Dear all,
About a month plus ago, I attended a 2 week course in the above course. Just to share the topics covered included the following:
1. Introduction to Environmental Issues
2. Introduction to Environmental Law
3. Civil Liability
4. Air Pollution
5. Air Pollution Control Techniques
6. Reducing Emissions from Motor Vehicles
7. Pollution Control - summary
8. Integrated Pollution Control
9. Water Legislation & Controls
10. Water Pollution Prevention
11. Principles of Pollution Control
12. Contaminated Land
13. Contaminated Land: Sources & Remedial Measures
14. Waste Legislation & Controls
15. Waste Strategy & Principles of Waste Minimisation
16. Landfill and Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC)
17. Statutory Nuisance & Litter
18. Nuisance Control
19. Environmental Radiation
20. Integrated Management Systems
21. EMS Aspects Register
22. EMS Evaluation of Aspects Register
23. EMS Initial Environmental Review
24. Environmental Risk Assessment
25. EMS Certification
26. EMS Policy
27. EMS Objectives and Targets
28. EMS Commitment & Business Benefits
29. EMS Structure & Responsibility
30. EMS Emergency Planning
31. EMS Contingency Planning
32. EMS Documentation Control
33. EMS Standards & Schemes
34. EMS Audit & Review
35. Market Based Measures
36. Producer Responsibility
37. Transport
38. Environmental Planning & Hazardous Substances
39. Energy
40. Environmental Reporting
41. Holistic Approaches & Life Cycle Assessment
For those who are interested to quickly learn current and leading issues in overall environmental management, I truly recommend the above course. It also represents a good path for those who want to improve their career opportunities with IEMA.
Considering how Brunei will be coming up with 3 new environmental legislation; namely:
1. Environmental Impact Assessment Order
2. Hazardous Waste Control Order
3. Environmental Pollution Control Order
I would strongly suggest relevant organizations, policy makers and stakeholders attend the course.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Holistic view of Environmental Management
The above diagram interestingly shows the connection of how environmental regulation is the 'umbrella' which includes Environmental Impact Assessments, Environmental Reporting and Environmental Management Systems which are connected.
The above figure highlights the 4 broad areas of environmental impacts from Offshore activities, namely:
1. Drilling Waste
2. Produced Water
3. E&P Chemicals
4. Other waste
Figure above represents the key elements in any typical Management System.
Figure 3 represents stakeholders which have an influence on the Environmental Management System. Interesting to note it goes in 'both' direction for the private and government stakeholders.
Figure 5 is a good representation of how to compare a Strategic EIA (has also been termed as a Strategic Environmental Assessment) and Operational EIA.
Above table represents a good comparison between an EIA and SEA. A good tabulation to recognize the shortfalls of applying an EIA alone without an SEA. Shortfalls which have been noted and raised in high level discussions such as the accumulation effect of noise from neighboring industries. An EIA may approve individual projects but the accumulative impacts maybe overlooked.
Figure 6 is an overview of how these 3 issues overlap and can be captured via a more holistic EIA which in some regulatory frameworks is known as an 'Integrated Impact Assessment'.
Figure 7: shows connection of Exploration and Production activities with Ecological Impact and Socio-economic impact that should be captured within the Environmental Impact Assessment.
Figure 8 shows the various organizations (e.g. American Petroleum Institute, Society of Petroleum Engineers,) and their connectivity to other International agreements (as well as Multilateral Environmental Agreements) and stakeholders.
Effectively the above organizations and international agreements etc represent a resource of HSE information for policy makers etc.
To end, for those interested in Environmental Management in particular or Management systems in general, the above figures offers a holistic overview of how issues are connected at a local, national, regional and international level.
I hope the above will assist us all to achieve a better understanding of issues to achieve development which is sustainable for all.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
IEMA - Asscociate Certificate Course in Environmental Management
Hi all,
According to the 'Approval Criteria for Associate Certificate Course in Environmental Management' - revised August 2005, has 3 modules, which are as follows:
1. Environmental Sustainability
2. Environmental Legislation
3. Assessment, Interpretation and Management of Environmental Performance
Taking into consideration the 3 new environmental legislation, i.e.:
1. Environmental Impact Assessment Order
2. Hazardous Waste (Control of Export, Import and Transit) Order
3. Environmental Pollution Control Order
I would strongly recommend government and private sector stakeholders involved in environmental issues seriously considering the above course. Why?
