Comparing the Outcomes from Differing EMS approaches
There is a wide variety of what is understood by environmental management systems (EMS) in a variety of industries and how the concept has evolved over time.
Many industry groups have industry wide simplistic so called EMS that actually miss the S for system and some really only have a checklist approach that is based on an “average” or “typical” business in that industry.
Some of these programs are as simple as a checklist, or what many involved call a “tick and flick” exercise. These are barely even educative and have no ongoing benefits like reduction of costs or legal protection
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The problem even with the programs where the business owners/managers spend a lot of time filling in forms and doing communication with neighbours, they have little real understanding of how to identify and manage the environmental risk in their individual businesses and they can easily miss things and even place themselves at risk of legal implications in areas that are not typical and so not covered by the so called system..
For an effective management system, there needs to be an effective feedback system and auditing by qualified independent auditors, whether internal or external although the greatest benefit come from employing an independent external auditing body such as a certification body.
Some environmental management systems and particularly some of the early ISO 14001 systems that were based on outdated engineering and military approaches to ISO systems are overly paper heavy and full of jargon resulting in something that is probably unsuitable for small business and farms. Unfortunately many consultants have come from an old style quality management background without any real understanding of or training in the environment. They merely do a three day seminar and a minimal assessment with a large auditing body. Then they audit with a rigid paper based approach.
Small to medium businesses benefit from a simpler approach based on a real understanding of the issues involved and a genuine understanding of risks. Such systems give real benefits to the businesses involved
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