NSSGA EMS Template:

Case Studies in

Implementation

Presented by:

Abby Goodman and Kelli

Deuth

September 23, 2003

Introduction

Presenters

EMS

NSSGA EMS Template

Case Studies

Panel

Questions

What is an Environmental

Management System?

Systematic approach to planning,

controlling, measuring and improving

an organization’s environmental

performance.

Identifies the causes of environmental

problems and outlines an approach to

eliminate them.

Why Develop an EMS?

Improved Environmental Performance

Improved Compliance

Reduced Liability

Reduced Costs

Improved Public Image

Fewer Accidents

Employee Involvement

Competitive Advantage

Meet Customer Requirements

NSSGA’s EMS Template

Guide members through

the development and

implementation of an

EMS

What is NSSGA’s EMS

Template? Keep in Mind…

Not intended to be an industry standard or to represent an NSSGA endorsement

One approach to consider when formulating and developing an effective and comprehensive environmental management program

Only the company and its environmental managers can establish an appropriate program for the company or for any particular property

What is NSSGA’s EMS

Template?

Set of template procedures to help

develop and document an EMS

Final procedures are used to implement

and document the system.

13 Modules corresponding to 13 EMS key

elements

Modules GAP Analysis

Environmental Policy

Environmental Aspects

Legal and Other Requirements

Objectives and Targets

Structure and Responsibility

Training, Awareness, and Responsibility

Communication

EMS Documentation

Document and Record Control

Operational Control

Emergency Preparedness and Response

EMS Audit and Management Review

NSSGA’s EMS Template

Organization

A module for each key element of an

EMS:

a template document that can be

customized

Microsoft Word document

Red Italic Font for items needing site-specific

information

an instructional document explaining

customization

EMS Case Study

Five cases of implementation studied

Companies have varying sizes and

cultures

Shows the many ways NSSGA EMS

template has been utilized

Case 1

35 sites

Why EMS? Effective way to meet

environmental obligations and had desire to

be good corporate citizens

Existing Environmental Quality Mgmt

Program – used template to fill gaps

Company-wide EMS includes all sites

Used all modules fully or partially, except for

Objectives & Targets

Case 1

Took 6 months to complete

Challenges encountered: Environmental

aspect determination, implementation of

necessary improvements

Benefits: Written system ensures everyone

is aware of requirements

Case 2

3 sites – 50 employees

Have not been able to implement EMS yet

Obstacles: Difficult to sell EMS to

management, limited resources

Implementation may be difficult without

dedicated resources, will have to stage

project over time

Case 2

Person that deals with environmental

issues spends 25% of time on environmental

and will not have time to devote to

development of EMS

Planning to develop EMS over 3-5 year time

period

Will start with legal and other requirements

module in developing EMS

More than 100 sites

Implement own version of EMS, use NSSGA

EMS template as reference

Why EMS? To better organize and improve

existing environmental programs

Considering ISO 14001 certification, want to

make sure cover all ISO elements

Using 17 procedures, one for each ISO

element

Case 3

Started EMS development at corporate level

Customize for each site

Challenges: Developing environmental

policy

Benefits expected: Improvement of existing

environmental program and identifying

weaknesses not previously considered

Case 3

Case 4

19 sites in two states

Why EMS? Take advantage of state

incentives

EMS can give them avenue to track goals

and achievements better

Plan on using 50-60% of NSSGA templates

Began implementation at 2 sites and

encountered obstacles, going back to work

on improvement of system

Case 4

Struggling with documentation, getting

operators to write everything down

Hope EMS will re-enforce concept that

environmental stewardship is core

component of operational excellence

Benefits expected: public relations

Case 5

28 sites - Regional unit of large multi-national

company that is encouraging subsidiaries to

adopt EMS

Implementation at one site per month

Template provided easy to use format, simple

to understand

Using template along with procedures already

in place

Merging modules they find similar in content

Case 5

At each site all procedures are the same,

objectives & targets customized

EMS team of 5-7 people at each site, very

important to include plan manager and plant

foreman to get local buy-in

Challenges: training the average person

Anticipate improvements in environmental

programs at each site

Conclusion

Modular format allows organizations to

choose an implementation path that fits

its current needs

Potential implementation options: Selecting a few modules to begin an EMS

Choosing modules to fill gaps in the current EMS

Developing an EMS using all 13 modules

Using the NSSGA template as a starting point to meeting

the ISO 14001 Standard

Conclusion

Benefits can include:

Improved environmental performance

Improved compliance

Reduced liability

Reduced wastes

Improved employee awareness of environmental responsibilities

Improved public image

Competitive advantage

Panel Members

Goeff Boraston – Granite Construction,

Inc.

Greg Fell – BMAC, Inc.

Jim Forbes – Lafarge Construction

Materials, Southeast Region