Environmental Management Systems: An Auditing Perspective Captain David Cook Headquarters Marine Corps 24 August 1999

Auditing an EMS Overview â What is an EMS? ò Types of EMS ò EMS Framework â Auditing an EMS ò Type of Audit & Why ò Audit Focus & Criteria ò Why Audit Using ISO 14000? â Bottom Line

Auditing an EMS What is an EMS â ISO Definition â EPA - An EMS... ò Focuses on practices ò Provides Structure ò Allows Flexibility â USMC ò Enhance Readiness ò Protect Health ò Protect Environmental Quality

Effectiveness of EMS Auditing an EMS EMS Framework Time Strictly Compliance Focused EMS

Auditing an EMS DoD EMS Framework DLA Navy Army USMC MAJCOM S MACOMS Major Claimants Air Force DoD

Auditing an EMS Type of Audit â Report Card â Adversarial â Limited Information Flow â Limited Corrective Action â Health of Program â More Cooperative â Two-way flow of information â Help find solutions to problems â Follow-up Inspections v. Evaluations

Auditing an EMS Benefits of Auditing â Reduce Compliance Vulnerabilities ò Find and Correct Discrepancies ò Educate/Improve awareness â Improve Environmental Performance ò Ensure Procedures are Implemented ò Correct Systemic Problems ò Share Ideas and BMPs ò Public Perception Improvement

Auditing an EMS Audit Focus & Criteria â Compliance ò Use Regulatory Requirements â Conformance ò Use Organizational Framework Documents â Environmental Management System ò Use Both

Auditing an EMS Why Audit Using ISO Pros â Established Standard â Provides A Common Baseline ò Levels the competitive playing field â Makes Business Sense â It’s a good Standard

Auditing an EMS Why Audit Using ISO Cons â Cost-$ $ $ â Still Subjective ò Inconsistent focus of Auditors â No Guarantee (Perception) â Hard to Quantify Benefits vs. Costs

Auditing an EMS Bottom Line â The EMS Framework is Organization Dependent â Audit performance to evaluate conformance â Benefits of Certification need to be Critically Examined