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Introduction to Environmental Management through STEM. Workshop leading to STEM Gold Certification. Workshop Agenda: STEM Gold. Introduction The story of STEM so far… What have we covered and where are we now? STEM Gold Document Control Operational Control
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Introduction to Environmental Management through STEM Workshop leading to STEM Gold Certification
Workshop Agenda: STEM Gold • Introduction • The story of STEM so far… • What have we covered and where are we now? • STEM Gold • Document Control • Operational Control • Emergency preparedness and response • Business resilience: preparing your business for climate change • Checking and reviewing your EMS • Reporting your environmental performance 2
The story of STEM so far… Benefits realised: • Average annual savings of £2,065 per business supported • Average annual carbon savings of 3.9 tonnes per business supported • Business winning awards e.g. Green Apple award • Making money by winning new business as a result of improved credentials • Compliance with legislation 3
What we have done? • Raised awareness of STEM across the South East • Secured additional EU funding to continue providing workshops and Low Carbon Kent • Kent 2020 • KM Supplement • Green Business Conference – 19th November
What have we covered… PLAN DO ACT CHECK Continual improvement 5
Format of STEM Gold workshop • Information about section • Complete tasks in STEM Gold Assessment Form • 7 outputs: • Document control procedure • Updated Aspects and Impacts register detailing activities which require control measures or procedures • Draft Control of waste procedure • Draft Emergency response plan • Climate change risk assessment • Internal audit procedure including audit checklist • STEM case study 7
Document Control • What is document control? • What documents do you need? • Types of documents • How do you control your documents? • Exercise 1: Writing a Document Control Procedure
What is document control? • Document control is a way of ensuring that documents are approved, reviewed, updated, available and legible. • Documents are required to ensure that activities are carried out in respect of environment. • Records are required to show where you have been and what you have done.
What documents do you need? • Documentation = written form or procedure, record or instruction (Paper/Electronic) • Documents assist the organisation in moving information or providing information • E.g. Procedure for storing chemicals with respect to the environment or Environmental Policy • Rule of thumb: Provide documents only when absence of them might result in adverse impact on the environment
Types of documents • Policies • Environmental Policy (STEM Blue) • Procedures • Environmental Improvement Plan (STEM Silver) • Records • Communications Record (STEM Silver) • Registers • Impacts and Aspects Register (STEM Blue) • Minutes and agendas • Management review (STEM Gold)
How do you control your documents? • All levels of staff may need to access documents at some stage • How do they know they are looking at right version, where do they find it? • Useful to have a procedure demonstrating approval and control of documents (ISO 14001 requirement)
Operational Control • What is operational control? • When do you need a procedure? • What to include in a procedure? • Writing procedures • Exercise 2: Identifying which activities require a procedure • Exercise 3: Drafting a procedure
What is operational control? • Operational control is the way that an organisation controls those activities that have a negative impact on the environment. • Documented procedures that control situations where an absence of them would lead to deviation from the environmental policy, objectives and targets • Sets out a standard way of doing things • Used as instruction or guidance • Control measures that ensure activities do not harm environment e.g. training, secondary bunding, interceptors
When do you need a procedure? • Identified significant aspects • If a business activity could have an adverse impact of the environment • Where a variation in process may conflict with the environmental objectives and targets • Where activities are: • Complex • Conducted infrequently • Sensitive to operational variables • Covered by legislation • Required to meet objectives and targets • Likely to cause pollution
What to include in a procedure? • Procedure name and reference • Purpose: what does it intend to achieve • Scope: what activities are covered • Description • Allocation of responsibilities • Process for modifying procedure • Interface with other procedures • Date issued and version number • Authorisation • Definitions of unusual terms
Writing procedures: some tips • Keep to a minimum • Keep short and simple • Draft, test and review with people using them
Exercise 2: Identifying which activities require a procedure • Using Aspects and Impacts register, complete last 4 columns identifying which activities require control measure or procedure. • Remember, not all activities require a procedure Ask yourself: • Are the activities covered by legislation? • Are the activities complex? • Are the activities infrequently carried out? • Are the activities relevant to achieving your O and Ts? • Are the activities likely to cause pollution? • Do you communicate these procedures in another way and therefore don’t require a written procedure? • Answer questions a and b on Page 8 of Assessment Form
Exercise 3: Drafting a procedure • Complete the template for Control of Waste procedure for your business • Answer questions c and d on Page 8 of Assessment Form
Emergency preparedness and response • Why do you need to be prepared? • How do you prepare for emergencies? • Exercise 4: Developing an emergency response plan. 22
Why do you need to be prepared? • Sometime things don’t go according to plan...
