Our last EES post discussed environmental, health and safety compliance auditing. What are your options if your compliance audit shows significant problem areas at the facility? After you correct the immediate problems, you should consider developing an Environmental Management System (EMS). An EMS is a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency.
The U.S. EPA is encouraging organizations to implement EMS through a series of incentives. EPA is carrying out a number of programs and activities involving EMS , including voluntary initiatives with the public sector and private sector. Click HERE for further details.
Some case studies indicating the value to private-sector organizations of implementing EMS are included at this link.
Contact Tom Petersen of EES at (215) 704-1506 or tom@eesolutions.net
Here is an excerpt from EPA’s Position Statement on EMS:
“In recent years organizations have increasingly adopted formal Environmental Management Systems (EMSs). The most common framework for an EMS is Plan-Do-Check-Act, with the goal of continual improvement. EMSs provide organizations of all types with a structured approach for managing environmental and regulatory responsibilities to improve overall environmental performance, including areas not subject to regulation, such as resource conservation and energy efficiency. EMSs can also help organizations better integrate the full scope of environmental considerations and get better results, by establishing a continuous process of checking to make sure environmental goals are met. EMS implementation ensures that procedures are in place for taking remedial action if problems occur. From a business perspective, they can often help make organizations more efficient and more competitive and help address other important issues, such as security at key facilities. EMSs do not replace the need for regulatory and enforcement programs, but they can complement them. EMSs can indicate opportunities for EPA to streamline regulations and can be considered in compliance assistance, monitoring, and enforcement. First adopted by manufacturing industries, EMSs are now being used throughout the private sector, and increasingly, by public agencies of many different types.”
EES Provides EMS Services Companies do not need to become ISO 14001-certified to take advantage of the benefits of implementing an EMS. Our firm, EES, provides services to private and public-sector clients including the development of Environmental Management Systems. We are currently developing an EMS for the corporate campus and a large manufacturing and testing facility for a Fortune 500 company. Contact Tom Petersen of EES at (215) 704-1506 or tom@eesolutions.net for further information regarding our EMS services.