ESB Laboratory EMS Manual Section 1

SECTION 1 — INTRODUCTION TO THE EMS MANUAL

1.1 PURPOSE OF THE EMS MANUAL 

                                                                  

This Environmental Management System (EMS) Manual serves as a basic protocol for all EMS activities of US EPA Region 6 Houston Laboratory including:

• Establishment and Implementation of the EMS and how to carry out key tasks within the EMS such as identifying environmental aspects, training and managing records, etc.
• Maintaining Programs & Controls that operate under the EMS, such as programs for achieving EMS objectives and targets, operational controls, and carrying out audits.
• Documentation and Recordkeeping for EMS that enables individuals to locate appropriate records of specific EMS activities such as, identification of environmental aspects, EMS trainings, management reviews, etc.
• Definitions, References, and Appendices that contain additional information useful to individuals reviewing the EMS.

1.2 EMS MANUAL MAINTENANCE

• This EMS Manual is maintained by the EMS Coordinator of the Region 6 Laboratory. The official version of this EMS Manual is located on the shared LAN directory in the folder of the EMS Coordinator which can be accessed by all employees.  The EMS Manual is reviewed yearly.

1.3 HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Formal Environmental Management Systems emerged in the early 1990s most notably with ISO 14001 and then in 2000 with executive order - E.O. 13148 “Greening the Government through Leadership in Environmental Management” to provide organizations with a proactive, systematic approach for managing the potential environmental consequences of their operations.  Such systems have been widely adopted by industry and government and have been effective at improving regulatory compliance and environmental performance.

In January 2007, the executive order - E.O. 13423 was published, “Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management”. The order sets goals for Federal Agencies in areas of energy & water conservation, renewable energy, toxics reduction, recycling & solid waste diversion, electronics stewardship, sustainable building & fleets, sustainable acquisition.

On October 5th 2009, the new executive order – E.O. 13514 was released to establish an integrated strategy towards sustainability in the Federal Government and to make reduction of greenhouse gas emissions a priority for Federal Agencies.

1.4 EMS IMPLEMENTATION

The mission of EPA is to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment by setting standards for environmental protection, assisting others in reducing or preventing pollution, conducting environmental research and enforcing environmental protection standards in conjunction with other government agencies. 

In support of that mission, proper management of the environmental aspects of our own operations is essential.  EPA continues to encourage entities to use effective environmental management systems that focus on compliance, pollution reduction & prevention, and public outreach. With this policy, EPA is committing to implement EMS with these attributes for all agency’s employees and operations.

The US EPA Region 6 Houston Laboratory commits to reduce the environmental impacts and consumption of natural resources and comply with all legal and applicable requirements. Our EMS will be designed to meet the following goals:

• Ensure compliance by meeting or exceeding all applicable environmental requirements
• Strive to continuously improve environmental performance in terms of both regulated and unregulated environmental impacts
• Employ source reduction and other pollution prevention approaches whenever practicable
• Require consideration of environmental factors when making decisions
• Establish, track and review specific environmental performances
• Share EMS information with the public and allow appropriate opportunities for inputs

1.5 EMS FRAMEWORK

Although several recognized EMS frameworks exist, most are based on the International Organization for Standardization ISO-14001. The Region 6 Laboratory has chosen this framework for its EMS.
The ISO-14001 methodology for continual improvement known as Plan – Do – Check - Act can be described as follows:

• Phase 1 – Planning :
  The organization identifies how its operations might harm the environment, and develops methods to reduce the harms and comply with regulations.
• Phase 2 – Doing :
  The organization implements these methods for a designated time period.
• Phase 3 – Checking :
  The organization assesses the effectiveness of these methods on reduction of environmental harms and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Phase 4 – Acting :
  The organization determines what changes are necessary based on the performance assessment of these methods (Phase 3).

Phase 4 may indicate that adjustments to methods already in place are necessary or entirely new methods are needed to achieve established environmental targets. Output from this phase is feed back into Phase 1, to make necessary changes and additions designs to bring the EMS to the desired level of effectiveness. This system feedback propels the continual improvement of the EMS.

The EMS continually moves through this cycle, fine-tuning its management of the organization’s operations that harm the environment. This “continual improvement cycle” is a core tenet of the EMS, it allows the system to adapt to the dynamic nature of the organization’s operations.

ISO 1400 EMS Model

1.6 ORGANIZATION SCOPE AND STRUCTURE

The Region 6 Laboratory provides environmental analytical services for regional programs and serves as a source of scientific expertise for national and regional regulatory and executive decisions. In addition, laboratory personnel perform evaluations and audits of environmental laboratories. Management of the Contract Laboratory Program is also responsibility of Region 6 Laboratory. The enforcement group audits and monitors industries that have significant impacts on the regional environment.

The U.S. EPA Region 6 Laboratory Environmental Management System (EMS) is designed to reduce the environmental impacts that result from the operations at the facility and, to a limited extent, off-site field activities. All of the operations conducted at the facility, as well as field operations conducted with its mobile lab and the enforcement are considered within the scope of the EMS. The activities of all personnel using the facility are subject to the policies and procedures described in this manual, including all EPA and contractors.

Facility Description

Total number of employees	68
Total number of buildings	2
Square footage of facility	42,632
Property acreage	4.5
Location	10625 Fallstone Rd, Houston, TX 77099
Activities that occur outside the facility	Field sampling, mobile lab work, enforcement activities
Approximate number of employees whose activities may involve significant aspects	68
Number of EMS Teams:	6

1.7 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Environmental Policy defines the Region 6 Lab’s core commitment to be environmentally responsible. The content of the environmental policy is inspirational, evoking the degree of commitment by the laboratory top management, and serving as a beacon to influence the behavior and actions of all members of the laboratory to high achievement for continuous environmental protection. The Environment Policy is written based on the following conditions:

• Clear and precise, understandable by internal and external interested parties.
• Reflects the commitment of top management to comply with applicable legal and other requirements to prevent pollution.
• Includes a commitment for continuous improvement of pollution prevention.
• Is appropriate to the nature and environmental impacts of the laboratory activities
• Provides framework for setting and reviewing environmental objectives and targets.
• Is communicated to all personnel at the facility and is available to the public.
• Is documented, implemented and maintained appropriately.
• Periodically reviewed and revised to reflect the changing conditions and requirements.

The laboratory top management and EMS Coordinator are responsible for design, review and modification of the Environmental Policy.