CQI-IRCA CERTIFIED ISO 14001:2015 AUDITOR/LEAD AUDITOR VILT COURSE

CASE STUDY 2

Environmental Aspects Identification and Significance Rating

Time Allowed: As directed by the tutor

In this case study you will have to identify and evaluate the environmental aspects for the company
assigned to your team (breakout room) by the tutor and produce and verify a list of significant aspects,
management objectives and action plan for their control.

Overview

The purpose of this case study is to give you an opportunity to examine the scope of environmental aspects
identification and significance rating. The technique used is fairly basic but still effective enough to allow you
to handle a full environmental aspects identification exercise.
If your team feels that you can add to the effectiveness PLEASE DO – but remember the time constraints!

It is better to have a completed exercise, this is, maybe, a bit mean in content, rather than an incomplete,
perfectly completed form (this is perhaps the opposite of the needs in a live environment!)

Because you don’t know the organization well, you may have to imagine what types of aspects within the
scope of the company.

The timing is tough – get organized and don’t be deviated by unnecessary detail.

Next pages will provide you with detailed instructions, guidance and the forms you need to complete in order
to present your findings and results.

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Detailed Case Study 2 Instructions

Preparation Please read through the company profile assigned to your team. You Need To ensure
10 min that everybody shares a common understanding of the function and structure of the
organization, filling in any points that are not clear with discussion and adding your
own ideas – ensure any additional points that you add to the profile are documented.
For the information regarding the profile of organization assigned to you – use your
imagination to complete the missing parts.

CS1 A Group 1:
20 min Identification of Activities/Products/Services
Working as a team, use the company profile, the information provided in Section 7 of
the Delegate’s Manual and your imagination and own knowledge and experience to
identify the activities/products and services of the company that might be associated
with environmental aspects. You need to fill in this information in column B of Table 1.

CS1 B Group 1:
20 min Identification of Environmental Aspects
Now, for each of the activities/products/services identified you need to specify the
related environmental aspects, considering the lifecycle perspective (fill in the
information in column C of Table 1) and then assign one of the specified types to
each of the aspects you have identified (this is to be filled in column D of Table 1).
Please make sure that you consider both indirect and direct aspects.

CS1 C Group1:
30 min Environmental Aspects Assessment and Significance Rating
Use Annex 1. Assessment Methodology – apply the rating system specific to each
type of aspect to calculate the Significance Rating (complete column E of Table 1)
and then take a decision whether each aspect is significant or minor and record your
decision in column F of Table 1. Record the criteria that you use to determine the
significance in column G.

CS1, A&B&C Feedback – 5 minutes per group

Group 2:
You will act as audit team in order to evaluate the conformance with the requirements
CS1 A, CS1 B, CS of ISO 14001. Please prepare your questions during other group work on their task:
1C
For auditing – 15 For CS1 A and CS1 B:
minutes Prepare a set of questions in order to verify that established aspects are appropriate
to the scope of the organization and take into account planned and new
developments within the organization as well as those external to it over which it can
have a influence.

For CS1 C
Prepare a set of questions in order to verify that those with significant impacts are
determinated.

CS1 D Group 2:
45 min Environmental Objectives and Action Plan
Based on the list of significant environmental aspects that Group 1 have produced in
the previous section of this exercise or the provided aspects as handout of this case
study, now you need to identify the compliance obligations related to them, plan
actions and develop specific objectives for the control these aspects for ensuring the
aspects are under proper control (complete Table 2).

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 You need to ensure that all actions are noted with proposed timescales and
associated resources (complete Table 2).
CS1 C Feedback – 10 minutes per group
Group 1:
CS1 D Please prepare your questions during other group work on their task
For Auditing – 15 Prepare a set of questions in order to verify that environmental objectives are
minutes appropriate to the organization, for significant environmental impacts, compliance
obligations, view of interested parties and business needs.
Prepare a set of questions to evaluate effectiveness of the action plans and if they
reflected to the established objectives.

5 min per team Team leaders to present a summary of their team’s findings to the whole group.

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Company Profile 1

You are the owner of Get Plastered Plc. For the past 10 years you have been specializing in residential and
office buildings construction. In the operations you use your own equipment – trucks, bulldozers,
excavators, etc. Now you employ 70 people and you are currently working on 3 construction sites. On one
of the sites you are building a residential establishment. It is located in a small town - one of the most
renowned tourist attractions in the country and last week during excavation works you have found out that
the foundations are set on the area of an ancient Roman village.
You are planning to expand the scope of your operations and enter the business of public infrastructure
construction. For this you would need to acquire a facility for extraction of aggregate materials and
production of concrete. And hire additional equipment that you are going to need for this type of operation.

