Emphasizing Environmental Management and Monitoring - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 469

TABLE 10.4
Components of a Formal Environmental Management System (EMS) - EMS is a tool to support responsible management, not a substitute for
good management

Environmental Policy is the public statement of what an organization intends to achieve from environmental management.

Environmental impact identifi cation is of course a prerequisite to managing actual and potential environmental impacts of an operation. Impact identifi cation is
central to the EIA. For an operating mine, impact identifi cation is best achieved through an environmental audit.

Objectives and targets are the main mechanisms to encourage improvement of an organizations' environmental performance. Targets are regularly reviewed.

Consultation before, during and after establishment of an EMS will be necessary to ensure that staff are involved in, and committed to the EMS. Public consultation
can help to improve public perception of the company, one of the benefi ts of committing to a formal EMS.

Operational and emergency procedures , usually in form of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), guide operating in line with the organization's environmental
objectives and targets.

Environmental management plan details the methods and procedures adopted to meet objectives and targets.

Documentation of objectives, targets, policies, responsibilities and procedures along with information on environmental performance is useful for verifying
environmental performance to stakeholders, in particular regulators and the public.

Responsibilities and reporting structure need to be allocated to staff and management.

Training is necessary to familiarize staff with their responsibilities in environmental management and in achieving environmental objectives and targets.

Review audits and monitoring compliance should be undertaken regularly to ensure the EMS is achieving its objectives and to refi ne operational procedures to
meet this goal.

Continual improvement is the ultimate aim of any EMS. Environmental objectives should be regularly reviewed to see if they can be improved or if more
effective systems can be introduced.

Benefi ts and Limitations

Much has been written on the benei ts of formal environmental management systems. The
main benei ts are arguably (1) demonstrating a good corporate image, (2) building aware-
ness of environmental concern among employees, (3) implementing formal procedures to
monitor regulatory and legislative changes affecting the organization to help ensure regu-
latory compliance, and (4) minimizing environmental liabilities. Admittedly (and unfortu-
nately) documentation within an EMS requires excessive administrative efforts. That said,
an EMS should not be prescriptive; rather it should require organizations to take an active

An EMS should not be
prescriptive; rather it should
require organizations to take an
active role in examining their
practices.

CASE 10.3
A Picture Says more than Thousand Words

EMS consultants in particular love to indulge themselves
in volumes of written Standard Operating Procedures.
'Documentation' is the buzzword, since auditing, a
cornerstone of any EMS, largely depends on written
evidence that mine operation adheres to agreed upon
and established procedures to safeguard the environment.
As a consequence the end result of a formal EMS is too
often a burdensome administrative system, which may
satisfy an auditor but which may consume substantial
efforts to maintain.

But there are other less formal ways to implement and
to maintain good environmental management. In some cir-
cumstances, less formal systems may also be more appropri-
ate. Mining companies working in frontier regions have found
it effective to replace or at least to complement written SOPs
with short video clips illustrating the key message to their
staff (some of whom are probably illiterate). It is also not
surprising that most mining companies rely on short induc-
tion movies instead of written materials to raise the environ-
mental, health and safety awareness of the mine visitor.