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Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

What is an EMS? | Getting Started | EMS Assistance Web Sites

The Utah EMS program provides technical assistance for regulated entities that want to implement a results-based EMS. To receive incentives, regulated entities must apply to the Clean Utah program and have an EMS approved by Utah DEQ, either through a Utah DEQ audit or through an approved third party audit.

What is an EMS?

An EMS is a continual cycle of planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions that an organization undertakes to meet its business and environmental goals. Most EMSs are built on the "Plan, Do, Check, Act" model. This model leads to continual improvement based upon:

• Planning, including identifying environmental aspects and establishing goals [plan];
• Implementing, including training and operational controls [do];
• Checking, including monitoring and corrective action [check]; and
• Reviewing, including progress reviews and acting to make needed changes to the EMS [act].

Getting Started

Interested in developing an EMS for your business or organization? There are many benefits to implementing an EMS, including both environmental improvements and costs savings. Additional benefits for facilities that get their EMS approved and join the Clean Utah program can receive regulatory incentives and recognition. If you know you would like to implement an EMS, or want to improve your current EMS (whether or not you join Clean Utah) Utah DEQ has some training and some draft EMS guides. We also have helpful resources on this Web Site.

There are many EMS assistance tools available on the internet.

Here are a list of just a few (all links open in a new window):

EPA’s EMS Web site:
http://www.epa.gov/ems/index.htm

EPA EMS Publications:
http://cfpub1.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/incentives/ems/

International Standards Org:
http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/ISOOnline.frontpage

EMS Guidance for Small Businesses: http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/exec/sbea/ems/EPAPracticalGuideForSmallBusinesses.pdf

Public Entity Resource Center for EMS:
http://www.peercenter.net/

College and University EMS Guide:
http://www.epa.gov/NE/assistance/univ/pdfs/emsImpGuide1.pdf

Local Government EMS Guidance:
http://www.peercenter.net/ewebeditpro/items/O73F3460.pdf

Multi-State Workgroup EMS Web site:
http://www.mswg.org/

National Database on EMS:
http://ndems.cas.unc.edu/

Global Environmental Management Initiative:
http://www.gemi.org/

* Note: Some of the files on this page require the Adobe Acrobat Reader.