Envirnmental Management System

Jim Newton, P.E., DEE

Course Outline

This eight-hour course provides valuable information for those individuals who have an interest in developing and implementing an EMS. Completion of this course will provide the student the necessary information and testing to develop and implement an EMS. It was designed by an instructor who has developed and implemented several environmental management systems and numerous similar training courses.

This course requires the completion of a multiple-choice quiz at its conclusion in order to obtain the necessary certification for the individuals who are seeking to develop and implement an EMS.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Understand what an environmental management system is;
• Understand the 5 phases required to develop an EMS;
• Understand the benefits of an EMS;
• Understand the costs of an EMS;
• Understand that there are 17 elements in an EMS;
• Understand how to develop an Environmental policy;
• Understand what constitutes an environmental aspect;
• Understand what constitutes an environmental impact;
• Understand how to determine significant environmental aspects;
• Understand what legal and other requirements mean;
• Understand how to determine EMS objectives and targets;
• Understand the elements of the environmental management program;
• Understand how to define EMS structure and responsibility;
• Understand what training, awareness and competency requirements must be met;
• Understand how to cover communication, both internal and external;
• Understand what EMS documents must be included;
• Understand how to control documents;
• Understand what constitutes an operational control;
• Understand how to cover emergency preparedness and response activities;
• Understand how to monitor and measure for EMS compliance;
• Understand calibration requirements;
• Understand what constitutes a nonconformance;
• Understand corrective and preventative action procedures;
• Understand how to control records and which to control;
• Understand how to conduct an internal audit;
• Understand the importance of a management review; and
• Understand the costs and benefits of a third party audit and registration.

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this course is any professional who is involved in any facility or operations, both commercial and governmental, who are considering implementing an environmental management system.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendees of this course will understand how to develop and implement an EMS. This program will greatly reduce the learning curve for any professional interested in an EMS.

Course Introduction

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in its 14001 standard defines an environmental management system (EMS) auditing as a set of policies, procedures and work instructions to reduce the impact of a facility's operations upon the environment. This course utilizes the document "Achieving Environmental Excellence: An Environmental Management System (EMS) Handbook for Wastewater Utilities" published by the US EPA as the basic text for developing and implementing an EMS. This course will not qualify the student as a lead auditor training under the ISO 14001 standard, but will provide most of the information required to take the lead auditor test. The course material presents introductory information required to obtain proficiency in the required subject matter.

Course Content

You need to view and study the following materials for this course:

1. Environmental Management SystemEnvironmental Management System (slides handout in PDF, 55 pages, 1.12 MB)
2. Environmental Management System (video) (Request the link to video)

You need to open or download above documents to study this course.

Course Summary

This course discusses the 17 elements of an EMS, provides numerous real world examples, advice from many professionals who have successfully implemented an EMS, and presents a basic introduction to them.

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

OSHA Website
US Environmental Protection Agency
Global Environment and Technology Foundation
PEER Center

Quiz

You need to print the quiz questions prior to viewing the videos. At the end of the viewing, you must complete the quiz and submit your answers online to obtain your PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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