EMS Primer - Gap Analyses
Before a facility can fully implement an EMS, it should
conduct a self-assessment, program inventory, or "gap analysis" to evaluate its current
environmental program, or in most cases, programs. A program inventory is intended to evaluate what is
present at a facility, not what is missing (the "gap"). Environmental program
inventories can help an installation learn what existing programs and activities can serve as the best
foundation for improved environmental performance for the entire organization.
Many federal facilities will find that they are already performing many of the EMS
elements, and they must only "fill in the gaps" between what they are
already doing and what needs to be done for their site-specific EMS. There will
be no need to build an environmental program from scratch. The primary purpose
of an EMS is to bind together existing programs and activities so that
efficiency, effectiveness, performance and cost-effectiveness for the entire
facility can be improved. Building on existing programs becomes even more important
when agencies are faced with diminishing resources and being asked to "do
more with less."
A gap analysis is designed to answer the following
questions:
- How well are the organization and its environmental programs performing?
- What standards of environmental performance does the organization hope to achieve?
- What are the gaps between objectives and performance?
- What existing programs and activities can serve as the
best foundation for improved environmental performance?
Program inventories can be done at any time during the EMS Implementation Process, and
they can be done as often as deemed necessary by the EMS Manager or the EMS Team. The entire EMS
Implementation Process is installation-specific, and gap analyses are part of that process. The
timing of, and the need for multiple analyses, is dependent upon the needs of the installation. A
well-planned and executed gap analysis is a useful tool that provides critical information
about the status of EMS implementation and can be used to highlight progress and successes
throughout the process.
Once an EMS is implemented, many facilities are likely to
eventually realize a high return on their EMS investment through an improved
"risk profile" that reduces the costs associated with regulatory
compliance, health and safety, incident response, and cleanup of contaminated
sites. Nonmonetary benefits, such as improved public opinion and employee
satisfaction, can also be achieved.
What is EMS? | Benefits
| Mandates | P2 and EMS | Standards |
Principles | Key Elements | Gap Analyses |
Success Factors