PBL EnvironmentalManagement System

This package has been developed by the Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd, Environment Group

Staff AwarenessTraining

The aim of this package is to give you some background on the EnvironmentalManagement System and how it will affect you. Work through this document onthe screen, from the start indicator to the end indicator, using the links asappropriate. The links appear underlined and in Blue.

Staff Awareness

The package willtake you around20 minutes tocomplete.

This package has been developed by the ParsonsBrinckerhoff Ltd, Environment Group.

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a systematic approach to managingour environmental impacts. It is a cyclical system, which drives continualimprovement in environmental performance. In the planning stage we identify ourenvironmental impacts, assess which are significant and implement operationalcontrol procedures to manage them. We also set ourselves challenging yet realisticObjectives and Targets.

We monitor and measure our performance, and put in place corrective action asnecessary. Finally, activities are regularly audited on an annual basis and the Boardof Directors carry out a Management Review. The EMS is similar to our QualityManagement System in that it drives improvement in our performance.

It is important to clients that we have an internationally recognised and independentlyverified standard, ISO 9001. To this end, the EMS has been developed in line with theInternational Environmental Standard, ISO 14001. All of our UK offices are certified toISO 14001.

What is an Environmental Management System?

Our commitment to environmental improvementis set out in our Environmental PolicyCan you think of four things an EMS will do forPB? Click here for the Answer

Policy

Planning

Implementation &Operation

Monitoring &Measurement

Checking &Corrective

Action

ManagementReview

Commitment

Why does PBL need an EMS?It is important for PBL to have an effective environmental management system for a number ofreasons.Importantly our clients are becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental performance ofthe companies they are associated with. Many including; National Grid, The Environment Agency, TheHighways Agency, Ministry of Defence and Network Rail are questioning us closely on ourenvironmental performance as part of the tender process. In many cases the tender process will beeasier with an EMS in place and in some cases we will only be able to win work in the future if we havean EMS.

We are a responsible global company and as such want to enhance and retain that image. Aneffective Environmental Management System will help us do that.The Parsons Brinckerhoff Strategic Plan, which will take us to 2010, sets out the company vision:“To be an integrated service provider across the spectrum of global infrastructure, benefitingcommunities through innovative and sustainable solutions for the built environment.”

Sustainable Development is a global buzzword. In our role as a multi-disciplinary consultancy wehave a number of roles to play in enhancing sustainability. The EMS is the first step along the road toformalising our approach to Sustainable Development. Although we will be focusing initially onenvironmental performance you will see later from our Objectives and Targets, that we will also beincreasingly addressing issues of sustainability.

To find out more about the rationale behind the PBL EMS,please refer to the EMS Rationale.

You may wish to read the whole rationale, or simplyfamiliarise

yourself with it now, and read it from the EMSdocumentation at a later date.

It is important that everyone, throughout the company, isinvolved in the EMS.Click here to find out Why?

The first stage in the Environmental Management System is to identify ourimpacts on the environment. This has been completed, and those impacts thatare deemed significant have been identified in the following areas, click on each

area to see what our impacts are:

Internal Activities On-Site Activities Client Solutions

How will we manage those impacts within the EMS? Click here for theAnswers

To measure our progress in implementing the operational control procedures,and improving our environmental performance, we have set ourselves Objectives

and Targets with associated timescales.

Again, you may wish to read the Objectives andTargets, or simply familiarise yourself now and readthem at a later date from the EMS Documentation.

The EMS will only work if everyone gets involved. Under the EMS you have certain responsibilities,depending on your role within PB. Responsibilities are set out within Quick Checks, which aresimple flow diagrams, for the following job functions:

Regional Facilities Managers and Location ManagersBusiness Unit / DirectorsProject DirectorsProject ManagersAll EmployeesNetwork Rail projectsHighways Agency projects

Please “check your Quick Check” to find out your responsibilities and activities, they are located on the BMSsite. When you have finished this package…take a look!If you have a client that has particular Environmental requirements, and you would like a Quick Checkdeveloped for them, then please email ukems@pbworld.com with the details, and a Quick Check can bedeveloped.

In general, all staff should be aware of the environmental impacts of their activities at work and thelocation of environmental documentation on the intranet, especially the Environmental Policy. Youshould always comply with procedures and assist where required in competing objectives andtargets.

Your Responsibilities

Your work can have a positive impact on the environment and may reduce orprevent an incident occurring which could harm the environment.In particular staff should be aware of their responsibilities for the following:Internal Activities On-site Activities

Operational controls are in place to prevent damage to the environment.Failure to follow correct working

practices can have potential consequences on the environment.

Make sure you are aware of the potential consequences of adeparture from operating procedures.