Module1: Environmental Sustainability has the following topics:
1.1 Earth Natural Systems
1.2 Business and environment
1.3 Effects of releases
1.4 Towards sustainability
Module2: Environmental legislation:
2.1 Instruments for change
2.2 Controls on emissions to the atmosphere
2.3 Controls on the management of contained waste
2.4 Controls on discharges to the water environment
2.5 Issues relating to contaminated land
2.6 Nuisance
2.7 Producer responsibility
2.8 Other relevant legislation
Module 3: Assessment, Interpretation and Management of Environmental Performance:
3.1 Identification and assessment of environmental impacts
3.2 Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
3.3 Monitoring
3.4 Environmental audit
3.5 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
3.6 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
3.7 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
3.8 Environmental Risk Assessment
3.9 Pollution Prevention and Control
3.10 Environmental Communication
Besides the direct linkage of certain topics with the upcoming environmental legislation as mentioned above, the certificate course also covers other topics which, in my opinion, allows participants to have a more holistic approach towards environmental management.
In my next blog, I hope I can prepare an example of this the course content can be used to apply to local context in Brunei.
According to the 'Approval Criteria for Associate Certificate Course in Environmental Management' - revised August 2005, has 3 modules, which are as follows:
1. Environmental Sustainability
2. Environmental Legislation
3. Assessment, Interpretation and Management of Environmental Performance
Taking into consideration the 3 new environmental legislation, i.e.:
1. Environmental Impact Assessment Order
2. Hazardous Waste (Control of Export, Import and Transit) Order
3. Environmental Pollution Control Order
I would strongly recommend government and private sector stakeholders involved in environmental issues seriously considering the above course. Why?
Module1: Environmental Sustainability has the following topics:
1.1 Earth Natural Systems
1.2 Business and environment
1.3 Effects of releases
1.4 Towards sustainability
Module2: Environmental legislation:
2.1 Instruments for change
2.2 Controls on emissions to the atmosphere
2.3 Controls on the management of contained waste
2.4 Controls on discharges to the water environment
2.5 Issues relating to contaminated land
2.6 Nuisance
2.7 Producer responsibility
2.8 Other relevant legislation
Module 3: Assessment, Interpretation and Management of Environmental Performance:
3.1 Identification and assessment of environmental impacts
3.2 Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
3.3 Monitoring
3.4 Environmental audit
3.5 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
3.6 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
3.7 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
3.8 Environmental Risk Assessment
3.9 Pollution Prevention and Control
3.10 Environmental Communication
Besides the direct linkage of certain topics with the upcoming environmental legislation as mentioned above, the certificate course also covers other topics which, in my opinion, allows participants to have a more holistic approach towards environmental management.
In my next blog, I hope I can prepare an example of this the course content can be used to apply to local context in Brunei.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Masterplan on HSE policies to improve construction sector's image
I was interested to read the above article in Brunei Times dated 29th June 2011. As a Bruneian fortunate to be awarded the Fulbright Scholarship to study for a Masters in Environmental, Health and Safety Management, not forgetting the Bruneian Government sponsoring my 1st degree - it reminds me of 2 important points in my life.
Firstly, after finishing my 1st degree, coming back to serve my country, I recall a government official from the Ministry of Education, highlighting the fact that for every scholarship student that is sent overseas to study, the same budget used to sponsor a scholarship student could be used to sponsor 4 students at our local university, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. This knowledge gave me a sense of responsibility to return to Brunei at least 4 times as much work, effort and energy towards the development of Brunei.
Secondly, during my interview for the Fulbright Scholarship, I made a promise to the panel that interviewed me, that upon coming back to Brunei, I would share the knowledge that I had learned from my Masters with the rest of Brunei, to the best of my ability.
The above 2 points is part of the main reason why I would like to share with you my comments on the above mentioned article.
Firstly I would like to congratulate Justina Liew Vun Ching, the Head of Public Works Department's Safety Unit, for taking on board an extremely challenging task ahead. Identifying the need for a HSE policy is certainly a step in the right direction.
