4.1 Environment Management Requirements

PW has developed and maintains an EMS. The EMS requirements are summarized in this EMM. Throughout the EMM, reference is made to availability of documents at the PW Intranet. The Intranet address is:
http://pww/intranet/

For the purposes of this system, the following definitions apply:

Continual Improvement: process of enhancing the EMS to achieve improvements in overall environmental performance in line with the organization's environmental policy.
Note - The process need not take place in all areas of activity simultaneously.

Environment: surroundings in which an organization operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelation.
Note - Surroundings in this context extend from within an organization to the global system.

Environmental Aspect: element of an organization's activities, products or services that can interact with the environment.
Note - A significant environmental aspect is an environmental aspect that has or can have a significant environmental impact.

Environmental Impact: any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization's activities, products or services.

Environmental Objective: overall environmental goal, arising from the environmental policy, that an organization sets itself to achieve, and which is quantified where practicable.

Environmental Target: detailed performance requirement, quantified where practicable, applicable to the organization or parts thereof, that arises from the environmental objectives and that needs to be set and met in order to achieve those objectives.

Environmental Management System (EMS): the part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy.

Environmental Management System (EMS) Audit: a systematic and documented verification process of objectively obtaining and evaluating evidence to determine whether an organization's EMS conforms to the EMS audit criteria set by the organization, and for communication of the results of this process to management.

Environmental Performance: measurable results of the EMS, related to an organization's control of its environmental aspects, based on its environmental policy, objectives and targets.

Environmental Policy: overall interactions and direction of an organization with regard to environment as formally expressed by top management.

Interested Party: individual or group concerned with or affected by the environmental performance of an organization.

Media: environmental components which are identified by PW as targets of potential significant impact and are defined as: air, ground water, surface water, soil, species, habitat, cultural resources, and quality of life.

Organization: company, corporation, firm, enterprise, authority or institution, or part or combination thereof, whether incorporated or not, public or private, that has its own functions and administration.
Note - For organizations with more than one operating unit, a single operating unit may be defined as an organization (e.g., a PW Division, Branch or Shop).

Prevention of Pollution: use of processes, practices, materials or products that avoid, reduce or control pollution, which may include recycling, treatment, process changes, control mechanisms, efficient use of resources and material substitution.

Note - The potential benefits of prevention of pollution include the reduction of adverse environmental impacts, improved efficiency and reduced costs.