ISO14 -- Setting the Standard in Environmental Management

Here are two excellent reasons for training employees about environmental management and your EMS:

Every employee can have potential impacts on the environment

Any employee can have good ideas about how to improve environmental

management efforts

Each person and function within your organization can play a role in environmental management. For this reason, your training program should cast a wide net. Every employee and manager should be aware of the environmental policy, the significant environmental impacts of their work activities, key EMS roles and responsibilities, procedures that apply to their work and the importance of conformance with EMS requirements. Employees also should understand the potential consequences of not following EMS requirements, in an accident or emergency situation (such as spill, releases, fines or other penalties).

All personnel should receive appropriate training. Such training should be tailored to the different needs of various levels or functions in the organization. However, training is just one element of establishing competence, which is typically based on a combination of education, training, and experience. For certain jobs (particularly tasks that can cause significant environmental impacts), you should establish criteria to measure the competence of individuals performing those tasks.

Step: 7 of 17