Identification Of Environmental Aspects Research Articles

ISO 14001 Environmental Standard: Process Approach and Identification of Environmental Aspects and Impacts

Environmental management is the management of activities that may have an impact on the environment. It aims to limit polluting emissions and risks to the environment and to save natural resources. Often unsuspected and therefore without us always realizing it, all economic activities can have a considerable impact on the environment. Indeed, the manufacture of products requires the extraction of raw materials and the use of water and energy. Similarly, activities associated with the manufacturing process, such as maintenance, transportation; all have environmental impacts. The environmental management system is a progress tool that integrates the environmental dimension into an organization’s strategy, leading it to set objectives, achieve and maintain performance through effective management and promotes anticipation (the forecast). There is a multitude of guides allowing self-diagnosis by the organization and which make it possible to make an environmental assessment. ISO 14001 is the environmental management standard (EMS) created by the international organization for standardization. It defines the requirements of a global environmental management system for self-reporting or certification purposes. It is organized in 17 points modeled on quality management, well known for 34 years in the industry. The standard does not establish any absolute requirement for environmental performance, other than a commitment to environmental policy, to comply with legislation and the principle of continuous improvement. Pollution prevention through the identification of the various significant environmental aspects and impacts, which accounted for 70% of the requirements of ISO 14001, is the main environmental improvement point. In addition, since these environmental aspects and impacts can only be identified from the activities, products and services associated with them, this article represents a working method that allows expressing good environmental practices, present in the form of environmental performance indicators that inform in a concentrated and precise manner on the different activities with environmental relevance.

Identification of environmental aspects: a tool for its application

La planificación de un sistema de gestión ambiental es de gran trascendencia para las organizaciones, el diagnóstico de los aspectos ambientales relacionados con las actividades, productos y servicios que se pueden controlar y la determinación de aquellos que tienen o pueden tener impactos significativos sobre el ambiente son los importantes y significativos. El objetivo principal fue analizar cualitativamente la literatura científica disponible en las bases de datos y páginas web oficiales de Scielo, Redalyc y Google Académico, utilizando como palabras de búsqueda: aspectos ambientales de entrada y salida, consumos de recursos naturales y generación de desecho. Se obtuvo información relevante relacionada con el objetivo propuesto, que se presenta en 3 apartados: identificación de las entradas y salidas de los procesos; procedimiento de identificación de los aspectos ambientales y valoración de los aspectos ambientales. Se constata que el diagnóstico de aspectos ambientales constituye una herramienta útil para la identificación de problemas que afectan el ambiente y la armonía de las organizaciones con su entorno, asimismo podría permitir el diseño de sistemas de gestión ambiental.

Assessment of the importance of environmental aspects in the construction of oil and gas facilities

One of the solutions for assessing the impact on the components of the natural environment and effective management at the present stage is the introduction of environmental management in the organization. The authors analyzed modern scientific approaches to the problem of greening the activities of enterprises and substantiated the expediency of using environmental control in the practice of environmental management. The paper substantiates the need to rank the elements of the activities of construction organizations in the construction of oil refining complexes according to the importance of their impact on the environment. The issues of environmental protection during the construction of the oil and gas complex are considered, taking into account the specifics of construction work. Functional zones for individual production processes and various impacts on the environment, types of impacts inherent in a construction company are identified. For the projected oil and gas complex, the identification of environmental aspects was carried out, significant aspects were highlighted and a comparative characteristic was drawn up for each of them.

Methods to decrease the influence of the vehicles’ service and repair system on the environment

Article notes that vehicle maintenance and repair system have a significant negative impact on the environment. To reduce it, dealers must develop and implement an effective environmental management system. Identification of environmental aspects, as well as works and operations related to these aspects were performed. Model’s algorithm of the territorial accommodation of vehicle’s dealers is presented. This model will allow to find a balance between the vehicle’s service system efficiency indicators of the, the costs for owners to delivery of vehicles, waiting in the queue and maintenance and the impact on the environment.

The draft documented procedure "Identification and assessment of the importance of environmental aspects"

The article presents the highlights of the preparation of documented procedures on the identification and significance evaluation of environmental aspects, risk management practices, the environmental impacts of industrial organizations on the environment, identification of environmental aspects and assessment of their significance, the following directions for the identification of organizations.