Failure to follow procedures

Click here for examples at a company level of such consequencesand here for specific localised examples.

To ensure that this evolution is as effective as possible it is important that all staffprovide feedback on the management system and associated training.

.

If you have any thoughts, queries or issues associated withthe PB EMS and how we can improve our environmentalperformance, then please email ukems@pbworld.com

Feedback

It is important to note that the EMS is a cyclical process, and we are aiming tocontinually improve our environmental performance.To this end, our performance and our objectives and targets will be reviewed on anannual basis.

This means that the EMS documentation will be continually improving to ensurethat it is keeping pace with our environmentalperformance and our business activities.

• What an Environmental Management System is• Why it is important that PBL has an effective• Environmental Management System• What our environmental impacts are• Where to find out about your responsibilities• Where to go for more information

Register to Confirm CompletionYou have now completed the training! You should now have an understandingof the following:

If you have any members of staff who do not have access to a PC,and where a PC could not be made available for them to complete

this training, then please email ukems@pbworld.com, so thatalternative arrangements can be made.

Thank you

Environmental Policy

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Answer

Our Environmental Management System will do the following for PBL:

Illustrate to clients our commitment to environmental protection.

Facilitate compliance with environmental legislation and therefore preventthe negative impacts associated with non-compliance including; fines,negative publicity and damage to relationships with clients.

Manage our resources efficiently, thereby reducing costs.

Continually improve our environmental performance.

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Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development is often described using the definition from the reportOur Common Future (also known as the Brundtland Report):

“Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the presentwithout compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The UK government defines Sustainable Development as:

“…meeting four objectives at the same time, in the UK and the world as a whole:

social progress, which recognises the needs of everyone;effective protection of the environment;prudent use of natural resources; andmaintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth andemployment.

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EMS Rationale

Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd has recognised that for a company wishing to grow in the 21st

century, it is vital to embrace sustainability. Every individual and business has a role to play toprotect and enhance society and environment. Sustainability is defined within PBL as:

“Improving the quality of life for everyone, both now and in the future.”

PBL has identified that this means working towards the following in conjunction:

effective protection and enhancement of the environment,prudent and efficient use of natural resources,social development and enhancement, considering the needs of all,high levels of economic growth and employment.

As a company providing a whole range of consultancy services, PBL has a significantopportunity to influence enhanced sustainability through the advice that it provides clients,whilst enhancing owner value.

The identification of our sustainability falls within three categories:

our internal activities,advice, designs and solutions we provide to clients,our on-site activities, or the activities of sub-contractors supervised by us.

EMS RationaleTo effectively manage sustainability within our business, PBL has developed an effectiveEnvironmental Management System, in line with the international standard ISO 14001. Themanagement system will focus, initially but not exclusively, on environmental aspects, but willbe extended to incorporate social issues.

As part of the review of this process PBL will produce an annual Sustainability Report tofacilitate a company-wide review of our progress.

Internal ActivitiesWe are managing our internal activities and enhancing eco-efficiency, by monitoring andmeasuring our use of resources and travel, and by keeping all employees informed about ourprogress and best practice for enhancing efficiency. We are also monitoring and developingour involvement in community activities and social responsibility.

Client SolutionsPB is generating designs and providing solutions for the future. It is clear that we have animportant role to play in enhancing sustainability throughout the world.

We are assessing and designing for the buildings and infrastructure of the future and we canenhance the intrinsic sustainability of that design, from the location of the project, through theselection of materials, and the whole life costs, to demolition and reuse.

To this end PBL has a Designer’s Sustainability Toolkit, which is evolving to enable designersin all practice areas to enhance the sustainability of their design.

Site-Based ActivitiesPBL recognise that the on-site activities of both ourselves and sub-contractors working underour management can have positive and negative impacts on the environmental and the localcommunity. Therefore we are incorporating into our Project Management process steps thatensure that these impacts are managed appropriately in conjunction with our clients.

Managing ScopeAs a consultancy we are creating the solutions and undertaking the site based activities thatare deemed necessary to fulfil our client’s brief. The extent to which sustainability can beintegrated will depend upon the needs and concerns of the client. Table One overleafillustrates this point.

The PB SOLUTIONS could span from any one of the inputs mentioned, or indeed all the inputsfrom top to bottom in the case of Programme Management. On the left is the sort of PBRESOURCE INPUTS that would be made to any one of the solutions provided to clients.

On far right hand side is listed the sort of PB SUSTAINABILITY INPUTS that could be made toany number of projects. However, these inputs are not direct, the extent to which they areutilised will depend upon the CLIENT DRIVERS. Therefore we will only have limited control andcan only advise the client as to best practice.

