Our Environment – Our Health

The NIEHS
Environmental Management
System
 Our Environment – Our Health

Topics

Introduction – What Is An EMS ?

What Aspects of NIEHS Can Impact the

Environment ?
Can We Set Objectives and Targets to
Improve Environmental Performance ?
How Can You Be Involved?
 What Is An EMS ?

An EMS is an approach to identifying the ways that

our work activities impact the environment. It guides
our priorities and it challenges all of us to continually
find ways of lessening those impacts.

An EMS is a formal documented system that ensures

environmental issues are considered at all levels
throughout the NIEHS.

Drawing upon existing NIEHS environmental

management programs, the EMS systematically
addresses the variety of activities at the NIEHS that
impact our environment.
“Islands of Excellence”
We have many excellent Environmental
Management Programs at NIEHS that focus on
protecting the local environment

Recycling
Hazardous
Resource / Energy Waste
Conservation Management

Wastewater
Pollution Air Emissions
Prevention
Grounds
Maintenance
Our Environmental Management System ties them
together as Integrated Programs

Recycling
Hazardous
Resource / Energy EMS Waste
Conservation Management

Wastewater
Pollution Air Emissions
Prevention
Grounds
Maintenance
 Why Should We Have An EMS ?
There are several incentives:
It supports our mission
An EMS enhances the Institute’s proactive
approach for environmental stewardship
It is far better to manage how we interact
with the environment now, than later deal
with what we have done to the
environment
Because we have to . . .
Federal Executive Orders
™ Require all appropriate Federal facilities to
develop an effective EMS.
OMB Circular A-11 (The Budget
Process)
™ “Federal agencies should develop and implement
an EMS in order to integrate environmental
accountability into day to day decision making and
long term planning across all agency missions..”
Department of Health and Human Services
™ The DHHS has developed an EMS Framework
document that provides basic criteria for all DHHS
OPDIVs and facilities, including the NIH and
NIEHS

ISO 14001 EMS Standard

™ A standard developed in 1996 by the International
Organization for Standardization. Most
organizations use the ISO Standard in developing
an EMS. It describes a continual improvement
process . . . .
EMS Process

Environmental
Policy Statement

Management Planning
Review

Monitoring and Implementation and

Measuring: Operation
Audits and Corrective
Action
 EMS Process

Establish a Policy Statement that is tied to the

NIEHS Mission
Identify the Aspects of our operations that impact
the environment
Assess which Aspects have significant Impacts

Develop Objectives, Targets and Controls to reduce

impacts

Track and document performance

Review & Adjust (Continual Improvement Process)

NIEHS Environmental Policy
Advances NIEHS
leadership role and
commitment to
environmental
responsibility and
sustainability –
consistent with our
mission.
Establishes 8 general
goals and guiding
principles
 General Goals & Guiding Principles
Compliance with Environmental Requirements
Environmentally Responsible Planning and Design
Principles
The Built Environment
Pollution Prevention
Hazardous Waste and Toxic Materials
Commitment to Environmental Education and
Awareness
Environmentally Responsible Purchasing Decisions
Efficient Use and Conservation of Energy, Water, and
Other Resources
NIEHS Environmental Policy
EMS implemented
through a partnership
effort of NIEHS and
NIH/ORF
ALL employees are
involved in a continual
improvement process

Commitment by NIEHS
Senior Leadership
 Environmental Aspects and Impacts
EMS planning requires that we take a careful look at
each aspect of the environment and how they could
be impacted by our activities and processes.

Environmental Aspects
Elements of an organization’s activities, products or services
which can interact with the environment. (For example:
wastewater discharges, air emissions, resource consumption,
energy usage, ecosystem alterations, etc.)

Environmental Impacts
Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial,
wholly or partly resulting from an organization’s activities,
products, or services (For example: air pollution from the
combustion of fuels is an impact because it degrades air
quality).
 Activities, Products and Services
What do we do here at NIEHS?

The inventory of activities, products and

services should consider:
™ Our mission (what the facility is
designed to do)
™ Activities that support the mission
™ Operations that are both regulated
and not regulated
Some NIEHS Examples
Activities, Products, and Services
Biomedical/Laboratory Research
Animal Husbandry
Building Maintenance
Grounds Maintenance
Building Utility Services
Office Services / Operations
Cafeteria Services
Waste Management
 Sub-Division of Activities
Each activity can involve several operations
or sub-activities . . . .

