Environmental Management

A management system is a set of rules or procedures that allows an operation to proceed without intensive and direct hands-on management activity. In essence it is a system, which not only encourages, but also demands the cooperation and involvement of all personnel. The system has several benefits for managers: ensures that actions and decisions are consistent; reduces errors and therefore risks; and requires much less management time and effort.

An effective environmental management system (EMS) addresses the immediate and long-term impact of products, services and processes on the environment. An EMS provides a set of procedures, rules and guidelines designed to manage a facility’s environmental program. It is a key component of the management regime because it deals with issues that are in the public eye, and frequently have legal implications attached.

An EMS will benefit the Client by providing order and consistency in the allocation of resources, assignment of responsibilities and an on-going evaluation of those practices, procedures and processes that relate to the facilities impact on the environment. An EMS is essential to the facilities ability to anticipate and meet environmental performance expectations of the public and to ensure compliance with municipal, provincial, federal and international requirements.

OCL Group has worked with both private and government clients to:

• Evaluate EMS needs (“gap analysis”)
• Identify and develop institutional needs to meet an EMS
• Facilitate identification of aspects, impacts, objectives, targets and monitoring indicators
• Review the elements of a developing EMS
• Ensure the developing EMS meets national and international protocols
• Review EMS supporting documentation
• Provide EMS awareness training
• Provide internal environmental auditor training
• Provide external auditing in support of continued formal registration (as required under ISO 14001)

Our senior staff are fully qualified as Certified Environmental Auditors (CEA) and EMS Lead Auditors as recognized by the Standards Council of Canada and the international ISO 14010-14011-14012 standards.

Environmental Auditing

Environmental auditing is fast becoming a key tool in modern management. It provides for review and evaluation of each aspect of an operation, activity or facility against regulatory compliance or corporate stewardship objectives and targets with respect to environmental impacts. An environmental audit provides “proof” that the process or activity meets these goals and can withstand detailed scrutiny by the public, the press and regulatory agencies.

The OCL Group has conducted audits for both private and government clients. These audits have included:

• Compliance audits – ensuring the facility or operation meets federal, provincial or municipal laws, regulations and guidelines (e.g., pH of a liquid effluent must be 6 to 9 units).
• Waste and hazardous wastes audits – ensuring the facility or operation meets specific federal, provincial or municipal laws, regulations and guidelines with regards to the nature and volumes of wastes being dumped, recycled, re-used or converted from waste to energy (e.g., the volume of solid wastes will be reduced by 50% by Year 2000).
• Corporate stewardship audits – ensuring the facility or operation meets specific objectives or targets established by corporate policy and directive (e.g., total suspended particulate of PM10 will be less than 10 tonnes/year by 2002).
• Environmental Management System audits – ensuring the EMS meets the requirements of an EMS as defined by ISO 14001, including training, documentation, updates and corrective action reports.
• Audits of individual significant aspects – ensuring any one aspect, either by department or across a facility meets both compliance and corporate EMS requirements (e.g., liquid effluents).
• Health & Safety audits – ensuring occupational health & safety aspects meet compliance and corporate EMS objectives (e.g., protection from fugitive emissions within a facility).