Company Profile 2

You are the CEO of Fortknox Bank. You have 300 employees in your headquarters. The office of the bank
is located in the downtown area of the capital city, in one of the oldest buildings – a historical monument.
The bank offers consumer, small business, real estate, corporate and trade finance as well as investment
and financial management and insurance services.
The main clients of the bank come from industries like communications, energy, public utilities and retail.

Company Profile 3

You are the manager of small dairy factory – Happy Cow Organics Ltd. You produce cheese and yoghurt for
the local market mainly. Your factory is located at 1300 m above sea level in a mountain area which is part
of a National Ecological Park. Your factory has the capacity to process 300 tons of cow milk per 24 hours.
You have your own distribution network which covers the whole country. You have also established 20
stations in the southern part of the country which you use to collect milk from farmers and then you have
your own special transportation vehicles to transport the milk to the factory.
You are now developing a business plan to invest in additional equipment and double the production
capacity.

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 Environmental Aspects Identification and Significance Rating
Please, consider the lifecycle perspective!
Table 1.
Activity/Product/Service Aspect Type of Aspect Significance Rating Significance Category
 Resource Use (depending of the  Minor
 Pollution type of aspect)  Significant
 Indirect
A B C D E F
Routine Operations Transportation fuel Natural Resource Pollution 12 M

Resources

Energy Consumption on Natural Resource Indirect 8 M

Site

Raw Materials Natural Resource Natural resources 18 M

Consumption on site

Dust Generation with Air Pollution 12 M

Construction Machinery

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 Activity/Product/Service Aspect Type of Aspect Significance Rating Significance Category
 Resource Use (depending of the  Minor
 Pollution type of aspect)  Significant
 Indirect
A B C D E F
Waste generation Water & electricity Pollution 8 M

Past Activities Soil Erosion Natural resource Resource Use 18 M

Social Disruption

Natural resource Pollution 18 M

Vegetation Removal

Future Activities Energy Consumption Natural resource Indirect 12 M

Waste generation Community Pollution 24 S

Incidents, accidents Heritage and Archaeology Community Indirect 40 S

and emergencies

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Annex 1. Assessment Methodology

Please apply the following assessment methodology for each type of aspect:

Use of Resources

Scarcity of Resource (A) Scale of Use (C)

Criteria Rank Criteria Rank
Extremely Limited 5 Very High 10
Limited 4 High 8
Available 3 Medium 6
Abundant 2 Low 4
Very Low 2
Significance (S) = Scarcity (A) x Scale of Use (C)
S ≥ 20 = significant

Pollution

Likelihood of Occurrence (A) Severity of Environmental Impact (C)

Criteria Rank Criteria Rank
Certain 5 Very High 10
Very Likely 4 High 8
Likely 3 Moderate 6
Unlikely 2 Low 4
Very Likely 1 Minor 2
None 1
Significance (S) = Likelihood (A) x Severity (C)
S ≥ 20 = significant

Indirect Aspects

Potential Environmental Damage (A) Level of Influence (C)

Criteria Rank Criteria Rank
Extremely Harmful 5 Very High 10
Very Harmful 4 High 8
Harmful 3 Moderate 6
Slightly Harmful 2 Low 4
Minor 2
None 1
Significance (S) = Damage (A) x Influence (C)
S ≥ 20 = significant

Each aspect that is categorized as “significant” will be controlled within acceptable limits by appropriate
controls. All other aspects will be monitored and regularly evaluated to confirm they are still within
acceptable limits.

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Table 2. Compliance obligations, Environmental Objectives and Action Plan

Compliance Obligations

Pollution certification for Construction Machinery.

NOC Heritage and Archaeology
Waste water treatment – ETP & STP
Construction waste Management

Environmental Objectives:

 Minimize carbon emissions associated with transport to construction sites wherever

possible
 Implement appropriate waste management practices, seeking to reduce, re-use and recycle
before disposal to landfill.
 Investigate pollution and other environmental liabilities as part of due diligence procedures
when acquiring new assets.
 Minimize the risks of pollution from emissions to air, water and/or land contamination,
particularly during construction.

Action Plan:

Carbon Footprint
 Embed carbon management in all our activities and ensure that the challenge is shared and
promoted at both a strategic and individual level across
 Implement an annual program of carbon reduction projects in order to meet reduction
targets.

Waste Management
 Ensure waste is managed in accordance with current legislation.
Establish a reliable baseline for total waste data
 Reduce waste production by 5% baseline
 Maintain a minimum recycling rate of 60%

Environment Sustainability
 Planation of 1000 in FY year

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Date: Team:

Table 2. Compliance obligations, Environmental Objectives and Action Plan

Compliance Obligations

Environmental Objectives:

Action Plan:

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Date: Team:

Table 2.Compliance obligations, Environmental Objectives and Action Plan

Compliance Obligations

Environmental Objectives:

Action Plan:

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Date: Team:

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