When the word “processes” is used at work, the majority will immediately consider this to mean the Finishing Department and the processes used to treat the various components that comprise our Ejection seats and the other products we supply.
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It is, of course, essential that these processes are applied to extremely high quality standards as we cannot afford for anything to compromise the efficient operation of what we make, which is world class, life saving equipment. However, operating these processes has many impacts on the environment and identifying those impacts is the foundation of our entire Environmental Management System.
The technique for identifying impacts is called “process mapping”, which everyone can do and is used on every building and department in the Company, including all offices.
Consider for a moment the inputs for your department, e.g. heating (Oil, Gas or Electric), Lighting, Water, Paper etc, all of which will have outputs, mainly wastes and emissions. |
In offices, most of the waste is in the direct control of the people working in the department and they often have a significant degree of control on their inputs, as heating, lighting and IT equipment all consume energy, and producing energy produces emissions.
Use less energy and produce less emission, all within your control.
Wherever you work, there is packaging waste, plastic waste and process waste to name a few, and again, much of this is in the control of individuals.
Simply “process map” your processes or activities and Recognise the impacts, React by discussing and by making one change at a time and Reduce those impacts.
Whilst process mapping the site, the process of producing compressed air appeared on the inputs side of virtually every department on the Denham site. The equipment used at the time was 2 X 90 kwt compressors running full bore on a continuous basis, irrespective of the demand at any one time. Not only did they produce compressed air, and lots of hot air, but they also generated 95 decibels of noise which annoyed our neighbours and employees alike, considerably.
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We replaced these two monsters with variable speed Gardner Denver units (pictured), which meant that only 1 unit was running during most days, and not always at full capacity. Lunch period for most of the site meant the machine was only working at 40 per cent capacity. The noise levels in the compressor house dropped to the point where you could hold a conversation in the room (happy neighbours) and we also fed the waste heat generated through a heat exchanger to provide heating to adjacent departments. |
Works Manager and Health and Safety adviser, both manage the Environmental Management System (EMS) to the ISO 14001: 2004 standard, part of which is the six monthly process mapping of the entire Denham site.