Documentation and Document Control

1. Documentation and Document Control EPA Regions 9 & 10 and The Federal Network for Sustainability

2. Overview • EMS Documentation • Documents vs. records • Document Control • Document Formats • Examples

3. EMS Documentation • Describes core elements of EMS • Provides directions to related documents • Supports employee awareness • Facilitates evaluation of the system and environmental performance

4. Documents vs. Records Documents • Offer guidance or explain actions to be carried out • Can be changed Records • Provide verification of things that have happened • Cannot be changed

5. Documents vs. Records • Documents are materials that provide management directions: • environmental policy • internal standards and operating procedures • process information • organization charts • emergency plans • Records include • training records • incident reports • product information • complaints and responses • audit results • management review meeting minutes

6. Core Elements of EMS • Policy statement • Aspects and impacts • Objectives and targets • Linkage from objectives to programs • Roles and responsibilities • Schedules • Action items

7. Document Control • Documents can be located by people who need them • Current versions are available where appropriate • Periodically reviewed, revised, and approved • Obsolete versions are promptly removed • Obsolete versions are retained if necessary

8. Document Formats • Legible • Easily identifiable • Current • Each revision dated • Author • Reviewer • Review date

9. Examples of Document Control Systems • Distribution to offices on as needed basis • Central file cabinet • Microsoft Outlook “Public Folders” • Use of software version control properties • Web site with Adobe Acrobat .pdf files • GIS • Proprietary software packages

10. Summary An EMS must have: • documentation for core elements • document control for other documents related to significant impacts and policy