• There are 10 main elements of an EMS.

The following are the 10 main elements of an Environmental Management System (EMS):

1. Environmental policy — Mirror how the organization feels about the environment. Identify environmental impacts of facility processes and goods.
2. Environmental initiatives — Identify practices that affect the organization’s ability to meet requirements and work with programs to promote pollution prevention.
3. Objectives — Develop objectives that are specific to the organization, set timeframes for these objectives, and update them as requirements evolve.
4. Structure, responsibility, and resources — Make sure the organization has the staff and resources to meet objectives.
5. Operational control — Set a procedure to ensure resource management is followed. Create easy procedures to measure and report environmental impacts of processes and goods.
6. Corrective and preventive action — Document methods to identify, fix, and prevent mistakes. Input emergency procedures to lower environmental impacts connected to accidents or emergencies.
7. Training and awareness — Train workers and make sure they can perform necessary duties.
8. Decision-making and planning — Use life-cycle analysis to pinpoint the impact products have on the environment.
9. Recordkeeping — Document steps taken to hit objectives. Consider using electronic documentation to help improve record management.
10. Ongoing review and improvement — Perform periodic objective-based audits of the organization’s performance. Use these to assess the success of pollution prevention efforts.