectives and targets at each relevant function and level of the organization;b) The means and timeframe by which they are to be achieved

If a project relates to new developments and new or modified activities, products or services, programme(s) shall be amended where relevant to ensure that environmental management applies to such projects.

Planning




Management review




4. 4 Implementation and operation4.4.1 Structure and ResponsibilityRoles, responsibility and authorities shall be defined, documented and

communicated in order to facilitate effective environmental management.

Management shall provide resources essential to the implementation and control of the environmental management system. Resources include human resources and specialized skills, technology and financial resources.

The organization’s top management shall appoint (a) specific management representative(s) who, irrespective of other responsibilities, shall have defined roles, responsibilities and authority for

a) Ensuring that environmental management system requirements are established, implemented and maintained in accordance with this standard;

b) Reporting on the performance of the environmental management system to top management for review and as a basis for improvement of the environmental management system.


4.4.2 Training, awareness and competenceThe organization shall identify training needs. It shall require that all personnel

whose work may create a significant impact upon the environment, have received appropriate training.

It shall establish and maintain procedures to make its employees or members at each relevant function and level aware of

a) The importance of conformance with the environmental policy and procedures and with the requirements of the environmental management system;

b) The significant environmental impacts, actual or potential, of their work activities and the environmental benefits of improved personal performance;

c) Their roles and responsibilities in achieving conformance with the environmental policy and procedures and with the requirements of the environmental management system including emergency preparedness and response requirements;

d) The potential consequences of departure from specified operating procedures.

Personnel performing the tasks which can cause significant environmental impacts shall be competent on the basis for appropriate education, training and/or experience.


4.4.3 Communication

With regard to its environmental aspects and environmental management system, the organization shall establish and maintain procedures for

a) internal communication between the various levels and functions of the organization;

b) receiving, documenting and responding to relevant communication from external interested parties.

The organization shall consider processes for external communication on its significant environmental aspects and record its decision.

4.0 EMS Requirements (continued)(ANSI/ISO 14001 - 1996)

4.4.4 Environmental management system documentation

The organization shall establish and maintain information, in paper or electronic form, to

a) Describe the core elements of the management system and their interaction;

b) Provide direction to related documentation.


4.4.5 Document ControlThe organization shall establish and maintain procedures for controlling all documents required ……….……….

4.4.6 Operational ControlThe organization shall identify those operations and activities that are associated with the identified significant environmental aspects in line with its policy, objectives and targets. The organization shall plan these activities, including maintenance, in order to ensure that they are carried out under specified conditions by ……….

………. 4.4.7 Emergency preparedness and response

Planning




Management review




4.5 Checking and corrective action 4.5.1 Monitoring and measurement4.5.2 Non-conformance and corrective and preventive action4.5.3 Records4.5.4 Environmental management system auditThe organization shall establish and maintain (a) programme(s) and procedures for periodic environmental management system audits to be carried out, in order toa)Determine whether or not the environmental management system 1) conforms to planned arrangements for environmental management including the requirements of this standard; 2) has been properly implemented and maintained;b)Provide information on the results of audits to management.

The audit programme, including any schedule, shall be based on the environmental importance of the activity concerned and the results of previous audits. In order to be comprehensive, the audit procedures shall cover the audit scope, frequency and methodologies, as well as the responsibilities and requirements for conducting audits and reporting results.

Planning




Management review




4.6 Management review The organization’s top management shall, at intervals it determines, review the environmental management system, to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness. The management review process shall ensure that the necessary information is collected to allow management to carry out this evaluation. This review shall be documented.

The management review shall address the possible need for changes to policy, objectives and other elements of the environmental management system, in the light of environmental management system audit results, changing circumstances and the commitment to continual improvement.

Web Resources

http://www.epa.gov http://www.epa.gov/ems/info/addition.htm

The Big Picture About Environmental Management Systems Lawrence D. Fredendall Department of Management Clemson University.

Documents

ems slide

compliance workshop

environmental policy

integrated slide

environmental considerations

management review slide

standard iso

college university