Unit 3 - Commitment to Training

3.6 General Environmental Awareness Training

Company employees

Introduction

All aspects of a company have an impact on the environment. ISO 14001 and EMAS both recognise this, and demand that employees at all levels within the company should be aware that their activities, or the activities of the company as a whole, can have an environmental impact.

Even employees in jobs that are traditionally considered not to have an impact on the environment should be included.

Environmental Legislation Awareness Training: General

There was a growth in the amount of environmental legislation during the 1980s and early 1990s and this trend is likely to continue. Staff awareness training in environmental legislation must therefore be ongoing. As certification to BS EN ISO 14001 is dependent on maintaining procedures to identify and have access to legal requirements to which the organisation subscribes, it is essential for staff, particularly those who are working on the development of the organisation's environmental management system and those whose activities are controlled by legislation, to be aware of the legal framework in which the organisation should operate. EMAS goes further in that verification is dependent on complying with all relevant regulations and legislation. Some members of staff may require more detailed training in legislation that specifically relates to their job.

Organisation-Specific Environmental Training

The training needs in this category are dependent on the type of organisation, its organisational culture and its activities. The aim should be to encourage a commitment to the organisation's policies on environmental protection. Organisational procedures concerning the environmental issues listed above should be explained to all employees.

Training should not be restricted to workplace activities, but should incorporate work-related issues affecting the local environment and the local community.

All staff should be aware of the organisation's policies and procedures for managing environmental effects and improving performance. The level of competence required in any particular area will depend on individual responsibilities. For example, administrative staff should be aware of the organisation's policies on purchasing less environmentally damaging stationery and procedures for recycling waste paper and toner cartridges, A process engineer will require more detailed information on targets for materials conservation and waste minimisation.

Employees should be regularly updated on all new environmental initiatives which the organisation has established to improve performance in a particular activity. Employees may be informed of environmental initiatives by briefings from their manager or by company newsletters.

Organisation-Specific Environmental Training

Employees should be fully aware of:

1. The organisation's environmental policy, and its relevance to activities, products and services.
   
   
2. The environmental management system, how it operates and its role in regulating activities and monitoring performance.
   
   
3. Environmental legislation and the regulations relating to an organisation's activities, processes and practices.
   
   
4. Environmental effects, actual or potential, associated with their work activities.
   
   
5. Organisational objectives and targets which have been introduced to minimise environmental effects; these might include, for example, materials conservation, waste minimisation, recycling, packaging, energy conservation and transport management.
   
   
6. Community concerns and local issues, such as noise from industrial activity, heavy traffic movement and pollution from chimney stacks and effluent discharge pipes; these issues often arise through a lack of consultation with the local community, which in turn can result in mistrust of an organisation and its industrial activity.
   
   

   Typical community concerns

7. Global environmental concerns an overview of issues such as climate change and the Greenhouse effect.
   
   
   

   The greenhouse effect