So as to not re-invent the wheel, I would like to share with everyone a good reference website for HSE related material: International Association of Oil and Gas Producers. I'll provide the link at the end of this blog. One particular publication:
is a guideline that identifies the main elements in the development of a Health, Safety & Environmental Management System.
I'll briefly describe the main contents of the above mentioned guideline with the hope that it will assist everyone and anyone interested to better understand HSE management.
1. Leadership and commitment
It is essential that top leadership themselves practice HSE related behavior and shows commitment towards the HSE policy. Otherwise without leadership and commitment, those who expected to implement HSE behavior (such as the safety foremen, workers on site etc) will question, why should they practice a HSE culture when top management themselves does not practice such behavior. Hence part of the reason why I salute Justina, not only will she have to practice the HSE behavior, but will have the daunting task of getting top management commitment towards HSE behavior.
2. Policy and strategic objectives
According to the OGP guideline, policy and strategic objectives should / be:
a. Consistent with those of any parent company;
b. Relevant to its activities, products and services, and their effects on HSE;
c. Consistent with the company’s other policies;
d. Of equal importance with the company’s other policies and objectives;
e. Implemented and maintained at all organisational levels;
f. Publicly available;
g. Commit the company to meet or exceed all relevant regulatory and legislative requirements;
h. Apply responsible standards of its own where laws and regulations do not exist;
i. Commit the company to reduce the risks and hazards to health, safety and the environment of its activities, products and services to levels which are as low as reasonably practicable;
j. Provide for the setting of HSE objectives that commit the company to
continuous efforts to improve HSE performance.
The above statements are in principle what any organization should consider when developing a HSE policy. We can adopt and adapt the statements to meet existing conditions. Allow me to share with you suggestions on how to adapt the above statements to the situation in Brunei.
a. Consistent with those of any parent company;
Taking into consideration that the Public Works Department is under the Ministry of Development, I would suggest that the policy tie in with Vision and Mission of the Ministry of Development, to ensure alignment and synergy.
b. Relevant to its activities, products and services, and their effects on HSE
HSE spans occupational health, occupational safety and environmental management. Activities, products and services would need to be tied into their respective health, safety and environmental component. In principle, occupational health is about identifying potential hazards that a worker is exposed to. Occupational health would amongst others take into consideration, the type of exposure, duration of the exposure, route of exposure etc. For example in the construction industry workers of an industrial plant maybe exposed to certain hazardous / toxic substances. Information relating to such substances should be contained in reputable Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) which should contain relevant information for Safety Practitioners to take into consideration when addressing Occupational Safety.
Occupational Safety should identify the appropriate safety measures in order to address the hazard. Safety measures include a plethora of options, subject to the hazard. Some include the requirement of a Job Hazard Analysis (also known as Job Safety Analysis), Permit To Work (for cold and hot works) etc.
Environmental aspects should consider the disposal of construction material, waste segregation, life cycle assessment etc.
Above is merely a glimpse of the issues that need to be considered.
c. Consistent with the company’s other policies
The Public Works Department is under the Ministry of Development. Other agencies such as the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (Pollution Control Guideline for Industrial Development), Town and Country Planning Department,Water Services Department (water catchment concerns), Drainage and Sewage Department etc
There are other agencies outside of the Ministry of Development that need to be considered such as but not limited to:
i. Occupational Health Division, Ministry of Health (for Occupational Health guidelines)
ii. Labor Department, Ministry of Home Affairs (for compliance issues with the Workplace Safety and Health Order, 2009).
