Unit 1:Monitoring Progress

The need to measure improvement

The environment is an integral part of everyday business activity for industry. The only means by which a company can keep up to date with legislation and manage its environmental effects identified is to monitor them to measure environmental improvement, and to take action if no improvement is being made. Responsibilities for environmental management must be well defined and accepted by senior level personnel within a company. All those employees within an organisation who undertake work that has an environmental impact are responsible for their performance.

Many companies are legally bound to address, monitor and improve upon certain environmental effects of their operations, such as air pollution and effluent discharges. The best means by which a company can tackle all of its environmental effects is through addressing them systematically through the implementation of and Environmental Management System (EMS).

Monitoring, measuring and reporting environmental improvements and performance should be undertaken by procedures suited to each company, although should focus upon the following key goals:

To cement legal compliance

To give a starting point from which to measure improvement

To measure and quantify all of the environmental effects within the company.

To see how successful improvement programmes have been.

To ensure that prompt action is taken in the case of emergencies

To aid in the decision making process when a company makes investments

To minimise and where possible, banish altogether all adverse environmental effects on site

The goals listed above are often included within a company's Environmental Policy