Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................1

1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................2
1.1 PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................................2
1.2 RESPONSIBILITY ................................................................................................................................2
1.3 DEFINITIONS .......................................................................................................................................2
2.0 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION..........................................................................................................................3
2.1 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS.............................................................................................................3
2.1.1 Determination of Environmental Aspects.....................................................................................3
2.1.2 Selecting Significant Aspects........................................................................................................4
2.2 OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS ............................................................................................................6
3.0 FLOWCHARTS/TABLES...............................................................................................................................7
3.1 ASPECT AND IMPACT IDENTIFICATION ..........................................................................................7
3.2 SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS MATRIX ......................................................................................................8
3.3 SIGNIFICANT ASPECT ACTIVITIES RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET .......................................9
3.4 OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS WORKSHEET ..................................................................................10
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 PURPOSE
To detail the process for identifying environmental aspects and determining significance as required in
section 4.3.1 of the ISO 14001-2004 standard and to develop environmental objectives and targets.
Reference:
1.2 RESPONSIBILITY
The Environmental Supervisor is responsible for the maintenance of the following systems:
1. Environmental Aspects – Aspect & Impact Identification Table (Section 3.1)
2. Significant Aspects – Significant Aspect Identification Matrix (Section 3.2)
3. Objectives and Targets (Section 3.3)
Changes to these systems can be triggered from various factors such as:
• Management Review Action Items
• EMS Audit Results
• Safety/Environmental Checklist
• Communications
• Annual Aspects Review Meetings
The aspects review will be done xxxx. Objective and target setting will be done xxxx.
1.3 DEFINITIONS
Environmental Aspect – Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can interact with
the environment.
Environmental Impact – Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially
resulting from an organization’s activities, products or services.
Significant Environmental Aspect – An environmental aspect that has or can have a significant
environmental impact.
Environmental Objective – Overall environmental goal, arising from the environmental policy, that an
organization sets itself to achieve, and which is quantified where practicable.
Environmental Target – Detailed performance requirement, quantified where practicable, applicable to
the organization or parts thereof, that arises from the environmental objectives and that needs to be set
and met in order to achieve those objectives.
Normal Operating Conditions – Day-to-day operations
Abnormal Operating Conditions – Start-up, shut-down, or potential emergency situations
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

2.0 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

2.1 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
2.1.1 Determination of Environmental Aspects
A. The first step is to determine what items affect the environment by dividing the facility into
components and reviewing the areas.
B. Use the table in Section 3.1.
C. The table shall be reviewed by a team that represents various areas of the plant and amended at
least annually, although changes can be made at any time. Refer to Section 1.2 for responsibilities.
The current table as well as archives will be stored in a designated location.
D. These factors can be considered:
Potential indicators/evidence of activities that can have an interaction with the environment include:
• Emissions to air (gases, dusts, combustion emissions)
• Discharge to surface or groundwater (wastewater, storm water)
• Discharge to sanitary sewer
• Solid waste generation (packaging, containers, scrap, oil, office waste, facilities waste,
equipment)
• Raw material, energy and water consumption
• Spills or releases
• Transportation related wastes
• Supplier, contractor activities
• Emissions and waste associated with product use and disposal
• Stakeholder perspectives
Potential factor to consider in identifying environmental impacts include:
• Changes to air, water or soil quality
• Changes to wildlife habitat
• Changes to flora and fauna
• Changes to natural resource availability (consumption of raw materials or non-renewable
resources, resource depletion)
• Local impacts
• Regional impacts
• Global impacts
• Short term impacts
• Long term impacts
• Worker health and safety
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

• Nuisance impacts
• Noise impacts
• Odor impacts
• Normal and abnormal operating conditions (accidents, equipment failure, natural incidents)
• Maintenance
• Actual and potential impacts
Legal and regulatory requirements to consider include:
• Local requirements
• Regional requirements
• Federal requirements
• International requirements
• Industry standards, specifications
• Corporate requirements
• Current requirements
• Emerging/future requirements
2.1.2 Selecting Significant Aspects
A. Significant aspects will be selected annually, although changes/updates can be made when
necessary.
B. A team, led by the Environmental Supervisor, will review the facility environmental aspects
identification table and other information prior to review sessions.
C. Using the Significant Aspects Matrix (Section 3.2), the team will decide upon significance.
D. The matrix is a scoring system based on likelihood of occurrence, likelihood of detection, and
severity of consequence with consideration to business factor. The matrix has a total risk score of
100. Place an “X” in the legal or corporate audit item box if the related aspect is a finding from
either a corporate or agency compliance audit. Based on the overall scoring, and using judgment
with any audit findings, the team will decide upon significance.
E. At the annual aspects review, the total risk score will be evaluated for feasibility and can be
changed if necessary. The Environmental Supervisor will maintain this table. The current table as
well as archived tables will be stored in a designated location.
F. The activities related to the top scoring aspect will then be rated for risk using the worksheet in
Section 3.3 and using the same scoring system that was used on the significant aspects matrix.
The top three (at a minimum) scoring activities relating to the top scoring aspect will be deemed the
facility’s significant aspects and will be communicated.
G. These business factors can be considered:
• Operating costs
• Potential regulatory and legal exposure
• Difficulty of changing the impact
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

