Documentation and

Document Control
EPA Regions 9 & 10
and
The Federal Network for Sustainability
 Overview

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

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 EMS Documentation

• Describes core elements of EMS

• Provides directions to related documents
• Supports employee awareness
• Facilitates evaluation of the system and
environmental performance

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

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

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Core Elements of EMS

• Policy statement
• Aspects and impacts
• Objectives and targets
• Linkage from objectives to programs
• Roles and responsibilities
• Schedules
• Action items
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 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
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 Document Formats
• Legible
• Easily identifiable
• Current
• Each revision dated
• Author
• Reviewer
• Review date
8
 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
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 Summary
An EMS must have:
• documentation for core elements
• document control for other documents
related to significant impacts and policy

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