Organisation-related training will usually apply to most staff within an organisation. However, certain managers and employees may be expected to have a higher level of competence in specific areas and training provision should reflect this.

For example, staff dealing with waste should be fully conversant with their responsibilities under the duty of care as prescribed by s.34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; similarly, the Water Industry Act 1991 imposes consent conditions on the discharge of trade effluents to sewerage undertakings, which would be of concern to some process engineers and operatives.

The following subject areas are examples of where specialist training is required to ensure a high level of competence.

1. UK and EC environmental legislation and standards relating to specific operational activities. For example, where appropriate, specialist training should be provided in integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) and best available techniques (BAT) BAT requires that all the environmental implications of an activity, subject to IPPC, are evaluated and that the option chosen results in the least environmental damage.
   
   
2. Understanding the role of regulators in monitoring and maintaining environmental protection standards, including the roles of:
   
   
   • Local authorities.
   • The Environment Agency.
     
     
3. Understanding the environmental effects of processes and practices. The environmental impacts which are of particular significance are those that have an effect on:
   
   
   • Air quality.
   • Land use.
   • Water quality.
     
     
4. Procedures and methods for recording environmental data and monitoring performance in relation to the company s environmental objects and targets.
   
   
5. The use of environmental auditing and review procedures to provide a systematic evaluation of environmental performance of operations, facilities and the environmental management system.
   
   
6. Carrying out a Life Cycle Assessment, sometimes referred to as a cradle-to-grave analysis, which involves an assessment of the environmental impact of a product from the purchase of raw materials through to the product's final disposal.
   
   
7. The emergency procedures to minimise the effects on human health and the environment under abnormal operating conditions or when accidents occur.
   
   
8. Carrying out a risk assessment of the organisation's operations to understand the nature of hazards and devising a systematic approach to reduce risk to people and the environment. Risk assessments are required to be carried out under certain legislation, e.g. the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (S] 1992/2051).
   
   
9. Specific areas in which improvement strategies are being implemented for example in the reduction of energy and good housekeeping practices for certain materials such as solvents.The emergency procedures to minimise the effects on human health and the environment under abnormal operating conditions or when accidents occur.