Subject to the development of the Environmental Impact Assessment Order as announced by the Minister of Development during this year's National Environmental Conference, subject to site specific conditions, certain other agencies should also be considered such as:
i. Museums Department, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (threatened, endangered and protected species; etc)
ii. District Office, Ministry of Home Affairs (if the construction affects livelihood of surrounding community)
iii. Any other potential agency
d. Of equal importance with the company’s other policies and objectives
This is subject to policy - makers input. Certain conditions may effect the priority of certain policies. As a suggestion, with Wawasan Brunei 2035, I would propose that Vision, Mission and policies are aligned with the Wawasan Brunei 2035 to ensure synergy. This would also require alignment with the agencies within the Ministry and outside the Ministry where applicable.
e. Implemented and maintained at all organisational levels;
This requires consistent clarity vertically and horizontally, within and across all levels that are within control. Otherwise, for agencies beyond control, influencing measures can be put in place. Tools such as Facebook, e-mail, intranet and internet facilities can help to maintain controlled, clear and consistent policies across the organization at all levels.
f. Publicly available
Public tools such as Facebook, Twitter, websites, mass media etc can help to ensure all policies are publicly made available. This is important to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are informed, updated and knowledgeable regarding policies from the Public Works Department and relevant agencies.
g. Commit the company to meet or exceed all relevant regulatory and legislative requirements;
Firm statements with principles of 'Continual Improvement' will commit an organization towards a continuous direction of ensuring progress is maintained. This prevents complacency setting in and keeps safety practitioners looking for ways to always improve the system.
h. Apply responsible standards of its own where laws and regulations do not exist
As a developing country, it is understood that laws and regulations maybe not complete or not in existence. Nevertheless neighboring countries have established construction related guidelines and other developed countries also have guidelines. At the onset, generic standards such as 'As Low As Reasonably Practicable - ALARP' can be introduced as a start. But should be revisited to understand the issues and develop appropriate guidelines once reference standards are available.
i. Commit the company to reduce the risks and hazards to health, safety and the environment of its activities, products and services to levels which are as low as reasonably practicable;
Commitment as mentioned above needs to come from all levels - especially top level commitment.
j. Provide for the setting of HSE objectives that commit the company to
continuous efforts to improve HSE performance.
Providing the setting involves amongst others the empowerment of individuals to implement HSE objectives. Empowerment includes assigning appropriate authority, responsibility and hence accountability. Establishing mechanisms to monitor, record and document HSE issues etc.
3. Organisation, resources and documentation
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Organizational structure and responsibilities
ii. Management representatives
iii. Resources
iv. Competence
v. Contractors
vi. Communication
vii. Documentation and its control
4. Evaluation and risk management
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. identification of hazards and effects
ii Evaluation
iii. Recording of hazards and effects
iv. Objectives and performance criteria
v. Risk reduction measures
5. Planning
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Planning to support all of the above issues
ii. Asset integrity
iii. Procedures and work instructions
iv. Management of change
v. Contingency and emergency planning
6. Implementation and monitoring
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Activities and tasks
ii. Monitoring
iii. Records
iv. Non - compliance and corrective action
v. Incident reporting
vi. Incident follow-up
7. Auditing and reviewing
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Auditing
ii. Reviewing
The publication continues to offer definitions to terms that are commonly used in the HSE field.
Another useful reference publication from OGP (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers) is:
This particular publication describes a list of tools that helps to improve the HSE culture along. The progressive nature of HSE culture is described as:
1. Pathological (who cares as long as we're not caught)
2. Reactive (Safety is important - we do a lot every time we have an accident)
3. Calculative (We have systems in place to manage all hazards)
4. Proactive (Safety leadership and values drives continuous improvement)
5. Generative (HSE is how we do business around here)
Hopefully the above mentioned publications from the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers can serve as a reference document for policy-makers and the general public to better understand how to establish and implement a Health, Safety and Environment Management System.
Highlighting a learning point from one of my past blogs regarding Chapter 7 from 'The Sustainability Handbook'. It should be noted that when setting objectives/ goals to support policies, the SMART approach should be considered. (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based).
Finally I end this blog with links to websites which might be of interest for HSE practitioners.
Link to International Association of Oil and Gas Producers
Firstly, after finishing my 1st degree, coming back to serve my country, I recall a government official from the Ministry of Education, highlighting the fact that for every scholarship student that is sent overseas to study, the same budget used to sponsor a scholarship student could be used to sponsor 4 students at our local university, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. This knowledge gave me a sense of responsibility to return to Brunei at least 4 times as much work, effort and energy towards the development of Brunei.
Secondly, during my interview for the Fulbright Scholarship, I made a promise to the panel that interviewed me, that upon coming back to Brunei, I would share the knowledge that I had learned from my Masters with the rest of Brunei, to the best of my ability.