Animal Husbandry, for example, involves

™ Animal bedding and feed systems
™ Cage wash operations
™ Veterinary care and animal facility
operations
™ Necropsy
™ Pest Control
 Operational Controls
The people who actually perform the activity know
best what the impacts may be and how to control
them. Thus, the EMS needs every employee to be
involved!
™ Evaluate and characterize the activities, products and
services of your work
™ Identify aspects and impacts for each activity, product, or
service
™ Come up with ideas to prevent or lessen the impacts on
the environment
 Determine Significance
Not all impacts are equally significant.

The EMS helps set priorities for action

based on –
™ How often the activity is performed
™ How severe the impact could be
™ Probability or likelihood that the impact may
occur
™ What kind and amount of resources are used
and recovered
™ And other factors
 EMS Objectives And Targets
Environmental Objectives and Targets are
established based on the review of activities and
processes.
™ Objectives are closely tied to and focus on achieving
the General Goals and Guiding Principles in the
NIEHS Environmental Policy.

™ Targets are set for each Objective that define the

actual performance that will reduce the
environmental impacts. Targets are stated in
measurable terms.
Objectives and Targets are created and
modified on a regular basis to reflect changes in
facility operations.
 Environmental Management Initiatives
An action plan is developed for each EMS
objective and target. This action plan becomes
an NIEHS Environmental Management Initiative.
Some of the action plan considerations include:
™ What environmental controls and protections are
currently in place?; How can they be improved?
™ Who are the “stakeholders”
™ Who is responsible for which actions?
™ Are chemicals involved (volume, toxicity, etc)?
™ Can resources be recovered or recycled?
™ Can wastes be reduced?
™ Are the improvements feasible and reasonable in cost?
™ Are there ways to measure progress?
 NIEHS Facility Wide Example
Significant Aspect: Air Emissions
Environmental Impact: Air pollution from the combustion
of fossil fuels
Objective: Reduce petroleum fuel usage by NIEHS fleet
vehicles
Target: Achieve 20% reduction in petroleum fuel usage
rate over 1999 baseline
Initiative: Acquire Flexible Fueled Vehicles such that 70%
of the NIEHS vehicle fleet qualifies as FFVs. Provide an
on-campus source of ethanol based E-85 fuel
The currently active NIEHS EMS Objectives and Targets are
described at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/ems/home.htm
 EMS Auditing
The Environmental Management System process
requires that we periodically check our progress
and make course corrections. This is
accomplished by conducting an EMS Audit.
The audit is a systematic and documented
process of verifying whether an EMS conforms
to the criteria set by the organization. Most
EMS audits compare the EMS against the ISO
14001 EMS standard elements.
The audit results must be communicated to and
reviewed by management. In this way, the EMS
is continually improved and new / revised
objectives, targets and controls are established.
 EMS Audits
Audits can be either “Internal” or “External”

™ Internalaudits (First Party audits) are those

done by the participants of the EMS being
audited (such as employees, or consultants
as agents of the organization)

™ External audits are performed by auditors

from outside the EMS in question (but could
be from the same organization) or by Third
Party, independent registrars
 How Am I Involved?

First, make a commitment to become involved!

Every job at NIEHS has some potential
interaction with our environment. Increase your
awareness of these interactions and consider
ways you can reduce negative environmental
impacts.
Let us know if have an idea on how we can be
better environmental stewards. You can do this
by:
™ Discussing with your supervisor,
™ Contacting the EMS Workgroup, or HSB
™ Submitting an idea to the Quality Council, or the
Environmental Awareness Advisory Committee
How Am I Involved?

Participate in the environmental initiatives

that are currently available, such as our
resource recycling, energy conservation,
Transhare, and other programs.

Follow environmental control procedures

that involve your job tasks, such as
hazardous waste disposal guidelines, or
spill prevention plans.
 An Effective EMS Yields Many Benefits
Environmental impacts from our activities are reduced
Consistently applied procedures and controls help ensure
environmental compliance
The efficiency of our energy and resource use is improved
We reduce the amount of wastes we generate
Our safety and health is enhanced
Our research mission is environmentally sustainable
Our Environment – Our Health

The NIEHS Environmental

Management System