Planning

• Environmental Aspects    
• Legal & Other Requirements   
• Environmental Objectives and Targets

Environmental Aspects Procedure SOM-P-ASP-01

SOM has a documented procedure in order to describe the following.

1. Method of identifying environmental aspects of School of Medicine operations that it can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence.  The procedure provides the process to incorporate new or changed missions, operations, and practices into the EMS.   
2. SOM aspects which are significant have been ranked according to impact/detrimental effect on the environment.   
3. Ranking of significant aspects has been determined based on a rating system that identifies those aspects with the highest risk of the following impacts on the environment:

   • Air pollution
   • Water pollution
   • Land and soil Contamination
   • Waste Management
   • Resource depletion
   • Other local environmental and community issues if any

   Significant aspects used for SOM objectives and targets are prioritized through determination of the significant aspects risk to the SOM mission. Ranking of environmental aspects are supportive of the SOM's environmental policy and environmental requirements.  Significant aspects for objectives and targets will reflect reduction of environmental impacts.
4. Aspects and impacts of the SOM are reviewed as related to applicable regulatory requirements and are kept up to date through audits, management reviews, and departmental evaluations in regard to changes within SOM operations.

Legal & Other Requirements Procedure SOM-P-LEG-02

The SOM has identified environmental requirements to include Federal, state, through the University of South Carolina (USC) EH&S Department. It is the responsibility of USC EH&S Department to ensure that the SOM is in compliance with environmental regulations.  The master list of SOM’s legal and other requirements established and maintained through the USC EH&S Department.   The SOM's EMS through the USC EH&S Department will provide SOM departments, e.g., Labs, with information regarding regulatory compliance requirements.  To ensure compliance with environmental regulations:

Objectives, Targets and Programs —Procedure SOM-P-OBJ-03

SOM has established and maintains documented environmental objectives and targets, at each relevant function and level within the organization.  These objectives and targets are established to provide the most beneficial effect to the SOM through the SOM departments.  The SOM's objectives and targets:

1. Reflect risks to mission determined through ranking of environmental aspects
2. Are consistent with and supportive of the organization's environmental policy statement and environmental requirements, 
3. Are achievable within economic and technological restraints, and
4. Support continual improvement of environmental performance  

The Environmental Management Plan has been established that identifies actions, responsible parties, and timeframes for achieving objectives and targets.  Action plan progress is to be achieved within the means of SOM's commanding officer, which are accomplished through the resources of the SOM.  

Each environmental management plan contains description of objective and targets, time schedule, brief description of program, means to achieve the objectives and targets and the designation of responsible personnel within each relevant level and function of the SOM.

Any new development that has an affect on the Environmental Management Plan will be reviewed in order to make any amendment to objectives and targets.