Quiz #1 Flashcards
What is the definition of EMS for ISO 14000?
EMS uses environmental policy to develop environmental management practices that result in environmental performance
What is environmental policy?
- Statement by organization of intentions and principles for environmental performance
- provides framework for action and setting environmental objectives and targets
How is environmental policy implemented?
- assess, plan, build or operate in compliance with applicable legislation
- apply cost effective best management practices to minimize environmental risks
- continual self monitoring plan to ensure compliance
- self-improvement of company
- work pro-actively with government and public
- enhance communication and reporting with stakeholders
What is environmental management?
- part of organization that develops, implements, achieves, reviews, and maintains environmental policy
What is environmental performance?
- measurable output of environmental management system
Why implement an EMS?
- triple bottom line e.g. environmental, economic, social
- reduce pollution
- increased business efficiency and less wasting of resources
- manage environmental risks
- competitive advantage since environmental goods and services expand market and improve sales
- improve health and safety conditions
- improve communication
What is ISO 14001:2004?
- specifies requirements of EMS
- what is required for EMS
- considers legal concerns and environmental aspects that company can control or influence
What is ISO 14004:2004?
- provides guidelines on elements of EMS
- how the EMS will be implemented
What is the process of ISO 14000?
Environmental policy and corporate commitment –> environmental planning –> implementation and operation –> checking and correcting action –> management review for continual improvement
Why does environmental reporting happen?
- government request
- third party review
- confirm objectives and targets (ISO 14001)
- re-authorization of permits
- customer demand
- insurance coverage
- investment
What does an environmental report have?
- policy statement
- CEO statement
- identification of principal environmental impacts
- status and position of EMS
- detailed data on targets and performance
- analysis of performance and plans for improvement
- audit or verification statement
- links to sustainable development
What is sustainability reporting?
- EPA definition
- improving quality of life while living within ecosystem capacity, ensuring future generations have same quality of life
What is an environmental assessment?
- proactive
- identify and evaluate effects before project starts to avoid or mitigate negative effects
- CEPA
When is federal environmental assessment required?
- involved in the project as proponent
- providing financial assistance
- involved in project as vendor of an interest in land
- on federal land
When is a provincial assessment required?
- proposed project under provincial jurisdiction
- exceeds criteria in reviewable project regulation (energy, waste, water, social, transportation)
What is the standards for air quality?
- CEPA: Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards
- BC EMA: Contaminated Sites Regulations, Sulphur Content of Fuel Regulation
What is the incremental methodology for EMS?
- initiate project
- initial review
- conduct gap analysis
- establish priorities
- develop EMS framework
- design EMS manual
- prepare EMS plan
- implement EMS
- prepare EMS manual
- conduct audit
- finalize EMS
What is an EMS project manager?
- authority must match responsibility
- time to commit
- have top management support
- good understanding of organization and project
What are the sections of ISO 14001 self assessment checklist?
- commitment and policy
- planning
- implementation and operation
- checking and corrective action
- management review
What is a gap analysis?
- third step to EMS
- comparison between actual performance with potential or desired performance
- identify elements of EMS that needs to develop or enhance
How is a gap analysis conducted?
- assess level of conformance: what is being met and what is not
- conduct needs assessment: estimate levels of work required to meet ISO 14001
- verify and finalize gap analysis: provide gap analysis to management for review
How do you design an EMS framework?
- draft necessary refinements and additions to existing procedures
- verify and finalize framework
What does ISO 14001 require for documented procedures?
- environmental aspects and evaluations
- legal and other requirements
- objectives and targets
- environmental management programs
- training
- external and internal communication
- document control
- operational controls
- emergency preparedness and response
- monitoring and measurements
- non conformance, corrective action and preventive action
- control records
- EMS audit
What is a ISO EMS audit?
- optional
- test EMS against specification
- shortcomings that need to be addressed before EMS certification
What is EPE?
- happens after incremental EMS methodology
- environmental performance evaluation
What is the relationship between EPE and EMS?
- EPE conducted when EMS is in place to assess established policy, targets, objectives and programs
- does not requires formal EMS to be in place
What are the objectives and benefits of EPE?
- documented understanding of organizations environmental impacts
- provides benchmark for performance
- increase efficiency
- determines if environmental objectives and targets being met
- increases employee awareness
What is ISO 14031?
- guidance on the design and use of EPE
- they are tools and techniques
How do you measure and evaluate performance?
- environmental indicators
- measure and express impacts of activities on the environment
What should EPE indicators have?
- accurately predict performance
- promote benchmarking for measurement
- identify significant environmental priorities
- address total life cycles
- simple and understandable
- consistent with environmental policy
- be reportable
What are the two categories of environmental indicators?
- EPI: environmental performance indicators
- ECI: environmental condition indicators
What are EPIs?
- MPI: management performance indicators provide information about management efforts to improve environmental performance
- OPI: operational performance indicators measure impacts on ambient or receiving environment from operations
What are ECIs?
- identify and measure ambient or receiving environment for air, water and land quality
What are examples of MPI?
- environmental costs
- number of employees trained
- number of audit findings
What are examples of OPI?
- energy conserved
- emissions of specific air pollutants
- hazardous waste generated
- raw material used
What are examples of ECI?
- change in groundwater level
- contaminant concentration in soil
- population of species in a specific area
