A comparison of approaches to EMS implementation in two E&P Companies

Abstract

Abstract In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the design, development and implementation of environmental management systems (EMSs) in the E&P industry. In large measure this is due to the much higher profile that environmental issues have attracted in the public mind, and the requirement for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to excellent environmental performance. The introduction and widespread acceptance of ISO 14001 as a model for such EMSs has added a further impetus to the development process, among both companies with a long-standing environmental policy, and those whose environmental awakening has been more recent. For those whose awareness of environmental issues is well established in management practices, the challenge has been to review systems and align them with the requirements of the Standard. For others, with a more recent environmental awakening, the challenge has been to create an EMS unsupported by a culture of environmental awareness or formalised management. This paper compares the approach of two quite different companies to the design, development and implementation of their EMSs. In March 1997, Perez Companc S.A., an Argentine company, became the first E&P operator in the world to achieve ISO 14001, when three of their fields in Argentina were certified by DNVQA. Shell Prospecting and Development Peru (SPDP) are the leaders in the development of the Camisea gas field in Peru, and are well advanced in the adaptation of existing environmental management practices as part of their programme of ISO 14001 implementation, aiming for certification in 1998. The experience of these companies has demonstrated that even though the context differs substantially between the two organisations, there are common features in their respective approaches to the process which may be useful guides to others embarking on similar programmes.