Where to Start: Obtaining Management Commitment
Top management has two important tasks in the beginning of the EMS implementation process. The Commander must communicate to everyone that the EMS will improve mission performance and, thus, integrating environmental management throughout the organization is a priority for the installation leadership. In addition, senior management must provide adequate resources, including personnel and funding, to initiate and sustain the EMS effort.
It is usually the task of the Environmental Program staff to explain to the leadership why the organization needs an effective EMS and how the EMS will benefit the organization and the mission. It's essential to explain what an EMS is and how a systematic and structured approach to managing the organization's environmental concerns can increase mission efficiency, enhance compliance, and reduce costs. Consider a briefing for senior staff or a presentation to the EH&S Committee on the benefits of a systematic approach to environmental management.
Specific senior management responsibilities include:
1-1 Assigning a Full-time EMS Manager
One of the first tasks for the Commanding Officer or designated senior staff is to assign a staff person to perform the role of EMS Manager. This is not necessarily an easy task. The tendency is to assign this role as collateral duty for a senior environmental specialist, most often, an environmental compliance manager. This may not be the best choice.
The role of EMS Manager should not automatically be assigned to an individual who manages one of the environmental programs that will be overseen by the EMS Manager. This is the classic "fox-guarding-the-henhouse." To assume responsibility for policy and program oversight, the most qualified person to oversee the EMS design, implementation and continual improvement must have a very strong understanding of the concepts underlying a management system. Environmental expertise will be provided by the staff of the Environmental Program. If a senior environmental specialist is selected for the EMS Manager role, his/her technical, environmental duties should be assigned to other staff. Establishing a successful EMS is not a collateral duty. The individual assigned as EMS Manager should be dedicated to the project until the EMS is fully designed and implemented.
Successful candidates for EMS Manager have included financial audit managers, a facility's health and safety manager, deputies (or assistants) to the Commanding Officer, or other staff with business management, systems engineering, or management system experience. The new EMS Manager should report to the Commanding Officer or a delegated Senior Manager, because the EMS is a system that provides the Commanding Officer with assurance that the installation's environmental programs are meeting his or her environmental goals.
1-2 Designating Funding for EMS Design, Implementation and Maintenance
Once senior management has committed to the EMS and designated an EMS Manager, the Installation's EH&S Committee
can develop a budget and staffing plan for the EMS and determine the appropriate software needs. At least one senior staff
person in each of the installation's business units should be assigned responsibility for assisting in the design and
implementation of the EMS, to ensure that environmental considerations are integrated throughout the facility's operations.
Environmental Program staff will focus on compliance-related policies and programs. Staff from all other operating units will
serve as points of contact and provide information to ensure that their activity's environmental responsibilities are properly
identified and characterized and that all organizations coordinate with other functions on interrelated activities that affect
environmental issues and programs.
There is no simple formula that will allow you to calculate the cost of EMS implementation. In truth, the cost
of implementing an EMS may be as little as the salary of one full-time EMS manager and the labor of additional
support staff. Some facilities hire a contractor to implement the EMS or to provide expert advice to support
installation staff. You also can purchase software that will allow you to coordinate
all of the EMS implementation and maintenance functions throughout the installation. If funding is available, software
and contractor assistance may enhance the process and allow you to proceed more rapidly toward a fully implemented EMS. However,
many large and complex installations have implemented a fully functional EMS using on-site staff and software.
1-3 Issuing an EMS Policy Statement
Senior management should develop and formally issue an EMS Policy. This should be a simple statement
that recognizes the specific products and services of the organization and commits the installation to
compliance with environmental laws and requirements, pollution prevention and continual improvement in
environmental performance. You can incorporate specific environmental goals and objectives in the
policy, as well. Don't forget to formalize a schedule for routine policy review and revision as your
program grows more robust.
After a policy has been issued, it is important to make sure that employees are familiar with the policy. Distribute it via e-mail. Post it on bulletin boards at worksites. Ask supervisors to discuss the policy at regularly scheduled team meetings. Ask staff what the policy means and how it will affect their daily work routine. It's also important to decide how you will communicate the EMS policy to your local community and to suppliers. Many organizations post the policy on an external website, publish it in local newspapers and hang framed copies of the policy in public areas of the installation. You also may consider attaching a copy of the policy to RFPs and bid documents.
Obtaining Management Commitment
| Developing a Design and Implementation Strategy
| Tactical Issues for Design and Implementation
| Addressing Operational Issues
