Purpose and Application 

1. To establish the methodology for identifying the aspects of Missouri S&T activities and to determine those environmental aspects which have or can have significant impacts on the environment.
2. This procedure covers the activities of the University, including instruction and teaching activities, research activities, and administrative and business activities.

Definitions 

• Aspects (cause): Elements of Missouri S&T's activities that interact with the environment.
• Impacts (effect): How these elements interact with the environment.
• Significant Aspects: Those elements that impact or can impact the environment in a significant way, as determined by the University.

Roles and Responsibility

The responsibilities associated with the identification of environmental aspects are listed in the table below. The table below was extracted from the Structure and Responsibility Matrix

Clause	Title	Areas	Responsibility	Authority
4.3.1	Environmental Aspects	Establish & maintain procedures to identify environmental aspects.	Environmental Management System (EMS) Coordinator  / EMS Sub-Committee	Management Representatives
		Review, update and send aspect survey to department chairs annually	EMS Sub-Committee	Management Representatives
		Complete aspects and impacts survey every 3 years for each process, sub-process and significance of each	Missouri S&T Departments	Management Representatives
		Determine aspects and impacts by process and/or sub-process	Missouri S&T Departments / EMS Sub-Committee	Management Representatives

Procedure (for initial aspect/impact evaluation) 

1. Identify the processes associated with the activities of each department on campus that can impact the environment.
2. List the inputs and outputs associated with each process. Consider the potential and actual impacts to the environment from each process and sub-process. Identify the environmental aspects as the source or cause of each impact to the environment.
3. Identify legal requirements using Identification & Access to Legal & Other Requirements. 
4. Identify the potential for emergency situations.
5. Determine significance. Consider environmental aspects associated with legal requirements, and positive environmental aspects as Significant Environmental Aspects. 
6. When determining significance, also consider the ease of changing the environmental impacts, the effect the impact may have on Missouri S&T's public image, and the concerns of interested parties.
7. Record data in the EMS aspect/impact database.
8. The EMS coordinator will send questionnaires to departments to identify any new environmental aspects and impacts. Missouri S&T will conduct a full review of its activities every three years. Updates to Missouri S&T's EMS database may be made throughout the year as information on new activities is received during internal EMS audits.

Procedure (for updating the aspect/impact database) 

1. EMS Coordinator runs a report from the EMS Database for each Missouri S&T Department and submits it to them for review.
2. Departments review the report for accuracy. If new activities exist, Departments follow procedure steps 1-6 above in order to identify the associated environmental aspects.
3. Departments submit the information to the EMS Coordinator. EMS Coordinator presents the information to the EMS Sub-Committee, which determines significance according to procedure steps 7-8 above.
4. Information is recorded in the EMS aspect/impact database.

     Objective Evidence

Record	Location	Retention Time	Disposition
EMS Database	EHS	Until Updated	Update