These purchasing choices reduce OSHA reporting and record-keeping requirements and costs. These choices improve worker safety and morale, leading to more productive workers. Purchasing less hazardous materials reduces the need for and the costs associated with the need for special equipment, special training, and specially designed storage areas. These purchasing practices also reduce the cost of disposal. Protecting the environment by going beyond compiance helps keep regulators and inspectors out of the plant.
All documents are now more accessible to employees so compliance has improved.
Regularly scheduled EMS reviews are ensuring both legal and ethical obligations are met in a timely fashion. Implementing ISO 14001 today can provide a basis for implementing the other standards in the ISO 14000 series. This incremental approach can reduce overall costs to implement ISO 14000 because of lessons learned in each phase. The quantity of materials and energy required for manufacturing a product may be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the product, material handling costs, and waste disposal costs. An EMS can help reduce incidents of pollution and the associated expense of recovery.