An environmental management system (EMS) is a collection of activities to ensure environmental issues are managed properly. An EMS helps organizations comply with environmental laws, improve performance, and address liability. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) has an EMS that identifies environmental aspects, develops policies and procedures to minimize impacts, and utilizes teams to set goals and review performance for continuous improvement. The EMS framework helps integrate environmental considerations into the university's mission and create awareness among students and staff.

1. Introduction to Environmental
Management Systems (EMS)
Environmental Health & Safety
Environmental Protection Program
2008-2009

2. What’s an EMS (Environmental Management
System)
An EMS is simply a collection of activities undertaken to
ensure that environmental issues are managed....An EMS is
important for:
• Consistently complying with environmental laws
• Improving overall environmental performance
• Addressing environmental liability from current or past
practices
• Maximizing investment in environmental affairs
• Integration of environmental objectives into overall
mission and business objectives
• Providing an environmentally safe workplace

3. EMS Basis & Components
Policy
Planning
Implementation
Quality assurance/control
Management review
Stakeholder involvement
Community Environmental
Activity
(Required for TCEQ or ISO
14001)
Plan
Do
Check
Review for Continuous
Improvement
Policy
An EMS is based on the following
components:

4. Is an EMS Important?
Yes....
• Identifies causes of environmental problems
and is used to eliminate them
• Improves communication and assigns
responsibility
• Saves money and makes good business sense
• Important to satisfy grant or other business
terms

5. Also...to get ahead of the curve....
EPA enforcement actions on colleges and universities
• Example: Settlement with EPA will cost
Fitchburg State College $205,000
UT System Environmental Advisory Committee
• Identified environmental management
systems as a method for managing
environmental affairs and reducing and
controlling environmental risks

6. Does UTHSCH Have an EMS?
Yes....and it’s in the process of being formalized to meet
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
certification standards excluding third party certification
Our current EMS consists of an environmental policy,
ranked list of environmental aspects, and programs for
minimizing our environmental impacts related to our
aspects which are review by our Institutional Chemical
Safety Committee.

7. Policy – Environmental Management Systems
As The University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston (UTHSC-H) community collectively strives
for excellence in education, research, patient care
and community service, we do so with a dedication to
preserving the safety, health, and well-being of our
campus and the surrounding environment. The
UTHSC-H wishes to ensure that our activities do not
negatively impact our surrounding environment, and
is committed to continually assess and improve our
efforts to:
• Educate our community about the
environmental impacts of their activities, and the
methods and means to minimize possible
impacts
• Eliminate or minimize wastes and by-product
materials, and substitute with less hazardous
products where possible
• Ensure compliance with all applicable
environmental requirements
To protect our environment, we enlist the aid of all the members
of the UTHSC-H community to help identify areas necessitating
attention and opportunities for improvement. The UTHSC-H
Environmental Health & Safety Department (EH&S) serves as
the institutional catalyst for our environmental protection
activities, with the Environmental Protection Program (EPP)
providing daily services ranging from training and effluent
release monitoring, to the collection and removal of hazardous
waste materials from research labs, clinics, auxiliary
enterprises, and facility operations.
In addition, EH&S utilizes cross-functional teams through the
Institutional Chemical Safety Committee and the Area Safety
Liaison program to help identify environmental aspects and
goals related to our products and services. Through this active
community effort, the UTHSC-H will be able to achieve
excellence while improving the environmental quality of our
institution and its surroundings.
I encourage everyone to actively participate in this important
institutional effort.
James T. Willerson, MD 11/2/2004
President
The University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston

8. Planning - Environmental Management
Systems
An important component of EMS’s are identification
and prioritization of environmental aspects of an
organization
These environmental aspects are products or services
produced or performed by an organization that
impact our environment
Example:
Environmental aspect: Emergency Power
Environmental category: Air Pollution
Organization “unit”: Facilities Maintenance

9. Once an environmental aspect has been identified EH&S
develops policies and procedures to address environmental
risks and compliance, and minimize environmental impacts
Example: Emergency Power Generation
Goal: Reduce NOx and VOC emissions that lead to the formation
of ground level ozone, and to comply with the Texas Clean Air Act
Policy & Procedures: Includes recording generator run times on a
standard log sheet, and the utilization of less polluting natural gas
emergency generators for new installations. EH&S records the
usage from each generator on a monthly basis and compares to
regulatory limits. EH&S also conducts annual training for
maintenance personnel.
Programs: Quarterly survey of generators and fuel storage tanks,
and annual air emissions survey
Implementation – Environmental
Management Systems

10. Management Review – Environmental
Management Systems
Measurement process with environmental goals in mind
Management should consider the need for any changes
to the EMS and make assignments for any changes
needed.
Assignments should be consistent with the roles and
responsibilities previously established.

11. EMS…In a Nutshell….
Move from identifying an interface with the environment,
to characterizing the nature of the effect and estimating
the degree of impact and developing programs to minimize
environmental impacts and improve compliance with
environmental regulations
Create awareness among faculty, staff, and students to
integrate environmental considerations into the research,
educational, and service mission of the University.
Provides a framework to set environmental goals, improve
performance, and reduce environmental costs and
liabilities

12. Any Questions?
Please Call 713-500-8100