• Cost of changing the impact

• Effect of change on other activities and processes
• Concerns of interested parties, community, etc.
• Effects on the public image of the organization
H. The likelihood of occurrence scale is as follows (before any controls):
• Very High (5) – Once a day
• High (4) – Once a week
• Moderate (3) – Once a month
• Low (2) – Once a year
• Very Low (1) – Once in 2 or more years
• None (0)
I. The likelihood of detection scale is as follows:
• Certain (0) – Detected immediately
• Very High (1) – Very likely to be detected
• High (2) – Likely to be detected
• Moderate (3)
• Low (4) – Likely to go undetected
• Very Low (5) – Most likely to go undetected
J. The severity of consequence scale is as follows:
• None (1)
• Minor (2) – Insignificant damage
• Low (4) – Minor damage, reversible
• Moderate (6) – Acute or chronic damage, reversible
• High (8) – Chronic damage, irreversible
• Very High (10) – Acute damage, irreversible
K. In addition to the severity of consequence scale described above, the following definitions can be
used:
• Minor (2) – Minor impact to EHS issues
• Low (4) – Minor spill in a containment area; no personal injuries or exposure
• Moderate (6) – Non-compliance with Corporate or other standards that could result in administrative
actions; releases that are close to legal limits (within 5%); major spill that is contained; personnel
injuries where first aid is the highest level of aid applied.
• High (8) – Non-compliance with regulatory/permit requirements that could result in significant
penalties; uncontrolled spill of acids or bases that can be neutralized.
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

• Very High (10) – Loss of human life or multiple serious injuries; potential long-term destruction or
deterioration of ecological systems not readily amendable to remediation; uncontrolled spills that
may enter environmental media such as groundwater; releases that may cause the evacuation of
the community.
2.2 OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS
A. After the significant aspects are identified, the objective and target process begins.
B. When setting the objectives and targets, the Environmental Supervisor and a team reviews the
significant aspects, impacts, facility operations, business goals, legal requirements, etc.
C. The team selects feasible objectives and targets.
D. The goals will be documented using the Objective and Target worksheet (Section 3.4). It will be the
responsibility of the Environmental Supervisor to complete and update the worksheet. The current
objectives and targets will be stored in a designated location.
E. The objectives and targets will be submitted to the staff for review before final issuance.
F. The person or department assigned the objective and target is responsible for designing a program.
G. Progress of these programs are reviewed and monitored via quarterly objectives review and in the
Management Review meetings. If needed, for larger scope projects, the pertinent plant staff
member will monitor the progress through various progress reviews, updates and meetings in
addition to the Management Review.
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

3.0 FLOWCHARTS/TABLES
3.1 ASPECT AND IMPACT IDENTIFICATION
No. Area Activity, Aspect Impact Currently
Product or
Service
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

3.2 SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS MATRIX

No. Aspect Impact Normal Risk Abnormal Risk Legal Corp. Audit
Score Score Item
LO LD SC LO LD SC

Risk Score = (LO + LD) * SC

Likelihood of Occurrence (LO) Likelihood of Detection (LD) Severity of Consequence (SC)

Very High (Once a day)
High (Once a week)
Moderate (Once a month)
Low (Once a year)
Very Low (Once in 2 or more years)
None
5 Certain (Detected immediately) 0 None 1
4 Very High (Very likely to be detected) 1 Minor (Insignificant damage) 2
3 High (Likely to be detected) 2 Low (Minor damage, reversible) 4
2 Moderate 3 Moderate (Acute or chronic damage, 6
reversible)
1 Low (Likely to go undetected) 4 High (Chronic damage, irreversible) 8
0 Very Low (Most likely to go undetected) 5 Very High (Acute damage, irreversible) 10
Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

3.3 SIGNIFICANT ASPECT ACTIVITIES RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET

Aspect Impact

Operation State Risk

No. Activity, Product or Service Currently LO LD SC Score
 Title: ISO 14001 Aspects and Objectives and Targets Date:

3.4 OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS WORKSHEET

Objectives and Targets for Year
Date

Objective:
Estimated Actual
Target Program Owner Date Date Success Criteria Progress

1.

2.

3.