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Assessment Findings, Lessons Leaned and Steps for Improvement
The findings and recommendations of the assessment provide direction for continual improvement of our SDS. The following table presents the results of assessment findings, lessons learned and steps that must be taken to ensure continual improvement.
Table 1: Summary of the SDS Assesment
| Assessment Findings | Lessons Learned | Steps for Improvement | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
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Progress on establishing and implementing an EMS to support the WD SDS has been hampered by lack of dedicated resources. |
WD requires an increased internal capacity to ensure the infrastructure to support sustainable decisions for WD operations, products and services are delivered. |
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SD issues were not identified in the 1997 SDS. |
A procedure for identification of SD issues is an integral first step in the SDS planning phase. This process ensures that all relevant SD issues are addressed under our SDS. |
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Lack of identification of training needs of WD personnel with respect to the SDS and EMS. |
Employees must be made aware of their responsibilities and how those responsibilities contribute toward sustainable development initiatives and improved environmental performance. |
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A number of targets in the 1997 SDS Action Plan were not met, and appear as "On-going" in the SDS (1998-2000) Action Plan Progress Update. A few 1997 "initiatives" have been dropped or downgraded. The "Measures" suggesting numeric performance indicators included in the 1997 SDS Action Plan are not included in the SDS (1998-2000) Action Plan Progress Update. |
As numeric targets were not set, the overall level of accomplishment is difficult to judge. The ’97 SDS may have been overly ambitious (22 targets) given available resources. |
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A process does not exist for monitoring, measuring and reporting on the achievements of sustainable development and environmental performance. |
Based on the fact that "what gets measured, gets done", WD needs to establish an Environmental Performance Measurement Framework. This framework will establish processes for measuring, analyzing and reporting on the achievement of our objectives and targets. |
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Lack of a process for Corrective Action. |
Our strategy is based on the concept of continual improvement. In order to ensure that we correct what goes wrong we must have a system to identify problems and ensure that action is taken to correct them. |
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Lack of a process for senior management review of SDS and EMS direction. |
A process must exist by which senior management is regularly informed of the status of the SDS and EMS performance. |
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