The above 2 points is part of the main reason why I would like to share with you my comments on the above mentioned article.
Firstly I would like to congratulate Justina Liew Vun Ching, the Head of Public Works Department's Safety Unit, for taking on board an extremely challenging task ahead. Identifying the need for a HSE policy is certainly a step in the right direction.
So as to not re-invent the wheel, I would like to share with everyone a good reference website for HSE related material: International Association of Oil and Gas Producers. I'll provide the link at the end of this blog. One particular publication:
Guidelines for the Development and Application of Health, Safety and Environmental Management Systems;
is a guideline that identifies the main elements in the development of a Health, Safety & Environmental Management System.
I'll briefly describe the main contents of the above mentioned guideline with the hope that it will assist everyone and anyone interested to better understand HSE management.
1. Leadership and commitment
It is essential that top leadership themselves practice HSE related behavior and shows commitment towards the HSE policy. Otherwise without leadership and commitment, those who expected to implement HSE behavior (such as the safety foremen, workers on site etc) will question, why should they practice a HSE culture when top management themselves does not practice such behavior. Hence part of the reason why I salute Justina, not only will she have to practice the HSE behavior, but will have the daunting task of getting top management commitment towards HSE behavior.
2. Policy and strategic objectives
According to the OGP guideline, policy and strategic objectives should / be:
a. Consistent with those of any parent company;
b. Relevant to its activities, products and services, and their effects on HSE;
c. Consistent with the company’s other policies;
d. Of equal importance with the company’s other policies and objectives;
e. Implemented and maintained at all organisational levels;
f. Publicly available;
g. Commit the company to meet or exceed all relevant regulatory and legislative requirements;
h. Apply responsible standards of its own where laws and regulations do not exist;
i. Commit the company to reduce the risks and hazards to health, safety and the environment of its activities, products and services to levels which are as low as reasonably practicable;
j. Provide for the setting of HSE objectives that commit the company to
continuous efforts to improve HSE performance.
The above statements are in principle what any organization should consider when developing a HSE policy. We can adopt and adapt the statements to meet existing conditions. Allow me to share with you suggestions on how to adapt the above statements to the situation in Brunei.
a. Consistent with those of any parent company;
Taking into consideration that the Public Works Department is under the Ministry of Development, I would suggest that the policy tie in with Vision and Mission of the Ministry of Development, to ensure alignment and synergy.
b. Relevant to its activities, products and services, and their effects on HSE
HSE spans occupational health, occupational safety and environmental management. Activities, products and services would need to be tied into their respective health, safety and environmental component. In principle, occupational health is about identifying potential hazards that a worker is exposed to. Occupational health would amongst others take into consideration, the type of exposure, duration of the exposure, route of exposure etc. For example in the construction industry workers of an industrial plant maybe exposed to certain hazardous / toxic substances. Information relating to such substances should be contained in reputable Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) which should contain relevant information for Safety Practitioners to take into consideration when addressing Occupational Safety.
Occupational Safety should identify the appropriate safety measures in order to address the hazard. Safety measures include a plethora of options, subject to the hazard. Some include the requirement of a Job Hazard Analysis (also known as Job Safety Analysis), Permit To Work (for cold and hot works) etc.
Environmental aspects should consider the disposal of construction material, waste segregation, life cycle assessment etc.
Above is merely a glimpse of the issues that need to be considered.
c. Consistent with the company’s other policies
The Public Works Department is under the Ministry of Development. Other agencies such as the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (Pollution Control Guideline for Industrial Development), Town and Country Planning Department,Water Services Department (water catchment concerns), Drainage and Sewage Department etc
There are other agencies outside of the Ministry of Development that need to be considered such as but not limited to:
i. Occupational Health Division, Ministry of Health (for Occupational Health guidelines)
ii. Labor Department, Ministry of Home Affairs (for compliance issues with the Workplace Safety and Health Order, 2009).
