As countries around the world strive towards green economies, there is increased concern about environmental degradation and pollution, and the impact these issues have on climate change. There is now a consorted effort worldwide to safeguard the environment and to ensure it remains clean, safe and healthy.
Internationally, Guyana has been in the forefront of the fight to save the environment through the implementation of the Low Carbon Development Strategy. However, on the domestic level, companies can play their part in achieving this goal through the implementation of an Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to regulate the dumping of waste.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) is an explicit set of arrangements and processes designed to manage environmental issues in an industry or company without adversely affecting its performance, goals and objectives.
The presence of an Environmental Management System helps a company to protect itself from legal liabilities and ensures compliance with complex (and often ambiguous) rules. It also ensures that environmental impacts are reduced due to careful management of environmental requirements throughout the company. This means improved environmental performance, ensuring the competitive edge in a world where environmental protection is essential.
How can an Environmental Management System be set up at your Company?
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards has extended its services to help industries set up Environmental Management Systems in their operations.
A request can be made by telephone, letter, or a personal visit to the Conformity Assessment Department, after which a meeting is organized with top management of the said company. At the meeting, liaison personnel are identified from the Bureau and from the company.
A GAP analysis to determine the company’s status is conducted. Once the status is determined, it is time for documentation of the procedures which are set out in accordance with the ISO 14001 Standard.
The next step is to identify the Aspects and Impacts. There may be a number of these which cannot be dealt with all at the same time. The company is asked instead to determine the significant impacts and give priority to them.
In order to address the significant impacts, operations control procedures of the company have to be reviewed and the necessary adjustments put in place. The company must also set itself achievable objectives and targets and develop effective programmes to address the significant impacts.
Finally, it is expected that the new programmes will be implemented and monitoring, evaluation and auditing activities will follow, after which the company can opt for certification to this international standard. For further information, please contact the Conformity Assessment Department of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards on Telephone numbers: 219-0062, 219-0065 or 219-0066
