Chapter 3: Getting Started

3.1 Commitment and Leadership

Before an EMS can be implemented, an organization needs to secure top management

support of this endeavor. This is one of the most critical steps in the planning process
and the success of the CEMS is highly dependant on this support and commitment from
top management. Management must first understand the system and the benefits it
brings to the organization. Management also has a role in ensuring that the goals for
the EMS are clear and consistent with other organizational goals.

3.2 Environmental Management Representative

An Environmental Management Representative needs to be appointed by the top

management. This representative should have the necessary authority, an
understanding of the organization, and project management skills. The representative
should be a “systems thinker”, should have the time to commit to the EMS-building
process and must have top management support

3.3 Environmental Management System Committee

A committee with representatives from key management functions can identify and
assess issues, opportunities and existing processes. Consider including sub-
contractors, suppliers or other external parties as part of the project team, where
appropriate. A cross-functional team can help to ensure that procedures are practical
and effective and can build commitment to and “ownership” of the EMS.

To successfully implement the system, this team will need to undergo specific training
programs pertaining to the development and implementation of the environmental
management system.

3.4 Scope of EMS

Once top management has given the green light for implementing the system, it then
needs to determine the scope of the system. The scope of the environmental
management system is essential in setting the boundary for the initial environmental
review, development and implementation. In determining the scope the organization is
required to determine the activities and the level of influence and control involved with
respect to each activity. The scope will help the organization to specify the boundaries,
number of project sites and/or services to be covered, implementation time and the
credibility of the environmental management system. The scope has to be explained in
the Environmental Manual because this provides clear boundaries of the environmental
management system coverage. Once the scope or boundary is identified, then the
organization can proceed to the initial review process.
3.5 Initial Environmental Review (IER)

In order to be able to identify what should be done to implement an environmental

management system, the current situation concerning the environmental impacts of the
contractor's activities should first be established. The baseline assessment provides a
quick and easy approach to gaining greater understanding of the current level of
environmental performance and issues. The assessment considers existing
management practices, the likely main environmental aspects and associated impacts,
environmental costs, views of interested parties and key legal requirements. The
assessment evaluates the existing environment – the ecology, drainage, topography,
sensitive areas and others and identifies the current strengths and weaknesses in
environmental protection plan. To achieve this, the contractor can conduct an initial
environmental review (IER).

Initial environmental review is a preliminary review of the existing environmental

programs and systems in the company. It identifies areas of improvement as well as
quantifies baseline environmental conditions. It reviews the day to day working
conditions of the organization s well as the construction program planned. An
organization with no existing environmental management system should, as a first step,
establish its current position with regard to environment by means of a review. The aim
should be to consider all environmental aspects of the organization as a basis for
establishing the environmental management system.

The review should cover four key areas:

a. legislative and regulatory requirements - For example during planning and design
activity, there are part where the output has to comply to legal requirements: or during
actual construction work organization is required to comply with local by law.

b. an identification of significant environmental aspects - The identification process should

cover all activity, product and services associated with the organization with the defined
scope. The process shall consider normal operating conditions, abnormal operating
conditions and during emergency situations.

c. an examination of all existing environmental management practices & procedures –

Availability of procedures to follow during planning for land clearing or how to dispose our
waste engine oil at construction site or what criteria do we follow when we want to locate
our diesel skid tank. Are we following good environmental practice when we locate our
diesel skid tank near a stream or storing waste oil drum on the ground without proper
coverage or conducting land clearing activities during raining season covering large area,
or discharge the oil waste direct into the stream?

d. An evaluation of feedback from the investigation of previous incidents - Land slide or

stop work order for releasing discharge that are not in compliance to Sewage and Industrial
Waste Regulation.
There are no fix tools or methods for undertaking the review. However the organization
through team effort should walk through the process. An initial environmental review is
done via discussion, interview, site inspection and existing document examination.
Relevant employees most likely to give information are suppliers, vendors, community
groups, government agencies.

What will be the best way to carry out Initial environmental review?