Subject to the development of the Environmental Impact Assessment Order as announced by the Minister of Development during this year's National Environmental Conference, subject to site specific conditions, certain other agencies should also be considered such as:
i. Museums Department, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (threatened, endangered and protected species; etc)
ii. District Office, Ministry of Home Affairs (if the construction affects livelihood of surrounding community)
iii. Any other potential agency
d. Of equal importance with the company’s other policies and objectives
This is subject to policy - makers input. Certain conditions may effect the priority of certain policies. As a suggestion, with Wawasan Brunei 2035, I would propose that Vision, Mission and policies are aligned with the Wawasan Brunei 2035 to ensure synergy. This would also require alignment with the agencies within the Ministry and outside the Ministry where applicable.
e. Implemented and maintained at all organisational levels;
This requires consistent clarity vertically and horizontally, within and across all levels that are within control. Otherwise, for agencies beyond control, influencing measures can be put in place. Tools such as Facebook, e-mail, intranet and internet facilities can help to maintain controlled, clear and consistent policies across the organization at all levels.
f. Publicly available
Public tools such as Facebook, Twitter, websites, mass media etc can help to ensure all policies are publicly made available. This is important to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are informed, updated and knowledgeable regarding policies from the Public Works Department and relevant agencies.
g. Commit the company to meet or exceed all relevant regulatory and legislative requirements;
Firm statements with principles of 'Continual Improvement' will commit an organization towards a continuous direction of ensuring progress is maintained. This prevents complacency setting in and keeps safety practitioners looking for ways to always improve the system.
h. Apply responsible standards of its own where laws and regulations do not exist
As a developing country, it is understood that laws and regulations maybe not complete or not in existence. Nevertheless neighboring countries have established construction related guidelines and other developed countries also have guidelines. At the onset, generic standards such as 'As Low As Reasonably Practicable - ALARP' can be introduced as a start. But should be revisited to understand the issues and develop appropriate guidelines once reference standards are available.
i. Commit the company to reduce the risks and hazards to health, safety and the environment of its activities, products and services to levels which are as low as reasonably practicable;
Commitment as mentioned above needs to come from all levels - especially top level commitment.
j. Provide for the setting of HSE objectives that commit the company to
continuous efforts to improve HSE performance.
Providing the setting involves amongst others the empowerment of individuals to implement HSE objectives. Empowerment includes assigning appropriate authority, responsibility and hence accountability. Establishing mechanisms to monitor, record and document HSE issues etc.
3. Organisation, resources and documentation
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Organizational structure and responsibilities
ii. Management representatives
iii. Resources
iv. Competence
v. Contractors
vi. Communication
vii. Documentation and its control
4. Evaluation and risk management
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. identification of hazards and effects
ii Evaluation
iii. Recording of hazards and effects
iv. Objectives and performance criteria
v. Risk reduction measures
5. Planning
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Planning to support all of the above issues
ii. Asset integrity
iii. Procedures and work instructions
iv. Management of change
v. Contingency and emergency planning
6. Implementation and monitoring
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Activities and tasks
ii. Monitoring
iii. Records
iv. Non - compliance and corrective action
v. Incident reporting
vi. Incident follow-up
7. Auditing and reviewing
Amongst others the publication describes the need for:
i. Auditing
ii. Reviewing
The publication continues to offer definitions to terms that are commonly used in the HSE field.
Another useful reference publication from OGP (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers) is:
A guide to selecting appropriate tools to improve HSE culture
This particular publication describes a list of tools that helps to improve the HSE culture along. The progressive nature of HSE culture is described as:
1. Pathological (who cares as long as we're not caught)
2. Reactive (Safety is important - we do a lot every time we have an accident)
3. Calculative (We have systems in place to manage all hazards)
4. Proactive (Safety leadership and values drives continuous improvement)
5. Generative (HSE is how we do business around here)
Hopefully the above mentioned publications from the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers can serve as a reference document for policy-makers and the general public to better understand how to establish and implement a Health, Safety and Environment Management System.
Highlighting a learning point from one of my past blogs regarding Chapter 7 from 'The Sustainability Handbook'. It should be noted that when setting objectives/ goals to support policies, the SMART approach should be considered. (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based).
Finally I end this blog with links to websites which might be of interest for HSE practitioners.
