Development and Implementation of an Environmental Management System for an Oil Company in South Trinidad in Accordance with the ISO 14001 Standard

Abstract

Abstract Trinidad and Tobago has the oldest petroleum industry in the world. The activities of this industry have historically impacted the environment and newly drafted environmental rules and regulations of Trinidad and Tobago will require sound environmental management systems by all operating companies in the industry. In order to meet the challenges of these new regulations, the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Petrotrin) is currently pursuing the development and implementation of an Environmental Management System within its Exploration and Production operations in accordance with the ISO 14001 Standard. This project was initiated in October 1999, and is expected to terminate in December 2001 with international certification. Petrotrin, realizing the competitive advantages that can result from the integration of an Environmental Management System into its operating systems, has placed the implementation of the EMS as a company strategic goal. The project was categorized into three main stages: Development, Implementation and Audit/Certification. To date, the Development Stage has been completed and the implementation stage initiated, with the following successes: Allocation of manpower resources in the formation of the Steering and Executive Management Committees, and an EMS Project Team;Training of project personnel in ISO 14001/10/11/12 Standards;Revision of the company Environmental Policy statement;Conducting the Gap Analysis Study;Development of the Implementation Plan based on the results of the Gap Analysis;Initiated the development of the EMS manual and drafted initial procedures as outlined in the Implementation Plan;Collection and analysis of data for identification of Significant Environmental Aspects and impacts for Exploration and Production activities. The Development and Implementation of an Environmental Management System in accordance with the world renowned ISO 14001 is expected to derive many benefits to Petrotrin such as reduced operating costs, improved financial performance, increased access to markets, improved environmental performance, improved community relations, improved customer relations and employee involvement and education.