A flexible, modular-based, programme to heighten participants' awareness of ways
in which their operations can affect the environment, the principles of
environmental management and the practical steps they need to take as
individuals and as an organisation to improve environmental performance.
Depending on the course modules selected, this programme will give participants:
* Increased awareness of relevant environmental issues
* A greater understanding of, and commitment to, the organisation's
environmental management programme
* Preparation for any responsibilities they may have under an Environmental
Management System
* Further benefits according to options chosen
1 ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
* Definition of 'the environment'
* Key environmental issues
* Global warming
* Ozone depletion
* Acid rain
* Air quality
* Water pollution
* Contaminated land
* Land take and green belt shrinkage
* Resource usage
* Habitat destruction and species extinctions.
* Option: This module can be used to explain the key environmental issues
related to the activities of your own organisation. Diagrams, photos,
pictures, examples and statistics relevant to your own organisation are used
where possible to illustrate the points being made.
2 ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
* Key elements of environmental legislation affecting the activities of your
organisation - including international, European and UK legislation.
* Legislation of particular relevance to your organisation - how it affects the
operations of your organisation
* Option: Legislation can be dealt with according to which aspect of the
environment it protects (eg, air, water, waste) or which part of your
organisation's activities it affects
* Consequences of breaching legislation
3 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
* Overview of what an environmental management system is
* How is an Environmental Management System (EMS) designed and put together?
* Key elements (emphasising Plan - Do - Check - Review cycle)
* The need to continually improve
* Pros and cons
* Reasons for having an EMS
* Benefits of an EMS
* Consequences of not managing the environment
* Costs of installing an EMS
* Explanation of ISO 14001 and EMAS standards and guidance as applicable to the
EMSs of your organisation
* Overview of your organisation's EMS
* How it was set up / is being developed / operates
* Who is responsible for it
* Key parts of system (eg, environmental policy, objectives and targets)
identified and discussed
* EMS documentation - what and where it is.
* Workshop option: Brainstorm 'Pros and cons' with the participants, come up
with all their ideas for good and bad things about EMS and demonstrate that
the 'good' list is longer than the 'bad'
4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
* Define what an environmental impact is and discuss how they are determined,
with reference to the EMS
* Identify why we want to determine the environmental consequences of
operations and activities; how they are used in the EMS for planning, and
reducing the impact on the environment
* Establish key environmental consequences of construction and operational
activities on the site; discuss significance ranking and the control measures
in place in your organisation.
* Workshop option: In small groups, participants are asked to identify the
impact on the environment of your organisation's activities or a part of
their activities. They are then asked to rank these impacts in terms of their
significance, using guidelines provided to help them be aware of the
contributing factors (eg, frequency, severity). For a selected number of the
impacts, the participants are asked to identify what control measures there
are and which of these they play a part in. All stages can be discussed with
trainers as a whole group at various stages during the workshop.
5 PROTECTED SPECIES, NATURE CONSERVATION AND INVASIVE WEEDS
* Nature conservation, landscape and visual issues in the planning process -
overview of key nature UK wildlife legislation, EIA, appropriate timing of
surveys, Hedgerow regulations and landscape and visual impact issues
* Ecological issues - ecological legislation, significant species, hedgerows
* Archaeology in the development process - why archaeology is important,
organisation in the UK, legislation and planning guidance
* Construction phase issues and consents - major environmental issues during
construction, including water resources and land drainage consents,
discharges to land or water, water abstraction, public rights of way, tree
protection, waste management, Special waste, noise, good practice pollution
control and Environmental Audits
* Identification and management of invasive weeds - including legal position
regarding management
6 CHEMICALS AND FUELS HANDLING AND STORAGE
* How health and safety management is closely linked to environmental
management of materials
* Planning - what mechanisms are in place for planning materials use;
legislation, guidance and policies which define how to manage materials
* Materials storage - what are the considerations for storing materials,
covering:
* Labels: what are the different types and what do they tell us?
* Storage facilities: what are the requirements for safe storage of materials
(eg, signs, secondary containment, access, segregation, lids/covers)
* Handling: safe handling for protecting the environment, organisational
procedures, high risk situations (eg, decanting, deliveries), how to reduce
the risks (eg, use of funnels, proper supervision, training)
* COSHH and MSDS: brief explanation of legislation and its role in
environmental control of hazardous materials, how to use the information
provided by COSHH assessments
* Option: These sessions can be illustrated with photographs/pictures and
examples of good and bad storage and handling practices
* Workshop Options: Labelling Quiz - quick-fire quiz on what different labels
tell us; Build a Storage Facility - participants are asked to consider all
the environmental requirements for building a safe storage facility for their
organisation
7 ON-SITE CONTROL MEASURES
* Overview of the legislation associated with nuisance issues on site and
mitigating problems when they arise
* Examples of bad practice, including fuel storage tanks and mobile equipment -
costs involved with prosecution of fuel spills, remediation costs, management
costs, legal fees, bad PR coverage
* Identification and management of contaminated land and relevant legislation
* Workshop option: Participants are provided with a site plan containing
information on site features, environmental conditions and indications of
potential issues
8 WASTE MANAGEMENT
* Why worry about waste? - a look at how waste disposal can impact on the
environment, illustrated by examples of waste-related incidents, statistics
on waste production on national, industry-wide and organisational levels,
landfill site space, etc
* Legislation - overview of the relevant legislation, what the main
requirements of the regulations are, what penalties there are, and the
associated documentation (waste transfer notes)
* Waste classification - a more in-depth look at how waste is classified under
legislation according to hazardous properties, referring to Environment
Agency guidance
* Handling and storage requirements - what are the requirements of the
applicable waste legislation and how are they covered by organisational
procedures? Examples of good and bad environmental practice associated with
handling and storing waste.
* Workshop option: 'Brown bag' exercise - participants pass round a bag
containing tags each with a different waste printed on. They are asked to
pick out a tag and identify the classification and the handling, storage and
disposal requirements for the waste they select
* Waste minimisation - overview of the waste minimisation 'ladder' and its
different options (elimination, reduction, reuse and recycling), benefits of
waste minimisation, examples of waste minimisation techniques
* Workshop option: Participants are asked to identify opportunities that
actually exist within the organisation for minimising production of waste
that are not currently being taken advantage of
9 AUDITING
* Requirements for environmental auditing of operations
* Auditing the EMS
* Types of internal and external audits
* Requirements EMS standards (ISO 14001 and EMAS)
* Carrying out internal audits and being prepared for external audits
* Workshop options:
* Mock audit 'Brown Bag' - can be used either for trainers to test
participants as if they were in an audit situation, or for the participants
to test each other and practice their auditing technique. The bag contains
tags each with a different topic printed on (eg,
waste skips); participants pass the bag round and select a tag; they are
then questioned by the trainer or another participant about that topic as
if they were in an audit situation. If the participants are auditing each
other, they will be provided with a set of guidelines to keep in mind
during the workshop.
* Virtual auditing - a more practical workshop where participants review
photographs of situations/activities relevant to the organisation's
operations. They are asked to identify all the good and bad environmental
practices that are occurring in the situations.
10 INCIDENT RESPONSE
* What should you do when an incident does happen?
* What should be in a spill kit?
* When should you call in the experts?
* When should you inform the Environment Agency or Environmental Health
Officer?
* Workshop option: The participants are provided with some incident scenarios
and asked to develop a response to the incident
11 MONITORING AND REPORTING
* Environmental monitoring programmes and procedures
* Monitoring and reporting as control measures for environmental consequences
* Monitoring and environmental 'STOP' card systems - personal and behavioural
monitoring and reporting