Starting tomorrow, auditors from Fermilab and DOE will be onsite at Berkeley Lab conducting the first in-person audit of the Lab’s Environmental Management System, or EMS, since before the start of the pandemic. The EMS is a framework of environmental goals based on international standards and mandated by the DOE for every national research laboratory.
As part of our stewardship of the Lab, every employee is expected to continually find ways to lessen potential impacts and protect the environment. The EMS lists many of the challenges and sets our priorities for action.
While onsite, the auditors will visit facilities such as our stormwater and groundwater treatment systems. However, they may stop and ask employees and affiliates questions about their perceived impact on the environment and how they manage those impacts. Please be mindful when you answer and reflect on what we can do individually and collectively to better the environment at the Lab and our surrounding community.
What’s the first step? Identify the ways your activities at the Lab potentially impact the environment. Think of the ways you eliminate or reduce your impact. Lastly, follow all Lab policies and procedures put in place to support the EMS and the Lab’s goals.
If you’re curious about the Lab environmental policy and would like to learn more or read the latest yearly Site Environmental Report, visit the EMS website. There, you can also find links to learn more about DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and the ISO 14001 standard.
