Does an EMS satisfy regulators?

Researchers call on IEMA members to help new project investigating how environmental management systems (EMSs) may play a role in environmental permitting and regulation

Can certified EMSs play an effective role in improving UK regulation and, if not, what needs to change to create better alignment? These are questions new research is seeking to answer, with the help of IEMA members.

Over the course of 2012, a team led by Planet & Prosperity’s Lucy Candlin, FIEMA and CEnv, will be undertaking an evaluation of the outcomes of third-party certification audits performed by UKAS-accredited certification bodies.

“The team will study how certification aligns to the outcomes of compliance checks from a regulator’s perspective,” explains Candlin. “The focus will be on UK companies and accredited bodies undertaking audits in this country, and we are calling on IEMA members to share their experiences.”

The outcomes of the research will inform a position statement from the UK’s environment agencies on how they will treat certified EMSs in relation to permitting and regulation.

It will also inform how UKAS approaches the accreditation of certification bodies as well as generate case studies on companies’ journeys to legal compliance through the implementation of a certified EMS.

The research, funded by Sniffer, and supported by UKAS, IEMA and the UK’s three environment agencies, will involve interviews, document and data reviews, online surveys and discussion.

IEMA members interested in being part of the research can fill out the research questionaire online or contact the research team at [email protected]

In your email, please include details of your location and whether you are an auditor for a certification body, an environment auditor registered with the International Register of Certificated Auditors, an auditee company representative, or an independent stakeholder. Contact details must also be provided.