Introduction
An important part of any environmental management system (EMS) is checking. This ensures that environmental controls and improvements are evaluated to ensure they meet planned requirements, and measures can be implemented to improve if they do not (the ‘Act’ stage). It is unfortunately, in my experience, an area of EMS design that is sometimes forgotten about. In this post we are therefore going to look at the various ways in which organisational environmental performance can be evaluated. We will start from a strategic level and work down.
Management Review
This is a process that occurs relatively infrequently. In my experience these are usually carried out about once per year (although a frequency is not set in the ISO 14001 standard). Generally, a management review will involve an organisation’s top management reviewing the EMS as a whole to ensure that it is suitable, adequate, and effective. It is vital that top management are involved in checking the EMS in some way and this process ensures that it happens. In practice, although it does not necessarily have to happen this way, a management review will involve the environmental manager, or similar, holding a meeting and working through an agenda to get the views on the quality of the EMS from top management. The issues that are covered are explicitly stated in ISO 14001 and include items such as status of previous actions, change in significant aspects and the adequacy of resources etc. The results of the review will feedback and alter the EMS where needed.
Internal Audit
The next level down is internal audit, this will occur more regularly than a management review but not as frequent as monitoring. The scope of an audit is vast but generally it will involve checking whether the organisation’s EMS conforms with the ISO 14001 standard. In practice this is likely to incorporate a check against company standards and procedures. These may be directly related to the EMS such as procedure for impact assessment, documentation and competency or may be more operational in nature such as waste or purchasing procedures. An organisation will need a procedure of how it completes internal audits in addition to a team of competent auditors.
Monitoring
The most frequent form of performance evaluation is monitoring. What needs to be monitored is very much down to the organisation. A major factor will be the need to monitor as a result of a legal requirement. Installation environmental permits for example will often state substances that need monitoring and how they should be monitored. There may also be requirements under law for the monitoring of energy such as the ESOS. However, monitoring will not always be required as the result of a legal requirement. An organisation may want to monitor a significant environmental aspect and impact that is not always covered by law such as the usage of raw materials, or the production of waste.
Monitoring does also not necessarily involve taking samples and measuring. Monitoring may also involve environmental tours and inspections. These may cover issues such as housekeeping, waste storage, and secondary containment.
Monitoring therefore involves more of a day to day form of checking in comparison to management review and internal auditing. It is also much less defined in ISO 14001 being down to the organisation what is monitored, measured, analysed and evaluated.
Final Note
Performance evaluation is a key, it allows an organisation to determine where it is from an environmental performance point of view, and what therefore needs improving. It should involve three methods of management review, internal auditing and monitoring.
John Binns BSc (Hons), MSc, MIEMA
With over 19 years’ experience working in environment management, John Binns BSc (Hons) MSc MIEMA is an experienced environmental tutor and consultant