Understanding and Organizing Activities, Processes and Environmental Impacts The key to a successful EMS and improved environmental performance

Implementing EMS Why this element of the EMS is so important  Long term improvement in environmental performance requires: Understanding the range of your activities - PROCESSES Knowing the associated environmental issues and risks - IMPACTS Prioritizing environmental issues and risks for improvement – SIGNIFICANCE

Understanding Activities, Processes, Impacts & Significance  Allows you to: Plan and organize your response Implement programs and procedures to improve your environmental performance Establish control mechanisms ControlImplement Plan & Organize Understand

Before You Begin…  Use the process owners – they know the most about a process.  Use an electronic format to collect the information.  Many processes have already been analyzed, the data may not be a direct match but don’t start from scratch unless you have to.  Its OK to built out the EMS activity by activity – do what you can with the resources you have.

Understanding Involves a Number of Steps Identify your activities & breakdown each activity into processes Identify the environmental impacts Identify process conditions: normal, emergency and maintenance Determine the significance of each impact

Understanding Your Activities Step 1  Identify all of the activities within your organization that you have control or influence over: –Consider mission – what the organization is designed to do…Fisheries research –Consider activities that support mission…biological sampling –Consider actions that are both regulated and not regulated…commuting to work –Use existing organizational charts  Break down each activity into its respective processes. Processes may be: –Administrative…purchasing –Management…budget development –Industrial…shipping & receiving Follow worksheet directions Step 1

Your Activities May Include:  Shipping and Receiving  Motor Vehicle Fleet Operations  Wastewater Treatment Operations  Building Maintenance  Landscape Operations  Laboratory Operations  Teacher At Sea Program  Engineering  Purchasing  Leasing Equipment Remember! Activities include products and services

Understanding Your Activities Step 2  Identify the conditions under which the activity’s processes might operate. –Normal operations –Emergency or abnormal operations –Maintenance operations –For example when considering the overall activity of Shipping and Receiving One of the normal process may be unpacking a container, in an emergency situation this process may be associated with the contents (chemicals, lab samples) of the container breaking. Some processes are associated with maintenance (equipment, piping teardown and cleaning, routine oil checks). Identifying and organizing all the conditions of an activity early on in the EMS provides for better planning and organizing. Follow worksheet directions Step 2

Document Step 1 and 2  Use the Activities and Impact Worksheet –Identify the activity, who is completing the spreadsheet and the date –Breakdown the activity into its individual processes – what actions make up the activity ? Activity Shipping/Receiving Worksheet Completed by M. Smith Date 11/10/04 Process. ACTIVITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WORKSHEET Condition 1 2 Unpacking container Normal

Understanding the Environmental Effects and Impacts of Your Activities  A process may effect the environment because of: –Changes to media due to air emission, water discharge, use of natural resource, creation of waste, etc. –Changes to the community due to noise or light, cultural or historical resource, etc. –Changes to materials due to hazardous characteristics, usage/storage of petroleum and oils, storage tanks, etc.  NOAA has organized all the potential effects of its operations into management categories. –Using the same management categories throughout NOAA allows for consistency in planning, implementing and control, for example these management categories are the same ones used in the NOAA Compliance Audit program.

Understanding the Environmental Impacts of Your Activities Step 3  Identify the environmental impacts of your activities and organize them under the management categories identified. –Ask: Does the process affect this media, these community issues or these materials issues? Yes: Identify the category and specify the impact on the media, community or materials No: There is no impact, there is nothing to specify. –Any process will likely have more than one impact –Quantify the impact whenever possible Follow the worksheet directions Step 3

Document Step 3  Use the Activities and Impact Worksheet –Identify the management category and the impacts that can be associated with the processes identified. Activity Shipping/Receiving Worksheet Completed by M. Smith Date 11/10/04 Process ACTIVITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WORKSHEET Condition 2 Unpacking container Normal Environmental Impact Media Community Materials Solid Waste – Cardboard 1Ton/month 3 1

Understanding the Significance of the Process and Each Environmental Impact  The significance of each process and its related environmental impact is dependent on these criteria: –Regulatory requirements The rating for regulatory requirements requires the completion of the Compliance Assurance Plan – which identifies the applicable Legal Requirements –Risk and financial environmental liability –Facility stewardship relationship –Pollution Prevention opportunity  Each criteria is rated low – medium – high  Any rating of high is considered significant and the process/impact must be managed.

Understanding the Significance of the Process and Each Environmental Impact Step 4  Rate each process and environmental impact identified. –Regulation criteria is straightforward, no applicable regulation, there is a regulation but process/impact is exempt, or there is regulatory requirements. –Risk assessment is using your best judgment, there is no risk, minor or high risk. Cost contributed to the process/impact is also considered here. –Stewardship assessment also applies best judgment associated with the process/impact affect on natural recourses and the public’s interest in any related issues. –The pollution prevention opportunity is the final ranking to determine any significance related to the process/impact. Follow the worksheet directions Step 4

Document Step 4  Use the Activity and Impact Worksheet –Determine applicable regulation(s) Reference the applicable regulations using the CAP –Determine how or why the process/impact is a risk –Determine if the process/impact is associated with NOAA stewardship priorities –Determine the potential for P2 Process ACTIVITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WORKSHEET Condition 2 Unpacking container Normal Environmental Impact Solid Waste – Cardboard 1Ton/month 3 1 Activity Shipping/Receiving Worksheet Completed by M. Smith Date 11/10/04 Priority Low Medium High 4 Legal Ref Risk Stewardship P2Media Community Materials H 10.1 L M H

ControlImplement Plan & Organize Understand All of the EMS is a step-by-step process you are now ready for the steps which will plan and organize your management system.

Those processes & impacts ranked High “H” are managed in the EMS. Those ranked Medium (M) should be considered for their significance and those ranked Low (L) are not significant. Plan & Organize