Keeping Employees and Management Focused on an EMS After Implementation

1. Keeping Employees and Management Focused on an EMS After Implementation John B. Cook, P.E. Rick Bickerstaff

2. Regional water & wastewater provider • 400,000 Served

3. 2001 Moody’s A1 to Aa3 Savings: $100,000 per yr. The management system implemented under the EMS has had a significant effect on bond ratings. 2006 • Standard & Poor’s • Fitch Ratings • AA- to AA • Savings: • $170,000 per yr.

4. How do you keep your employees plugged into your EMS?

5. There exists an intrinsic employee connection to the environment.

6. Keeping employees involved in environmental improvements provides a “direct connect” to the EMS program. • Pollution prevention (P2) team • Sub-committees • Departmental EMS committees • Special project teams

7. Departments Sub-committees

8. Establishing a culture of environmental stewardship fosters program commitment. • Communication • Awareness training • Encouragement to contribute • Involvement by top management

9. Keeping “continual improvement” as a central business focus keeps employees engaged. • Objectives & targets that “s t r e t c h” • Benchmarking • Correction action plans • Recognition of continual improvement • Incentive pay • “On the Spot” awards • Crew of the month

10. Frequent monitoring of the EMS keeps employees & management aware of overall progress. • Levels of monitoring • Self-monitoring • Team • Departmental • Executive management • Productivity measurement • Performance management • Regulatory compliance

11. Periodic reviews promote continual improvement by employees. • Standard Operating Procedure reviews • Emergency drill reviews • Post incident reviews • Monthly Operating Reports • Audits • Internal • External

12. Communication provides an important link between the community and employees. • Surveys • Web sites • Bill inserts • Newsletters • Speaker’s bureau • Plant tours • Transparency

13. Using the EMS as a platform for other management systems magnifies the significance of the EMS. • Project management • Strategic planning • Asset management • Risk management

14. Since the inception of our EMS, hundreds of Improvement Programs have been established. • Preventive Maintenance • WWCD: $52,000 per yr. PM:CM Ratio Geographical Information System

15. Emergency Preparedness Emergency plans Periodic drills Homeland Security Vulnerability assessment Improvement programs Improvement Programs (continued) Category 4 Hurricane Hugo made landfall in Charleston on September 21, 1989.

16. Fuel Reduction 29% reduction in one department $48,000 / yr. savings Improvement Programs (continued) 2005 Fuel Reduction Team • Water Plant: $8,500 / yr. • WW Plant: $19,500 / yr. • Route-Smart software • Hauling: $19,000 / yr.

17. New Technologies Klorigen System Process savings: $75,000 / yr. Data Mining as Aid to Decision-Making Improvement Programs (continued)

18. Improvement Programs (continued) 2000 Strategic Plan 95% of goals achieved!

19. In conclusion, implementation of an EMS has improved our organization in many ways. • Improved business management • Preventive vs. reactive • Focus on continual improvement We are now a: • Thinking organization • Planning organization

20. Thank you for your time and attention! For more information, please contact John Cook at cookjb@charlestoncpw.com or Rick Bickerstaff at bickerstaffr@charlestoncpw.com