Questions regarding compliance issues should be answered as tangibly as possible. By finding examples in guidance materials that illustrate the application of regulations to a particular situation, clients can reduce the ambiguity of regulations as applied to their operations. This approach is particularly helpful when facing difficult issues such as the recycling of materials that potentially constitute hazardous wastes regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This often involves evaluating the technical aspects associated with the facility or operation. Sometimes, relatively simple modifications to procedures or facilities can eliminate the ambiguity in how the law applies and allow the client to be protected.
Documents constitute strong evidence and therefore are legally sensitive.
Organizations that follow bad document management procedures can aggravate their liabilities by making problems look worse than they are and causing misunderstandings. Good management practices are legally more protective and can actually enhance the ability to do business effectively. The basic goal of an environmental management system should be to improve environmental compliance. Most systems encompass elements such as developing corporate policies, training, and monitoring of performance. To be effective, however, these systems need to also consider the specific needs and resources of the organization to which they apply.