Environmental Management and Sustainability in the Workplace
Domain scope
This domain tests environmental management and sustainability: aspects and impacts, ISO 14001, Nigerian environmental law and practical controls.
Core rules and concepts
- ISO 14001:2015 uses an EMS with context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement, plus a lifecycle perspective.
- An environmental aspect is an element of an activity, product or service that interacts with the environment; an impact is the resulting change.
- Identify legal requirements: EIA Act 1992, NESREA Act 2007 and regulations, NOSDRA Act 2006 for oil spills, and sector permits.
- Apply the waste hierarchy: prevent, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose. Control storage, bunding, spills, emissions, noise and wastewater.
- Sustainability includes resource efficiency, climate considerations, ESG reporting and community impacts.
Worked example
A workshop stores waste oil in an unbunded drum near a drain. The aspect is storage and disposal of waste oil; the impact is potential soil and water contamination. Controls: move to a bunded area with a roof, label containers, provide spill kits, use a licensed contractor, keep manifests and train staff. The aspect and impact are recorded in the register and the control is checked monthly.
Traps
Confusing aspect with impact; ignoring indirect aspects such as contractors and transport; treating sustainability as public relations; and missing NOSDRA or NESREA notification duties.