We can improve our sustainability performance by working within the brief from clients, andconsidering the sustainability aspects within the solution and any on-site activities. We canalso enhance sustainability by offering clients the skills and knowledge from the right handside of the table to enhance the value of the solution. However, it is the first option that will bemanaged more proactively within the EMS, as it is the area over which we have the most directcontrol.

Table OnePB RESOURCE

INPUTS PB SOLUTIONS CLIENT DRIVERS PB SUSTAINABILITYINPUTS

PlanningGoals

Overview Design Strategic EnvironmentalImpact Assessment

Values Environmental ImpactAssessment

Employees Detailed DesignFinances Public Consultations

Travel Construction/ActivityPlanning Sustainable Design

Energy Render Preparation LegislativePressures Biodiversity Action Plan

Environmental Planning

PB RESOURCEINPUTS PB SOLUTIONS CLIENT DRIVERS PB SUSTAINABILITY INPUTS

Water Construction/ActivitySupervision

TimescalesPressures Environmental Training

Environmental Audit

Materials Principles Building Assessment

Inspection & MonitoringStandards

Environmental managementSystem

IT Resources Commissioning Environmental Monitoring

Equipment Performance Review Ethics Waste Management

Culture Eco-Efficiency

Procurement ofsub-contractors Facilities Management Environmental Review

Feedback Terms andConditions Feedback

Relationships

Table One cont’d…..

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AnswerIt is very important that everyone gets involved with the EMS. It covers all PBLUK offices and all activities. It involves activities from saving energy byswitching off lights, saving paper by printing on both sides, developing actionplans to ensuring that any on-site works are managed to minimiseenvironmental risk, and enhancing the inherent sustainability of our designsolutions. These tasks involve the input of all members of staff for theinitiatives to have a truly company wide impact. All staff are involved in theEMS, although some have more responsibilities depending on their role withinthe organisation.

We are audited by external auditors in order to achieve and maintain externalcertification. We are also audited by clients. It is therefore very important thateveryone gets involved. The EMS is only as good as it’s weakest link!

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Internal Activities

Our Internal Activities are those associated with running our office environment,any of the following activities will have an impact upon the environment:

Business Travel / Travel to WorkEnergy ConsumptionWater ConsumptionPurchasing PatternsPaper ConsumptionWasteHazardous MaterialsSub-Contractor ManagementAsbestosRiver Management – Godalming only.

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On-Site Activities

Many members of PBL staff are involved in activities that take place ‘on-site’and involve physical activities.PBL involvement could be through undertaking the activities ourselves, orthough supervising or directingcontractors. These on-site works are likely to impact upon the environment andeven local communities.On-Site works can also pose a significant environmental risk. It is important toPBL and to our clients that we manage these activities effectively. The aspectswe would need to manage include:

WasteNoise and VibrationHazardous ChemicalsContaminated LandContaminated WaterHistoric BuildingsProtected Species

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Client Solutions

Client Solutions represent the designs, systems and procedures we develop forour clients. Through our ClientSolutions we have an important opportunity to enhance sustainability forgenerations to come. However, ourClients have a number of drivers, which will influence the sustainability of thedesign they require. These drivers could include:

CostTimescalesPolicyLegislative requirementsOrganisational CultureStakeholder pressure

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Answer

The EMS has procedures to ensure that we are effectively managing ourenvironmental impact and continually improving our environmentalperformance. It is important that we all make ourselves familiar with theprocedures that apply to us, and ensure we are working within thoseprocedures.

There are three types of procedure. System Procedures manage the systemitself, to ensure we are applying the principles consistently, and ensurecompliance with ISO 14001. Operational Control procedures set out how weundertake our activities to manage our significant environmental impacts. Thisis split into two sections, Internal Activities and On-Site Activities.

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Objectives and Targets – Financial Year 2009

Our Internal ActivitiesEnergy

ObjectiveTargets Timescales

To maximise energyefficiencythroughout PBLoffices.

Reduce CO2 emissions per full timeequivalent employee by 2% per annum.

October2009

To conduct ‘out-of-hour energy audits’ in at least6 offices to identify and report on energywastage.

6 monthly

To inform all employees of energy usage viaIntegrated Management System Bulletins inorder to raise awareness and improve efficiency.

6 monthly

To continue to assess the feasibility of energyefficiency methods which could be utilisedthrough discussions with Facilities ManagementTeam.

6 monthly

Resource Use

ObjectiveTargets Timescales

To facilitate the mostefficient use ofresources whilstenhancing servicesto clients.

To reduce consumption of paper per full timeequivalent employee by 5% per annum.

Ongoing

To continue to enhance the feasibility ofmeasures to improve resource efficiency throughdiscussions with Facilities Management Team.

