Courtesy: Internal auditor ISO 14001 environment management system
EMS Model
An EMS follows a Plan-Do-Check-Act, or PDCA, Cycle. The diagram shows the process of first developing an environmental policy, planning the EMS, and then implementing it. The process also includes checking the system and acting on it. The model is continuous because an EMS is a process of continual improvement in which an organization is constantly reviewing and revising the system.
This is a model that can be used by a wide range of organizations – from manufacturing facilities to service industries to government agencies.
Accreditation
Environmental Data Management Systems (EDMS) can be accredited under the UK Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTS) for performance standards and test procedures.
Other meanings
An EMS can also be classified as:
- a system which monitors, tracks and reports emissions information, particularly with respect to the oil and gas industry. EMSs are becoming web-based in response to the EPA’s mandated greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting rule, which allows for reporting GHG emissions information via the internet.
- a centrally controlled and often automated network of devices (now frequently wireless using z-wave and zigbee technologies) used to control the internal environment of a building. Such a system namely acts as an interface between end user and energy (gas/electricity) consumption.