Manage the environmental impact of your work*

Overview

This Standard is about managing work activities and resources in your area of responsibility in order to minimise the negative impact – and maximise the positive impact – they may have on the environment.

It involves organising work activities and the use of resources efficiently, understanding their impact on the environment and finding ways to reduce their negative and increase their positive impact. You may need to seek advice from environmental specialists when carrying out this function.

The Standard is recommended particularly for first line managers and middle managers.

Performance Criteria

You must be able to:

  1. organise work activities and the use of resources in your area of responsibility so that they
    1.1 are efficient and effective 
    1.2 comply with legal requirements and environmental policies 
    1.3 minimise the negative and maximise the positive impact on the environment 
  2. identify the environmental impact of work activities and the use of resources in your area of responsibility
  3. report promptly any identified risks to the environment, which you do not have the ability to control
  4. encourage people in your area of responsibility to identify opportunities for, and contribute to, improving environmental performance
  5. identify and implement changes to work activities and the use of resources that will reduce the negative and increase the positive impact on the environment
  6. communicate the environmental benefits resulting from changes to work activities and the use of resources
  7. obtain specialist advice, where necessary, to help you identify and manage the environmental impact of your work activities and use of resources

Knowledge & Understanding

You need to know and understand:

General knowledge and understanding

  1. how to organise work activities and the use of resources in your area of responsibility so that they are efficient and effective
  2. the importance of organising work activities and the use of resources so that they minimise their negative and maximise their positive environmental impact, and how to do so
  3. the importance of identifying the environmental impact of work activities and the use of resources in your area of responsibility, and how to do so
  4. the importance of reporting promptly any identified risks to the environment which you do not have the ability to control, and how to do so
  5. how to encourage people to make contributions
  6. how to identify and implement changes to work activities and the use of resources that will reduce their negative and increase their positive environmental impact
  7. the principles of effective communication and how to apply them 

    Industry/sector specific knowledge and understanding

  8.  industry/sector requirements for managing environmental performance in your area of responsibility

    Context specific knowledge and understanding

  9. legal requirements and environmental policies and how to comply with them
  10. the types of risks to the environment, which you do not have the ability to control
  11. people in your area of responsibility who are able to contribute to, and identify opportunities for, improving environmental performance 
  12. the range of environmental specialists that exists inside and/or outside your organisation 
  13. your role, responsibilities and limits of your authority