Link to International Association of Oil and Gas Producers
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Reference to Speech by YB Minister of Development during recent National Environment Conference
I attended the recent National Environment Conference organized by Asia Inc at Rizqun International Hotel. At the event the Minister of Development highlighted 4 elements that are needed for a successful journey towards a sustainable country. The elements were:
1. Measurements
2. Research
3. Civil Society
4. Government role
I fully agree with the elements described by the Minister and would like to further highlight the same elements are described by Mr. Blackburn in his book 'The Sustainability Handbook'.
In terms of 'Measurements', Mr. Blackburn describes in Chapter 7 - Selecting Goals and Indicators. He describes why goals and other indicators fail to deliver performance. He also describes the benefits and purposes of measurable goals. In the already complex world that we live in he also helps to depict the relationship amongst goals, metrics, objectives, targets and indicators. He also shares with us 3 types of indicators: Metric indicators; Initiative Indicators and Descriptive Indicators.
He also mentions other types of indicators such as 'Condition Versus Performance Indicators', 'Leading Versus Lagging Indicators' and 'Absolute Versus Ratio Metrics'.
All of the above, I strongly believe will enable us to better understand our efforts to establish measurements which are better understood, more focused and hence will contribute towards the establishment of a coordinated policy which can connect the other 3 elements for a Sustainable Country.
The second element mentioned by the Minister was on 'Research'. I believe this can go hand in hand with the Government's role (which is the 4th element) in introducing the 3 environmentally related legislation, i.e.:
1. Environmental Pollution Control Order
2. Environmental Impact Assessment Order
3. Hazardous Waste (Control of Export, Import and Transit) Order
Based on the United Nations University - Environmental Impact Assessment open course module, (google the term and you'll find the link), the Environmental Impact Assessment Order can open the opportunity for research connecting initiatives that can improve coordination from a policy standpoint towards Brunei achieving our Wawasan Brunei 2035 - environmental strategy.
Touching on my previous blogs regarding the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development Indicators (UNCSD) indicators, there is an opportunity for research to show how Impact Assessments can be used as a tool that can be reflected in the indicators and can be substantiated as a measure via the UNCSD indicators / themes. This can enable policy - makers to use information derived from Impact Assessments via the UNCSD themes / indicators, as a 'Sustainability Compass' to guide us towards achieving the environmental strategy under Wawasan Brunei 2035.
What does the environmental strategy state, according to the Brunei Economic Development Board website:
An environmental strategy that ensures the proper conservation of our natural environment and cultural habitat. It will provide health and safety in line with the highest international practices.
That simple statement, based on my current thesis encompasses the cooperation, coordination and collaboration of at least the following agencies/institutions (in no particular order):
1. Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, Ministry of Development
2. Department of Forestry, MIPR (Heart of Borneo initiatives etc)
3. Department of Fisheries, MIPR (Marine Protected Areas etc)
4. Department of Museums, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (Endangered, threatened and protected species etc)
5. Department of Town and Country Planning, Ministry of Development (planning of land development etc)
6. Department of Land, Ministry of Development (as custodian of land related issues)
7. Survey Department, Ministry of Development (as stakeholder for GIS related info. etc)
8. Department of Agriculture and Agri-food, MIPR (land for food security etc)
9. Occupational Health Division, Ministry of Health (best practices for Occupational Health etc)
10. Labor Department, Ministry of Home Affairs (best practices for Occupational Safety etc)
11. Universiti Brunei Darussalam (not only as repository for research information, but to ensure integration into existing Environmental Management courses - hence producing even more marketable graduates, but also as an independent body to coordinate the research)
12. Water Department, PWD, Ministry of Development (water catchment areas etc)
13. Drainage and Sewage Department, PWD, Ministry of Development (efforts to alleviate flooding etc)
14. Government linked companies with vested interest to develop industries in Brunei
Taking into account the respective interests of the above mentioned agencies / sectors, a coordinated research consolidating the various interests of the stakeholders mentioned above, can warrant a justified need to take on board research that can not only help to achieve a sustainable country but most probably help to minimize costs and potentially bring in revenue.
Potential cost cutting measures could be in the form of establishing a national ISO 17025 certified laboratory that can cater towards the needs for establishing an environmental baseline survey (as is always needed in any Environmental Impact Assessment). With the introduction and establishment of identified best practices, agencies can start to coordinate efforts into understanding principles in Occupational Health and Occupational Safety, hence reducing 'hidden costs' of accidents, ailments related to occupational safety and occupational health.
