790 Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

Step 22: Reviewing EMS Policies and Procedures

Reflection is a key element of the EMS model. Periodically, organizations should pause and check the status of their EMS policies and procedures. They want to determine if they are still adequate and effective. For example, organizations should ask themselves the following questions:

• Do policies and procedures need to be updated to reflect changes in operations?
• Are the policies and procedures effective? Are they allowing the organization to meet its environmental objectives? If not, what changes might be necessary?

Management involvement is essential to the success of an EMS. They must provide oversight in order to assure the EMS is functioning as it should be and that the company’s objectives and targets are being addressed. It is easy in the day-to-day operation to lose sight of the big picture. Management can provide this perspective. Additionally, management needs to see how resources are being used and where additional resources are needed. Since the Environmental Management System is a management system, it provides useful information about what areas of operation need attention and which are functioning well.

The review process can take a period of time with different elements being reviewed independently. Reviews should include:

• audit results
• evaluation of reaching objectives and targets
• evaluation of appropriateness of the EMS
• concerns from interested parties

Management review should be documented, including any suggested changes and subsequent action. Consider any changes that occurred since the last review. There may be more effective ways of managing information, there may be others that need to be informed about specific information, there may no longer be a need for some information. You may have changed your raw materials, processes, product line, or services. Any changes and their potential environmental impact should be reviewed. These should then be considered during management review of the EMS.

EMS Documentation

Your EMS must be clearly understood by employees and external stakeholders.

You should provide EMS information to employees and external parties, such as customers, regulators, financial institutions, and the public, who need to understand how your EMS is designed and deployed. To do that, you must make sure your EMS is well documented. There are two basic categories of EMS documentation:

The EMS Manual

The EMS Manual is a summary of how the various elements of the EMS fit together. It is a series of informative discussions that explain the processes your organization uses to conform to the EMS criteria. The manual may be a single document or a number of documents that contain the following information:

• a description of the EMS core elements (and how they relate to each other), and
• directions on how to locate other related documentation.

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