REM cheat sheet

Aspect vs. impact: an aspect is an element of an activity, product, or service that interacts with the environment (e.g., solvent emission); an impact is the resulting change (e.g., photochemical smog).

Significance scoring typically multiplies frequency, severity, and likelihood; scores above a documented threshold require an operational control or objective.

Compliance obligations register must list legal, permit, and voluntary requirements (e.g., ISO 14001, customer contracts) and the method used to evaluate compliance.

Nonconformance vs. corrective action: a nonconformance is a requirement not met; corrective action removes the root cause, while containment addresses the immediate effect.

Waste hierarchy order in most jurisdictions: prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery (including energy), disposal.

Key performance indicators for environmental management include energy per unit output, water withdrawal, waste diverted from landfill (%), and reportable spills.

Environmental monitoring data must be traceable: record sampling method, instrument ID, calibration date, analyst, and chain-of-custody.

Emergency preparedness requires scenario identification (spill, fire, release), response procedures, drills, and post-incident review.

BOD5 measures oxygen consumed by microorganisms over 5 days at 20 °C; COD measures oxygen equivalent of all oxidizable matter and is always ≥ BOD for the same sample.

pH is logarithmic: a drop from pH 6 to pH 4 is a 100-fold increase in hydrogen ion concentration.

Air pollution control devices: cyclones for coarse particulates, electrostatic precipitators for fine particulates, scrubbers for acid gases, and selective catalytic reduction for NOx.

The greenhouse gas global warming potentials (100-year, IPCC AR5) are CH4 = 28, N2O = 265, and CO2 = 1; convert mass to CO2e by multiplying by the GWP.

Primary vs. secondary treatment: primary is physical settling; secondary is biological oxidation (e.g., activated sludge); tertiary removes nutrients or specific contaminants.

Soil vapor extraction and air sparging are used for volatile organic compounds in the vadose and saturated zones, respectively.

Noise is assessed on a logarithmic scale: a 3 dB increase doubles sound energy, and a 10 dB increase is perceived as roughly twice as loud.

Environmental sampling must use appropriate containers and preservation (e.g., HNO3 for metals, H2SO4 for ammonia) and respect holding times.

Permit conditions are enforceable as law; exceeding a permit limit is a violation regardless of intent.

The precautionary principle states that lack of full scientific certainty shall not delay cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.

The polluter pays principle requires the party responsible for pollution to bear the cost of prevention, control, and remediation.

Strict liability offenses do not require proof of intent or negligence; due diligence is a common defense in some jurisdictions.

Recordkeeping and reporting deadlines are often fixed (e.g., annual emissions inventories, discharge monitoring reports); late submission can be a separate violation.

Environmental impact assessment typically requires screening, scoping, impact prediction, mitigation, and public consultation before approval.

Regulatory inspections may include document review, sampling, and interviews; the right to legal representation and privilege varies by jurisdiction.

Voluntary programs (e.g., ISO 14001, EMAS) do not replace legal obligations but may require compliance with additional public commitments.

ISO 14001 uses the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle: Plan (aspects, compliance, objectives), Do (implementation), Check (monitoring, internal audit), Act (management review, improvement).

The environmental policy must include commitments to protection of the environment, fulfillment of compliance obligations, and continual improvement.

Internal audit frequency and scope are determined by the organization; auditors must be objective and impartial (not audit their own work).

Management review inputs include audit results, compliance status, objectives progress, and stakeholder concerns; outputs include decisions on improvement and resources.

Professional ethics require disclosure of conflicts of interest, avoidance of misrepresentation of credentials or data, and protection of confidential information.

Whistleblower protections vary; reporting suspected violations internally first is common practice, but legal obligations to report to authorities may override.

Documented information must be controlled for version, approval, distribution, and retention; obsolete documents must be prevented from unintended use.

Continual improvement can be achieved through corrective action, breakthrough projects, innovation, or reorganization; the standard does not prescribe a specific method.