Eco-tourism could be further developed simply based on the initiatives mentioned above, to show case measures developed by the Country to conserve and preserve Brunei towards Sustainable Development. This is in addition to the existing efforts established by the eco-tourism sector.
The introduction of policies based on industry best practices will ensure that in our efforts to attract foreign investment, established reputable companies with a proven track record in health, safety and environmental (HSE) management will be attracted to plant their roots in Brunei, knowing that their own efforts to implement best practices in HSE will be supported by relevant government agencies. This is reflected with the introduction of the 'Workplace Safety and Health Order, 2009', as well as the above mentioned environmental legislation.
I hope by sharing the above mentioned information, it will help to contribute towards a better understanding of how HSE can contribute towards a Sustainable Country.
United Nations University - EIA
United Nations University - SEA
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Policy - Impact Assessment - Indicators - Target
As part of my thesis, I'm proposing to connect 'Policy - Impact Assessments - Indicators - Target'. When ever we introduce new policies there should be methods to measure whether or not we have achieved the objective of the policy. Impact Assessments (be it environmental, health or social impact assessments) can be used as a tool to measure the effectiveness our policies.
Impact Assessments can be connected to indicators. One such type of indicators is the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development Indicators (UNCSD Indicators). These represent indicators which are grouped by themes which cover:
1. Poverty
2. Governance
3. Health
4. Education
5. Demographics
6. Natural Hazards
7. Atmosphere
8. Land
9. Oceans, seas and coasts
10. Freshwater
11. Biodiversity
12. Economic development
13. Global economic partnership
14. Consumption and production patterns
In relation to the Impact Assessments, I would like to focus on themes 5 - 11.
Introducing policies, impact assessments and the themes from 5 - 11 as mentioned above, we can devise a mechanism to relate to Wawasan Brunei 2035 - environmental strategy - which is the proposed 'Target'. Such a target can close the loop from policies to impact assessments to indicators and the target.
My current work is to further define the environmental strategy such that we can devise a mechanism that can effectively measure policies using impact assessments integrating the UNCSD themes (5 - 11).
For individuals who have a common interest, please feel free to contact me and I can share with you my current findings on the subject matter :)
Impact Assessments can be connected to indicators. One such type of indicators is the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development Indicators (UNCSD Indicators). These represent indicators which are grouped by themes which cover:
1. Poverty
2. Governance
3. Health
4. Education
5. Demographics
6. Natural Hazards
7. Atmosphere
8. Land
9. Oceans, seas and coasts
10. Freshwater
11. Biodiversity
12. Economic development
13. Global economic partnership
14. Consumption and production patterns
In relation to the Impact Assessments, I would like to focus on themes 5 - 11.
Introducing policies, impact assessments and the themes from 5 - 11 as mentioned above, we can devise a mechanism to relate to Wawasan Brunei 2035 - environmental strategy - which is the proposed 'Target'. Such a target can close the loop from policies to impact assessments to indicators and the target.
My current work is to further define the environmental strategy such that we can devise a mechanism that can effectively measure policies using impact assessments integrating the UNCSD themes (5 - 11).
For individuals who have a common interest, please feel free to contact me and I can share with you my current findings on the subject matter :)
The Sustainability Handbook
From the last National Environment Conference 2011, there were a lot of common questions raised that I've heard throughout my travels. I would like to share the following link:
http://wblackburnconsulting.com/docs/DTOC.pdf
That link will bring you to a site that describes the content material regarding a book that I studied in one of my modules (Integrating EHS into Business Management). This module was part of my Masters Program (Environmental, Health and Safety Management) in Rochester Institute of Technology.
I hope the content material will help the general public who are looking for answers to better understand Sustainability issues.
http://wblackburnconsulting.com/docs/DTOC.pdf
That link will bring you to a site that describes the content material regarding a book that I studied in one of my modules (Integrating EHS into Business Management). This module was part of my Masters Program (Environmental, Health and Safety Management) in Rochester Institute of Technology.
I hope the content material will help the general public who are looking for answers to better understand Sustainability issues.
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