Environmental Aspects

The purpose of this procedure is to identify the environmental aspects of UTHSCH’s activities, processes or services in order to determine those which may have a significant impact on the environment. The UTHSC-H Environmental aspects to be considered in this EMS are only those Environmental Aspects EH&S has, or should have, some involvement in, or control over.

EH&S management decisions will be based on knowledge about the environmental aspects and significant environmental impacts associated with UTHSCH’s Activities. The identification of the environmental aspects is an ongoing process that is determined by past, current and potential impacts (positive or negative) of UTHSC-H on the environment. This process includes the identification of the potential environmental regulatory, legal, and business exposures, as well as the identification of health, safety, and environmental impacts. UTHSC-H is committed to identifying any current and potential environmentally harmful aspects of its activities, processes, services or purchases which it can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. This procedure will help to determine the realistic impacts from aspects of UTHSC-H operations, and to prioritize their importance. In addition, this procedure provides for planned and continuous awareness and improvement for the future. Those significant aspects identified through this procedure are to be considered in the setting of environmental objectives (See Section 4.3.3: “Objectives and Targets”).

The relationship between environmental aspects and environmental impacts is one of cause and effect. An environmental aspect refers to an element of UTHSC-H’s activities which can have a beneficial or adverse impact on the environment (such as a discharge, an emission, consumption or, reuse of a material, or noise). An environmental impact refers to the change that takes place in the environment as a result of the aspect (such as pollution or contamination of air, or the depletion of a natural resource).

Aspect Evaluation:

At a minimum, evaluation will occur on an annual basis.

A. UTHSC-H’s EH&S management staff is responsible for reviewing and establishing the list of UTHSC-H activities and impacts to be considered in the aspect evaluation. Additionally, the list of aspects and ranking is presented to the Chemical Safety Committee for review and comments.

B. Environmental Impacts include: air quality, water quality, solid waste, hazardous waste, energy use, water conservation, hazardous materials, spill potential, environmental spill impact, human health and safety, environmental regulatory compliance, aesthetics and public relations, costs, life-cycle analysis, etc. Environmental Aspects are comprised of UTHSC-H’s products, services, and research, and include: medical research, education, and patient care.

C. The “Ranking” of the aspects is performed by ranking the compliance liability and environmental effects independently on a scale from 0-5. These two rankings are added together and multiplied by a program multiplier, which is based on a scale from 1 to 3. The program multiplier is a numerical measurement of the level of programs in place to reduce compliance liabilities and environmental impacts. Environmental aspects with a higher ranking are considered a higher priority for developing programs or controls.

D. Considerations in determining the “ranking” of the environmental aspects includes:

• What is the scale and/or significance of the aspect?
• What is the probability and/or frequency of occurrence?
• What is the duration of the aspect?
• Is there any potential regulatory or legal exposure?
• What would be the difficulty and/or cost of changing the aspect?
• What programs or policies are in effect for the aspect? • What are the concerns of the interested parties?
• What is the effect on the public image of UTHSC-H?