1. Appoint a team from relevant department to conduct the review.

2. Establish a simple procedure or methodology including criteria to identify the
environmental aspects and impacts associated with our activities, product and services.
3. Define our scope of our activities and the scope to be covered under environmental
management system. The key factor that determines our scope is the extent of control
and influence of the activities, product and services. No point including in your scope
activities, product or services when you cannot control and influence. And you should
not only include activities, product and services that cause minor impacts to the
environment and leave activities that cause significant environmental impacts to the
environment.
4. Conduct an on site and off site assessment through interview, review of past record and
review of existing practices.
5. Maintain record of assessment and evident of decision made.
6. Finally formalize the simple methodology or procedure into procedure.

In the construction sector it is environmental aspects and impacts identification process should
be carried out at two levels. The first level is at organizational level and the level is at the
project site before the start of the activity. This is due to the fact that at project site,
environmental aspects and impacts varies depending on the actual site, work method and other
factors.

3.6 Identification of Environmental Aspects and Impacts

The first thing an organization has to do is determining the environmental issues that
they have to manage. Environmental issues are those issues that are associated
directly and indirectly with the organization activities, products and services.

In the construction sector, the environmental issues can be one or more of the following:
water pollution, erosion and siltation, loss of biodiversity, air pollution, noise pollution,
flash flood, loss of top soil, scheduled and construction wastes, resource consumption,
energy conservation and many more. These can happen during the course of the
project, after completion of the project, during its operational phase and end of life,
abnormal cases such as during heavy rain and during emergency situations such as
landslides. Therefore these environmental aspects should be taken into consideration at
every stage of the project implementation process, from conception to completion.
A project can have a number of environmental aspects related to their activities. Some
will be directly within their control (e.g. direct aspects such as air emissions and water
discharges) and some will be of a nature that can only be indirectly influenced (e.g.
indirect aspects such as activities of raw material suppliers). As both types can lead to
significant environmental impacts, both should be assessed for significance. The
contractor will need to identify the environmental aspects and determine their
significance. Having evaluated environmental aspects for significance it is possible to
prioritize actions that address issues relating to the organization's operations.

Such impacts may be local, regional or global, short or long term, with varying levels of
significance. An organization should understand the activities, products and services
that fall within the scope of its environmental management system, and may find it
useful to group them for identification and evaluation of environmental aspects.
Grouping or categorizing activities, products and services can assist an organization in
identifying common or similar environmental aspects. A grouping or category could be
based on common characteristics, such as organizational units, geographical locations,
operations workflow, materials or energy use in product groups, or environmental media
affected (e.g. air, water, land). To be useful, the size of a category should be large
enough for meaningful examination, yet small enough to be clearly understood.

Appendix 1 is a generic form which can be used as a guide for contractors to identify
environmental aspects and significant impacts

3.6.1 How to Identify Environmental Aspects and Significant Impacts

1. Select a related construction activity.

2. Identify as many as possible environmental aspects associated with the chosen
activity. Remember that environmental aspects can be positive (e.g. recycling waste)
and negative (e.g. generation of toxic waste). Consider also aspects rising from
normal and abnormal operating conditions as well as potential emergency situations.
The Method Statement can be used as a reference to identify environmental
aspects.
3. Identify as many as possible environmental impacts associated with each aspect.
Keep in mind that the relationship between environmental aspects and
environmental impacts is one of cause and effect.
4. Evaluate the significance of the aspects and associated impacts. Evaluation of
significance can be done using a set of criteria appropriate to the construction
sector. Among the criteria which are widely used are frequency, severity, probability,
duration, legal requirements, environmental consequence, corporate concerns,
resource depletion, human health effects etc. Application of the methodology and
evaluation criteria should be consistent through out the process
5. From the evaluation process, develop a register, listing out all activities which have
significant environmental aspects and their associated impacts.
Table 3.1: Sequence involved during the aspect and impact identification process.

