Responsible Official Environmental Awareness: Your Gateway to Informed Decision-making

By : Admin - April 24, 2023

Compliance is a tall order for companies who neglect responsible official environmental awareness.

Environmental compliance is a lot like going on a trip. People will not arrive at their selected destination if they do not know the specific place they are seeking. Likewise, a responsible official cannot achieve environmental compliance without knowledge of regulatory obligations and how to fulfill them.

Allowing a top leader to certify permits, plans, or compliance reports without proper training on applicable environmental concerns is terrible for business. Without sound knowledge, how can a responsible official meaningfully query those around them to verify data accuracy and completeness? Furthermore, the quality of the leader’s compliance decisions may be lacking due to gaps in understanding.

Knowing the why, what, and how behind solid responsible official environmental awareness is essential to meeting regulatory requirements and reducing risk.

Why Is Environmental Awareness for Top Managers So Important?

The importance of proper environmental training cannot be overlooked if an organization desires a robust, value-added compliance program. Regulatory requirements can be convoluted and complex. As corporate officers or managers overseeing operations, responsible officials hold primary decision-making authority for environmental concerns and must be adequately informed.

Increased responsible official environmental awareness makes for more effective environmental management.

Proper education on applicable mandates defines and clarifies a top leader’s duties in protecting the environment. This individual will understand their part in the overall compliance program and how their decisions will affect stakeholders. Additionally, the responsible official will gain the knowledge needed to initiate corrective actions.

Frequent changes to regulations, technologies, and tools are not uncommon in the environmental field. Instructional sessions help keep officers and managers current and provide insight into potential future challenges. Furthermore, good training cultivates the skills necessary to execute duties seamlessly.

Responsible officials are the default holders of public trust for the facility.

Senior leadership has the authority to affect how a company does business. It controls the company’s assets and other resources and sets organizational strategy and policy. Businesses cannot effectuate sensible approaches or resource utilization to address environmental concerns if those in control do not comprehend their roles and legal obligations.

Moreover, regulatory agencies and external stakeholders rightly view responsible officials as the ones in charge. As such, these entities expect those leading organizations to possess the knowledge and competency to execute proper on-site environmental management. Participation in training demonstrates top leaders’ commitment to their responsibilities.

Image by Sasint at Adobe Stock.

What Topics Should be Covered for Sound Responsible Official Environmental Awareness?

When formulating a training plan for senior leadership, the focus should be placed on the environmental program areas pertaining to the facility and the duties the official must perform. For some topics, overview information will suffice. Other subjects may require more detailed explanations. Nevertheless, no responsible official training should be deemed complete without thoroughly reviewing applicable regulatory requirements and mandated submissions to regulators.

Leaders must have a solid working knowledge of the environmental regulatory requirements impacting the company or site(s).

Reviewing the permits governing the location is an excellent place to commence responsible official environmental awareness training. Top leaders need to know which permits apply to the operation, the enforceable limits on their activities, and the major required tasks to maintain compliance.

Furthermore, these company officials or managers should take the time to read any written environmental compliance plans or programs for the facility. Doing so will inform leaders on how the regulatory requirements will be met. It also supplies them with the information to hold others accountable for their assigned duties.

Responsible official environmental awareness must include briefings of required regulatory submittals.

Usually, persons must attest that submissions contain complete, accurate data when certifying environmental compliance reports and permit applications. Submitting data without proper scrutiny only opens the door to errors and omissions.

Ultimately, the responsible official would be at fault under these circumstances because he or she would have failed to hold others accountable during the preparation of the document. Making a false certification can result in substantial penalties, up to and including imprisonment.

Therefore, a pre-submission briefing should be a routine part of the in-house agency submittal process for environmental documents. Performance month over month, quarter over quarter, and year over year should be reviewed as appropriate. Corporate officers and certifying managers should also ask preparers about any identified issues or outliers in the submission. Finally, any electronic system training or assistance needed to facilitate final delivery to the agency must be provided.

How Should Responsible Officials Receive Training?

As with any educational program, responsible official environmental awareness training should consider the student’s preferred learning style. Moreover, leaders do not necessarily have to learn in a vacuum. They can engage in sessions alongside other workers to gain knowledge of the general environmental concerns for the site.

Companies should determine responsible official environmental awareness needs and then provide access to proper training.

Organizations have several options to facilitate general environmental learning for top leaders. Training in a classroom setting remains very popular as it allows interaction with others and can spark robust discussion. Alternatively, online courses offer greater convenience and time flexibility for busy managers and corporate officers.

Responsible officials should not be ignored when hands-on training opportunities become available. This sort of education is especially significant if leaders will perform compliance-related inspections, monitoring, testing, etc.

Subsequently, senior leadership may need avenues to gain more in-depth regulatory knowledge than is presented during the general environmental educational sessions. In these cases, one-on-one training guided by a subject matter expert like the facility’s environmental site coordinator or a corporate representative can aid in the learning process. Likewise, conferences, agency-sponsored seminars, and webinars may assist in filling regulatory knowledge gaps.

Top leaders should make receiving environmental news and regulatory information a routine part of their duties.

Responsible officials should be encouraged to embark on independent activities to stay current on the environmental concerns affecting their companies and sites. One way to accomplish this is via automatic updates from listservs, industry or environmentally-focused newsletters, and paid subscription regulatory alerts.

On the other hand, individuals in leadership positions may choose to actively search for information to grow their environmental management knowledge and understanding. Regulatory agency websites house a wealth of information about requirements, programs, and resources to assist with compliance.

Environmental compliance blogs may also be of benefit. Furthermore, environmental consultants can help responsible officials understand their requirements, develop compliance strategies, and implement a program to meet their regulatory obligations.

Final Thoughts

Responsible official environmental awareness supports operations to ensure the business keeps its risk of noncompliance low. Leaders should know the importance of their management duties, undergo training, handle compliance submissions with an exacting eye, and work to keep their knowledge current concerning matters of the environment. Doing so will lead to better-informed compliance decisions for the business’s benefit.

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