Sharing experiences: Business Environmental Forum Member Corus develops Environmental Management System ISO 14001

Corus is a multi-disciplined design consultancy that provides innovative engineering design solutions to the rail industry through its Railway Infrastructure Service business. The company currently employs 325 employees, including civil, structural, electrical and mechanical engineers, as well as project managers, architects and environmental consultants.

Corus has had an ISO14001: 1996 certified Environmental Management System (EMS) in place since August 2003. Development of this system has been an interesting challenge as the companies core business revolves around the provision of design and advice, and not in the manufacture of a specific product.

The development of the system required a review of the company's significant environmental aspects and impacts. From this review two categories of impact were identified:

• Direct Impacts These arise from the company's consumption of resources and the operation of its offices. Impacts include: the use of paper; use of energy for lighting, heating, and equipment; the disposal of waste; and travel related impacts.
• Indirect Impacts Although the provision of design consultancy advice does not in itself result in an impact, the advice given can have a profound impact when implemented (e.g. if a design is built and operated). Indirect impacts include: impacts on ecological and archaeological resources, generation of noise and vibration, disturbance of contaminated land and many more.

With respect to indirect impacts an environmental design management procedure has been implemented that ensures that environmental issues are considered during the design process. This often requires an appraisal to be undertaken of a development site by the company's environmental team. These appraisals identify any key environmental features or constraints present on a site (e.g. protected species, listed structures, archaeological remains, sensitive receptors etc.) - enabling designers to 'design around' the issue.

Implementation of this design procedure has required a considerable amount of training to all staff employed by the company, and has also required a change in the culture of the company.

On the back of the EMS, the company has been able to grow its environmental consultancy service, and is able to offer a broad range of environmental services to its clients, including: Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental Audits; Ecological Surveys; Air Quality Assessments; Noise and Vibration Assessments; Environmental Training Services and Sustainability Appraisals.

If you require further information on the company's EMS or on the environmental services Corus provides, please do not hesitate to contact Mark Pendry or John Halsall on 01904 454842.