How do you prepare for emergencies? • Identify and assess risks your site poses to the environment • delivery and use of materials, overfilling containment vessels, plant or equipment failure, fires, explosions, wrong connections of sewers and pipes, discharge of partially-treated or raw effluent, vandalism, flooding of part or all of your site. • Reduce risk of incidents = Pollution Prevention Pays
You can’t avoid all risk, therefore… • Develop Emergency Response Plan: • Prepare plan • Consult people • Publish and communicate • Test and exercise • Review and revise
Exercise 4: Developing Emergency Response Plan • Read through and complete the Template Emergency Response Plan • Checking the plan: imagine that there has just been an oil spill • Does the plan help you respond to this incident? • Is anything missing? Page 9 of Assessment Form
Business resilience: preparing your business for climate change • What is business resilience? Why do it? • How are businesses affected by the environment? • How could your business be affected? • Why develop your resilience 27
What is business resilience? “Resilience is the capacity to deal with, overcome, learn from or even be transformed by adversity.” Edith H. Grotberg, 1999 Building resilience will help you to reduce your vulnerability to environmental risks such as: severe weather events and climate changes, supply of raw materials, or changes in demand and legislation. • Resist , rather than react to threats • Identifies weaknesses for improvement • Protect your reputation • Meet your customer requirements (now and in future) • Safeguarding staff safety, financial losses, business interruptions • Seize opportunities in new or developing markets
How are businesses affected by the environment? The UKCP09 projections for Kent indicate severe weather events could become more severe and commonplace and general trends of : • Hotter, drier summers • Milder wetter winters • More intense downpours • Sea level rise • Changes in storminess and high winds Future planning will allow your business to adapt and respond to opportunities and threats as they arise allowing you build resilience and seek opportunities
How could your business be affected? Demand (Change in demand for services) Example: Increased demand for tourism services due to milder winters and hotter summers temperatures. Finance (Implications for investment, insurance and stakeholder reputation) Example: Lack of preparation for flooding/ heat waves results in higher than needed financial impacts. Logistical (Vulnerability of supply chain, utilities and transport infrastructure) Example: Power cuts prevent staff from working on IT equipment. Management (How will climate risks and impacts be managed effectively?) Example: Climate change risks and actions not embedded in existing risk registers and business processes leading to vulnerability of service delivery. Process (Impacts on the processes of service delivery) Example: Care workers unable to reach vulnerable residents due to flooded roads. Premises (Impacts on building design, construction, maintenance and facilities management) Example: An intense downpour combined with blocked drains causes ground floor offices to flood. People (Implications for workforce, customers/clients and changing lifestyles) Example: Winter illness is reduced due to warmer winters.
Exercise 5: Identify impacts and actions to build resilience to severe weather events Identify ways in which your businesses has been or could be affected by severe weather and any responses that have or could be implemented
Homework To help you identify the most significant impacts on your business to focus your adaptive efforts you can complete the climate change adaptation plan.
Checking and reviewing your EMS • Monitoring and measuring your environmental performance • Internal Auditing • Checking compliance • Non-conformity, corrective action and preventative action • Management Review 34
Monitoring and measuring your environmental performance • Many ways to measure your impact on the environment: • Measure Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) • Kgs of waste produces • % of waste recycled • kWh of electricity consumed • Proxy indicators: using a smaller number of broad brush indicators to represent wider environmental performance (e.g. carbon footprint)
What we have done so far… • STEM Blue: collected data • STEM Silver: measured baseline • STEM Silver: may have set objectives and targets for reduction • STEM Gold: update performance and calculate difference between the two • How are you doing against your target
Exercise 6: Complete questions in assessment form • Or alternatively, update CF Spreadsheet (email lowcarbon@kent.gov.uk) • Answer questions on Page 17 of Assessment Form
Internal auditing • Are we doing what we say? • An audit is a systematic, objective and documented examination of environmental issues relevant to an organisation • Aims: • Check compliance against objectives and targets, policies, procedures, legislation • Check that procedures are working • Identify nonconformity, recommendations for improvement and best practice
Exercise 7 • Complete Internal Audit Procedure template • Complete Audit checklist (Appendix 1 of Procedure) • Please note that on re-certification to STEM, all documentation is reviewed and should be amended as necessary. H
Management review • To assess the continued suitability of the EMS • Assess opportunities for improvement • Assess major problems and need for change • At least annually (or when organisational changes) • Documented review (ISO 14001 requirement) but drives improvement
Internal factors • Performance against O & Ts • Major incidents • Findings of audit • Actions from previous management review • Opportunities for improvement • New business plans • Corporate values External factors • Changing legislation • New economic instruments • Advances in best practice • Changing stakeholder expectations • Emerging issues • Management review • Suitability • Adequacy • Effectiveness of management system Action plan for change
Management review agenda • Results of internal audits and evaluations of compliance with legal requirements and other requirements. • Communication(s) from external interested parties, including complaints. • The environmental performance of the organisation. • The extent to which objectives and targets have been met. • Status of corrective and preventative actions. • Follow-up actions from previous management reviews. • Changing circumstances, including developments in legal/other requirements related to aspects. • Recommendations for improvement.
Exercise 8: Complete questions in Assessment Form • Who will carry out your management review? • List attendees • How often will it be carried out? • How will results be communicated? • To whom will results be communicated?
Reporting your environmental performance • Why report on your EMS performance? • What needs reporting? • How to report performance? • How often? • Who needs updating? 47
Why report? • To demonstrate that you are serious about improving environmental performance • Benefits: • Raise staff awareness • Find out where you are at • Improve reputation • Show leadership • Attract staff • Win business? • Public disclosure of company’s environmental performance • Increased in recent years • Top FTSE 100 companies have to report on GHG emissions in Directors report in October 2013 (Companies Act 2006)
Top tips • Know your audience • What will they be interested in? • How will you present your claims? • Publish data to back up your claims • Seek verification where you can • E.g. if you market yourself as ‘carbon neutral’ – get this statement verified
How to report? • Annual Environment report • Online websites, blogs • Internal communication channels; emails, display boards • Keynote speeches at conferences • Media • Information on packaging