Environmental Management Systems

Legislation in the United Kingdom requires that employers have appropriate arrangements systems in place for the management and control of environmental matters. In order to achieve this requirement, employers need to have an effective environmental management system that it is clearly defined and well documented. 

The most well known and widely used environmental safety management system that can be applied is described in the British Standard BS EN ISO 14001:2004 "Environmental management systems - Specification with guidance for use". The second system that can be applied is described in the European Union's (EU's) Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). A third system that can be applied is described in the British Standard - BS
8555:2003 "Environmental management systems. Guide to the phased implementation of an environmental system including the use of environmental performance evaluation". In addition, a number of industry sectors have published their own guidance on environmental management systems, notably the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) within its Responsible Care Management System. Each of these management systems is based on the "plan-do-check-act" management model and embodies the principle of continual improvement as exemplified in the British Standard for quality assurance systems.