6 monthly

To utilise recyclableand reusable resourceswherever it is feasible.

To continue to assess the feasibility of the use ofrecycled and / or reusable resources

6 monthly

Objectives and Targets – Financial Year 2009

Our Internal Activities

Waste Management

Objective Targets Timescales

To minimise waste andincrease reuse andrecycling

Reduce waste to landfill per full timeequivalent employee by 3% per annum.

October2009

Review recycling options for all offices inconjunction with the Facilities ManagementTeam.

6 Monthly

Undertake three random audits of wastemanagement contractors

October2009

Objectives and Targets – Financial Year 2009

Our Internal Activities

Objectives and Targets – Financial Year 2009

Environment Teams

Objective Targets TimescalesEstablish ‘Green Teams’ in all UK offices October

2009

Hold at least one joint task meeting with all UKGreen Teams

October 2009

Our Internal Activities

Business Travel

Objective Targets TimescalesUpdate Business TravelPolicy

Research travel patterns to inform policydevelopment

October2009

Establish and apply an action plan for thereduction of carbon emissions associated withbusiness travel and staff commuting

October 2009

Objectives and Targets – Financial Year 2009

Our Internal Activities

Client Solutions

Objective Targets TimescalesTo improve thesustainability of PBLClient Solutions.

Establish appropriate methods for theevaluation of project sustainability andeffective communication to clients

October2009

Objectives and Targets – Financial Year 2009

On-Site Activities

Objective Targets TimescalesFacilitate the effectivemanagement of thepotential environmentalimpacts of on-siteactivities.

Evaluate the effectiveness of theEnvironmental Management Plans andmake recommendations forimprovement

October2009

Evaluate the effectiveness of the approvedsupplier database within the process ofmanaging environmental risk

October2009

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Objectives and Targets – Financial Year 2009

Internal ActivitiesPBL’s internal activities include energy, waste and water management, travel,paper use and purchasing.During 2008 PBL:

Used an estimated 2.43 m3 of water per person, an reduction of 15% on 2007estimates.Used an estimated 2,281,298 kWh of electricity, a slight reduction on 2007estimates of 0.06%.Used the equivalent of 4,574 sheets of A4 sized paper per employee – areduction of 16% on 2007 estimates.Disposed of an estimated 187kg / person / year, of general waste a reductionof 7% per employee form 2007.Emitted nearly 4643 tonnes of CO2 through business travel, an increase of9% on 2007 figures. ×

As part of the EMS, there are several ongoing initiatives to reduce the company’senvironmental impact in these areas. All Employees should actively participateand comply with the related procedures. You should also carry out goodhousekeeping and consider environmental aspects when purchasing products.Users of hazardous materials should ensure materials are used, stored andmanaged appropriately, in line with the manufacturers instructions and equipmentis in place to manage spills.

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On-Site Activities

The responsibilities for all on-site activities will be ultimately with the ProjectManager. However, individual responsibility will lie with the whole project team.To ensure that on-site activities are managed appropriately the followingactions will need to be undertaken:

Development of an Environmental Management Plan, orEnvironmental Checklist.Implementation and management of EMP or Checklist during life ofactivities.Management of sub-contractors to ensure compliance with our policy,objectives and targets, and EMP or Checklist.

More information on the management of on-site activities can be found withinthe Project Manager Training Package. If you are managing on-site activities,then please complete the Project Manager’s Training Package as soon aspossible.

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Consequences of Departure from EMSOperating Procedures

Jeopardising our accreditation to ISO14001Failure to comply with our Environmental Policy and our client’sEnvironmental PolicesFailure to comply with environmental legislation, therebyputting us at risk of financial penalties and negative publicityIncreased overhead costs through not maximising eco-efficiencyNon-compliance with client schemes PB has signed up to andbeen approved for e.g. Railtrack Assurance Case and theVerify scheme, thereby jeopardising our chances of retainingthem.Not demonstrating continual improvement in our environmentalperformance.

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Specific Examples of Consequences ofDeparture From EMS Operating Procedures

Failure to secure containers can lead to a release of materials thatmay be hazardous into the environment.Inadvertently tipping a jar of chemicals down a sink or the wrong draincould lead to damage to the environment, such as pollution of thelocal water environment.Using inappropriate or defective containers to store wastes orhazardous materials increases the risk of that material or wasteescaping.Situating containers close to surface and foul water drains instead ofbunded areas or on hardstanding increases the risk of pollution fromleaks and spills.Incorrect labelling, or the absence of labelling, on containers couldlead to the wrong waste being removed by contractors and the wastebeing sent to the wrong disposal location, such as landfill rather thanincineration. This could potentially result in environmental hazards.

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