Current Programs2011 FTA Institute
Download the 2011 FTA Institute Brochure
Download the 2011 FTA Institute Powerpoint
In support of Presidential Executive Order # 13422, Virginia Tech
is pleased to offer Round 3 of Environmental & Sustainability
Management System transit training using the ISO 14001 standard.
Previous transit agencies have reported:
- significant progress towards sustainability efforts
- dramatic cost reductions in operations
- enhanced level of confidence that operations are in compliance
with federal and state environmental standards.
Baseline Environmental Review
Virginia Tech EMS faculty travels to your facility for one day to observe
environmental practices at your chosen facility. During the site visit, Virginia Tech will meet with your EMS team to prepare them for the upcoming EMS workshops. Virginia Tech provides environmental debrief at the completion of the day and provides a written assessment of our environmental observations within two weeks of our site visit.
Team Conference Call
Mid-way between each workshop, Virginia Tech schedules a one hour
conference call with your team to review progress and to offer coaching on
homework assignments.
Senior Management Conference Call
Virginia Tech involves your senior manager in a one hour EMS Management
Review prior to Workshops 2, 3 and 4 to gauge team’s progress. Involved senior management is critical to the sustainability of EMS implementation.
Homework Review
Prior to the start of Workshops 2, 3 and 4, your team is scheduled for an
individual one-hour session with one of the EMS classroom faculty to review
the completion of the homework assignment. Faculty rotates the EMS teams
they review each workshop.
Workshop 1 | February 7–10, 2011
Your four-member EMS team is taught the EMS development process, compliance management issues, and ISO 14001 EMS requirements. Virginia Tech simplifies the steps of EMS implementation; the work practices of prior successful teams and the role that employees back home play in EMS implementation.
The team defines the facility’s fenceline and analyses the baseline environmental review conducted by Virginia Tech on its earlier visit. The ISO 14001 elements taught and practiced include:
- Environmental Policy
- Environmental Aspects
- Legal and Other Requirements
- Resources, Roles, Responsibility and Authority
- Control of Documents
EMS team is provided multiple opportunities during workshop to begin an “action plan” for implementation of the homework assignment to be completed prior to Workshop 2.
Workshop 2 | May 23–26, 2011
All EMS teams share completed homework assignments from Workshop 1 with other teams. Additionally, each team has access to Virginia Tech EMS web-based library archives to maximize information sharing. During the second workshop, your team receives intensive training on the following ISO 14001 elements:
- Objectives, Targets and Programs
- EMS Documentation
- Operational Control
- Emergency Preparedness and Response
EMS team is provided multiple opportunities during this workshop to begin an “action plan” for implementation of the homework assignment to be completed prior to Workshop 3.
Workshop 3 | August 15-18, 2011
As a result of completing homework from Workshop 2, your team identifies actual and potential activities associated with their significant environmental aspects and develops operational controls, or SOPs. EMS team sets objectives and targets to improve environmental performance; then develops environmental management programs to accomplish each objective and target. During Workshop 3 your team works on the following ISO 14001 elements:
- Competence, Training and Awareness
- Communication
- Monitoring and Measurement
- Management Review
Homework prior to Workshop 4 is to review and update emergency response plans, develop training schedules to identify specific job related competency gaps, prepare a communication strategy, and begin formalizing the management review process.
Workshop 4 | November 1–4, 2011
The team determines appropriate monitoring and measurement strategies to gauge the performance of the EMS, learns skills for conducting required internal audits, begins to develop procedures for handling EMS nonconformances and control of records, and initiates management review procedures. Workshop 4 addresses the following ISO 14001 elements:
- Evaluation of Compliance
- Nonconformity, Corrective and Preventive Action
- Control of Records
- Internal Audit
You will then develop a schedule for achieving full implementation of the EMS, and select tentative dates for the EMS follow-up audit.
One Day Technical Site Visits
Virginia Tech offers a one-day technical site visit to be used at the discretion of your locality. One Virginia Tech lead EMS instructor is available to train employees, review documentation, or the day may be used for an EMS Audit Gap Assessment.
ISO 14001 EMS Audit
After completion of Workshop 4 and full implementation of the EMS, Virginia Tech conducts an on-site ISO 14001 EMS audit at the facility. During this two day audit, each EMS element is evaluated to determine if it is compliant with the ISO 14001 requirements.
