Introduction
GB/T24001-2004 is a national standard in China for environmental management systems stipulating the requirements of an environmental management system. This standard applies to any organization that wants to establish and maintain an effective environmental management system (EMS) and those associated with significant environmental impacts. It outlines the principles of proactive environmental protection, applies across all sizes and industry sectors, and is applicable to all subunits and operating sites of an enterprise.
Intuitively, GB/T24001-96 is a standard that emphasizes the need to establish, implement and maintain an efficient environmental management system (EMS) to help an organization prevent negative environmental impacts and to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and laws. This includes developing and implementing processes to identify and manage environmental risks, as well as a framework for implementing the processes and reviewing performance.
The Purpose of GB/T24001-96
The purpose of the GB/T24001-96 standard is to help organizations systematically identify, manage and control environmental risks, promote environmental bottom line, improve environmental management system performance and continually improve environmental management efficiency.
The standard aims to provide a standard structure of environmental management requirements which includes a Framework, Policy, Programme, Plan, Procedure, Process, Procedure and Environmental Policy Requirements, which outlines the procedures and steps needed to be taken in order to design, implement and maintain an effective environmental management system. It also outlines the responsibilities and authorities of different parties for the performance of the environmental management system.
In addition, the standard also provides guidance on the following:
1. Communicating requirements to all stakeholders of the organization from internal and external sources.
2. Setting objectives and goals to drive continual improvement.
3. Defining responsibilities and authorities for management personnel.
4. Identifying, managing and controlling environmental risks.
5. Developing monitoring systems and management measures.
6. Implementing corrective and preventive action.
7. Providing environmental training and education.
8. Establishing environmental audit and review processes.
Conclusion
In summary, GB/T24001-96 is an important national standard in China outlining the requirements of an environmental management system. The purpose of this standard is to provide an organized and structured approach to managing and controlling environmental risks, so as to prevent negative environmental impacts, ensure compliance with environmental regulations and laws, and continually improve environmental management performance. The standard outlines various steps which organizations must take in order to design, implement, and maintain an effective environmental management system.
