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Assessing
Your Environmental Programs
Terrence J. McManus - Intel
Corporation (SSA Journal Volume 10 Number 1 -
Spring 1996 pp. 18 - 26
)
As
the field of environmental management continues to expand and new
regulations come on line, programs are developed to respond to these
new requirements and to provide mechanisms for continuous
improvement. Many of these programs are established within an overall
corporate framework and then tailored to meet the specific needs of a
factory or site. As additional requirements are added within a
specific environmental program through regulatory changes or people
move to other job assignments, there is always a possibility that the
programs are not complying with current environmental regulations or
meeting, in the most efficient manner, the needs of the corporation.
Therefore, inspection programs, also known as audits, are implemented
to evaluate the viability and effectiveness of environmental
programs. This paper discusses a multi-faceted environmental
assessment system that has been implemented at Intel Corporation. It
includes a corporate inspection program that evaluates the areas of
Compliance, Management Systems, Business Risk, and Environmental
Excellence. It also includes site, or factory-based programs,
consisting of compliance checklists and environmental management by
walking around. Each of these programs will be discussed and the
benefits that are achieved through their implementation will be
presented.