Transição da norma ABNT NBR ISO 14001 versão 2004 para versão 2015 e proposta de atualização da matriz de aspectos e impactos ambientais de uma concessionária de rodovias

Com a crescente preocupação ambiental nas últimas décadas, as organizações passaram a dar maior importância às práticas sustentáveis. Surgem as Normas para os Sistemas de Gestão Ambiental (SGA), estabelecendo requisitos no intuito de prover às organizações uma estrutura para a proteção do meio ambiente. Mais de vinte anos após a primeira publicação, a ISO 14001 chega a sua terceira versão (2015), com o objetivo de se permanecer relevante durante as próximas décadas. A implantação de um SGA tem por premissa a identificação dos aspectos e impactos ambientais, o que representa o processo inicial exigido na implantação da Norma. Nesta edição, essa fase apresenta provavelmente a maior mudança em relação à versão anterior, devido à perspectiva do ciclo de vida. Este trabalho identifica as mudanças oriundas da edição 2015 e atualiza o levantamento de aspectos e impactos ambientais das principais atividades realizadas pela Triunfo Concepa, empresa do ramo de concessão e exploração de rodovias, certificada pela versão 2004 da Norma. Com a inserção de novos critérios para a avaliação dos impactos ambientais e a reconsideração dos aspectos atrelados à operação de uma rodovia, este trabalho pretende servir de apoio para que a organização estudada realize a transição para a última versão.

Factors for succeeding in ISO 14001 implementation in Italian construction industry

AbstractThe main aim of this research is to find the most relevant factors for a successful ISO 14001 implementation in the construction industry. Thousands of companies, including those in the construction industry, are interested in an ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS). Italy holds one of the largest databases of ISO 14001 certified organisations; in this database, the construction industry represents the second largest sector. Using a questionnaire, the research tested six potential factors that affect the success of an ISO 14001 EMS implementation. Moreover, the quantitative results were discussed together with qualitative notes left by respondents.The results showed that only three out of the six factors really affect ISO 14001 EMS implementation in the construction industry: involvement of employees, top management commitment, and development of environmental technical skills. It seems that the respondents perceived that economic and financial results, identification of environmental aspects and impacts, and the involvement of stakeholders have a limited or null effect on ISO 14001 implementation. Particular issues concerning developing workers' awareness, evaluating all the environmental impacts, and obtaining real economic advantages were raised in the respondents' comments. Conclusions highlight specific contributions for practitioners and other stakeholders involved in EMS.

Application of Project Management Process on Environmental Management System Improvement in Mining-Energy Complexes

Aims and background: Mining and energy complexes in Serbia are recognized as a major source of a large number of pollutants. Serbia’s environmental performance reports clearly indicate that large mining and energy complexes are the dominant source of air pollution. It is difficult to determine which of them remarkably threaten the quality of the environment, as all the basic elements of the environment (air, water, and soil) are threatened, not just one. Mining and energy complexes significantly reduce the quality of the immediate environment, as the distance areas throughout water and air pollution propagation. Additional motivation for this study lies in the fact that large mining and energy complexes are particularly interesting because they are located in the immediate vicinity or large rivers (mostly the Danube), which are protected in many national and international legislation acts (particularly the Danube). The basis for the preservation of environmental quality is an effective environmental management system (EMS) in mining and energy complexes. The aim of this study is to promote and elaborate the possibility for improving the mining and energy complex environmental protection/management system by applying the basic principles of sustainable development. Methodology: Project management methodology is selected as a tool. Project management is based on the application of a network planning technique (Critical Path Method), because of its suitability for representing the logical structure of environmental protection system. The survey was conducted in the area of the city of Kostolac. The examined area included mining and energy complexes in Kostolac, which incorporate three surface mines (Ćirikovac, Klenovik, and Drmno) and two thermal power stations (TE “Kostolac A” (100 MW) and TE “Kostolac B” (2 × 348.5 MW)). The PSR model (Pressures, State, Response) was used for the organization of the interactions within “society–environment” system as the basis for indicator selection. Results: Procedures to identify and determine the significance of the environmental aspects should be established by executive staff in mining and energy plants and complexes. Identification of environmental aspects is the first part of the planning system of environmental management and the activities related to them. The accomplishment of critical path activities represents the basis for improving the environmental protection system in mining and energy complexes. Discussion: Application of sustainable development principles depends on the country’s energy potential and the application of the adopted environmental policy regarding mining and energy complexes. Strict enforcement of existing laws and regulations presents an opportunity to rectify many shortcomings while providing economic benefits, restoring the usable value of ravaged land, and preserving air and water quality.

Traditional vs Technological Based Surveillance on Construction Site: A Review

The negative impacts of construction activities can be controlled and reduced through identification of environmental aspects and impacts of construction activities, implementation of the mitigation measures and site monitoring on a regular basis e.g through surveillance in the framework of the Environmental Management System (EMS). Continuous improvement efforts towards traditional methods and increased needs for factual information and productivity in the environmental monitoring field have been met with latest innovations in mobile information and sensory technology options. This paper through literature aims to review the characteristic of both traditional and technology based surveillance while highlighting the on how those methods complement each other.

