NCCOS developed its EMS using the NOAA EMS Standards. These standards provide procedures that NOAA facilities must follow to establish and maintain their environmental management system. NOAA continually improves these standards so that they are easier to following and more effective at ensuring the NOAA EMS requirements (based on ISO 14001) are met. This improvement process occurs when NOAA organizations, such as NCCOS, use the standards and identify improvements based on their experience. These improvements receive preliminary approval from SECO and are incorporated into organization specific standards. Once final approval has occurred the NOAA standards are updated to reflect improvement recommendations and the organization reverts to following the NOAA wide standards.

The NCCOS Specific Standards are as follows (recommendations herein have received preliminary approval to be incorporated into the NOAA Standards):

EMS.001 Policy and Leadership
EMS.002 Roles and Responsibilities
EMS.003 Personnel Performance Standards
EMS.004 Environmental Impact Identification
EMS.005 Environmental Laws, Regulations and Other Requirements
EMS.006 Environmental Improvement Activities
EMS.007 Environmental Awareness and Training
EMS.008 Environmental Operational Controls
EMS.009 Internal Communications
EMS.010 External Communications
EMS.011 Documentation And Control Of EMS Documents And Records
EMS.012 Environmental Sampling, Monitoring And Performance Measurements
EMS.013 Regulatory Compliance And EMS Audits And Self-Assessments
EMS.014 Corrective Action To Regulatory Compliance Audits And EMS Non-Conformances Corrective And                Preventive Actions
EMS.015 Management Review
EMS.016 Change, New Project Management and Procurements

Page Last Updated August 8, 2007