Identification of Identification of Determining Evaluation of List out all Prioritisation of the

activities, product environmental environmental Significance from significant aspects list of significant
and services within aspects during impacts associated the identified activities into “ List aspects register. The
the identified scope normal, abnormal with each of significant most significant
environmental
and emergency environmental aspects register”. shall be managed
situation. aspect.
impacts/aspects first.
• Design of township, • From the evaluation
highway or multi Examples of Examples of process a list of
story apartment. environmental aspects: environmental impacts: • Using established significant aspects • From the list it is
• Land clearing and • Consumption of • Depletion of Natural methodology and register shall be critical for the
earth work. Natural Resources. Resources. evaluation criteria produced. organization to
• Construction of • Removal of top soil. • Loss of soil fertility. appropriate to the • The list leads the prioritize to ease the
hospital, school or • Removal of • Loss of flora and construction sector. organization to the management process.
road. vegetation fauna. • The methodology can following: • Basis shall be its
• Discharge of waste • Loss of habitat be qualitative, a. The activities, product significant to the
water, waste oil, • Soil erosion quantitative and semi- or services that we environment and legal
building waste etc. quantitative. need to manage in compliance.
• Visual impact
• Consumption of • The evaluation team order to reduce the • The final list will
• Water pollution – environmental impacts
electricity. shall have common guide the organization
waste, siltation from our organization.
• Emission of dust and understanding on the in setting its
• Air pollution –dust methodology, b. Which activities from environmental policy
other particulates. and particulate application of the our organization that and the environmental
• Global warming criteria. are covered under legal objectives.
• Noise pollution • Application of the and other
• Flash flood methodology and requirements.
Link between aspects and evaluation criteria c. What type of works
impacts is similar to “cause should be consistent that require competent
and effect” through out the people in order to
process. prevent environmental
impacts and
compliance to
organization
environmental policy?
d. Which type of
organization staff that
requires environmental
related training.
 Table 3.2: Examples of associated environmental aspects and impacts from land
clearing activities
Construction Environmental Environmental Impacts
activity or process Aspects Beneficial Adverse
Land Clearing -removal of existing -Revenue from sale of -loss of tree cover
vegetation marketable trees or -reduced aesthetics
plants -blocked waterways
-use of tree trunks for causing flooding
temporary erosion -loss of terrestrial
control habitat
-biomass incineration -air pollution
-mulching of biomass -reuse in landscaping
-exposed soil surface -erosion and siltation
-water pollution
-flash floods
slope instability landslides
-vehicular emissions -air pollution
-land contamination
-water pollution
-vehicular movement -air pollution
-vibration
-noise pollution
-risk to public safety

Air pollution
Loss of terrestrial
habitat, loss of Loss of land
biodiversity Emission to air
fertility, erosion
Removal of Removal of
vegetation topsoil

Resources, fuel,
INPUT OUTPUT
machinery, land Cleared land
area, vegetation, Land clearing
topsoil

Generation of
waste Surface runoff
Land degradation, loss Erosion, siltation,
of aesthetic values flash floods

FIGURE 3.1: Examples of Environmental Aspects and Impacts from Land Clearing
 Aspect

NO YES
Legal Requirement

NO
Environmental
Consequences YES
SIGNIFICANT
NO ENVIRONMENTAL
YES ASPECT (SEA)
Use of Materials

NO
YES
Corporate Concern

NO

NOT SIGNIFICANT

FIGURE 3.2: Workflow example for evaluation of aspect

significance

3.6.3 Determining the issues to be managed

Among the critical outcome from the whole exercise would be the list of significant
activities that cause significant impacts to the environment. From the list, the
organization is required to prioritize and determine the most significant aspects that
need to be managed. This list would be the basis for any organization to establish and
implement an EMS. The list would assist the management in setting the Policy,
Objectives and Targets for the organization.

The outcome would also be a critical input for the establishment of the environmental
manual and procedures, training requirement, potential emergency situations,
operational control, monitoring and measurement, prevention of pollution and continual
improvement.

To manage the environmental impacts, it is the significant aspects activity, product and
services that we
What should be need to manage.
the output Reducing or eliminating any interaction with the
of this process?
environment will directly reduce and eliminate the environmental impacts.
1. Documented procedure for identification of aspect and impacts where the
methodology and criteria has been clearly defined.
2. Record of identified aspects and impacts for verification.
3. List of significant aspects and impact activities, product and services.
4. Prioritize list of significant aspects and impacts and the basis used to determine
prioritization.
5. All activities, product and services under the scope have been adequately covered.