LCA as an element in environmental management systems—comparison of conditions in selected organisations in Poland, Sweden and Germany

Purpose In this two-part paper (Background and Initial Assumptions (Part 1) and Results of Survey Research (Part 2)), we present surveys whose main objective is to determine, whether and to what extent the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS) and whether there are any differences in this respect between the companies and countries analysed. Methods The survey research was carried out using the computer assisted self-administered interviewing (CASI) method among selected Polish, German and Swedish organisations which implement EMS in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14001 and/or the EMAS regulation. Results The organisations investigated, regardless of their country, are dominated by qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques of assessment and identification of environmental aspects. LCA was used sporadically, although some differences can be observed between the countries analysed. Conclusions The environmental managers accustomed to traditional qualitative and semi-quantitative solutions, have not been given preparation to enable them to understand and adopt the different approaches such as LCA. On the other hand, representatives of the organisations investigated declared that they were ready to accept an even longer timescale for the identification and assessment processes relating to environmental aspects, which represents a potential opportunity for LCA. The more precise understanding and definition of environmental problems that are precisely defined in LCA would represent a novelty for environmental managers. In practice, environmental problems are defined in a general sense and rather ambiguously, as this level of detail is sufficient in the context of qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques commonly used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects.

LCA as an element in environmental management systems—comparison of conditions in selected organisations in Poland, Sweden and Germany

In this two-part paper (Background and Initial Assumptions (part 1) and Results of Survey Research (part 2)), we present surveys whose main objective is to determine whether, and to what extent, the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS) and whether there are any differences in this respect between the companies and countries analysed. The survey research was carried out using the computer assisted self-administered interviewing method among selected Polish, German and Swedish organisations which implement EMS in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14001 and/or the EMAS regulation. The organisations investigated, regardless of their country, are dominated by qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques of assessment and identification of environmental aspects. LCA was used sporadically, although some differences can be observed between the countries analysed. The environmental managers accustomed to traditional qualitative and semi-quantitative solutions have not been given preparation to enable them to understand and adopt different approaches such as LCA. On the other hand, representatives of the organisations investigated declared that they were ready to accept an even longer timescale for the identification and assessment processes relating to environmental aspects, which represents a potential opportunity for LCA. The more precise understanding and definition of environmental problems that are precisely defined in LCA would represent a novelty for environmental managers. In practice, environmental problems are defined in a general sense and rather ambiguously, as this level of detail is sufficient in the context of qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques commonly used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects.

Significance Evaluation of Environmental Aspects

The identification of environmental aspects is an essential premise for implementation of EMS in a production company, but not a sufficient one. In order to effectively reduce negative environmental impacts, first it is necessary to undertake a thorough examination of given environmental aspects. For this purpose, several methods can be used. In this article, 3 such methods are described in detail, namely the method of Total pair comparison, the Rank method and the Saaty method. A properly prepared classification of all involved environmental aspects, evaluated by their importance can be considered a first step for successful environmental pollution reduction or elimination. In order to determine and quantify which environmental aspects have the highest priority, the Pareto analysis and Lorenz curve method can be used.

Characterisation of environmental policy implementation in an EMS context: a multiple-case study in Sweden

The heart of an environmental management system is the implementation of environmental policy in an organisation by the use of environmental aspects, goals and management programmes. The aim of this paper is to characterise this implementation and discuss how it could be improved. In order to achieve the objective of the paper a multiple-case study was performed in ISO 14001-certified or EMAS-registered organisations in Sweden. It is concluded that the implementation of environmental policy is strictly controlled by specifications in ISO 14001 or EMAS. Some organisations, mostly smaller, are forced to form their environmental policy implementation in a way that is not suited for their type of organisation. Many organisations find it hard to measure their environmental goals and to set long-term or medium-long-term time periods for their goals. In addition, the organisations do not involve their employees to a very great extent in the implementation of the environmental policy. If they do let middle managers and line personnel to participate, it is usually early in the process, as early as in the identification of environmental aspects.

Identification of environmental aspects in an EMS context: a methodological framework for the Swedish National Rail Administration

Environmental aspects are basic elements in an Environmental Management System (EMS). The identification of environmental aspects is, however, recognized as one of the most complicated parts in establishing an EMS and has been subject to criticism concerning, e.g., lack of transparency and reproducibility. This paper evaluates the Swedish National Rail Administration's (Banverket) current practice for the identification of environmental aspects. A better link between activity, aspect and impact is needed. A more stringent identification procedure would improve Banverket's environmental management. The paper proposes a structured framework for the identification of environmental aspects at Banverket.

Implementing ISO 14000 in Sweden: motives, benefits and comparisons with ISO 9000

ISO 14000 is based on the concept that better environmental performance can be achieved when environmental aspects are systematically identified and managed. Despite the growing interest in voluntary environmental management standards, little empirical information exists and only a few survey studies have been made. This paper contains an evaluation of results from a survey on ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 companies. The study presents experiences from the standards implementation processes in Sweden. It focuses on motives for implementation, perceived benefits and key implementation factors. Further, comparisons are made between ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 systems. Swedish companies mainly use the standard to demonstrate their commitment to environmental protection. Most benefits are also perceived in the improved relations with stakeholders and in marketing advantages. Since the standard requires companies to set their environmental policy and objectives themselves, the identification of environmental aspects was stated as most important and also as the factor requiring most effort. Organizations require their suppliers to implement ISO 9000 to a greater extent than ISO 14000.