Business and environmental managers are developing and implementing systems that help them comply with rigorous environmental reporting and certification requirements such as the Title V Operating Permit and the Sarbanes-Oxley financial disclosure rules. Such systems are generally called Compliance Management Systems or CMS. CMS are commonly recognized as tools to increase environmental awareness, improve environmental performance, reduce environmental compliance costs, and improve organizational efficiency. It has become apparent during implementation that a significant but under recognized value of such systems is their use as a resource to help personnel at all levels of the organization better understand their jobs. In other words, a CMS is also a very powerful training tool.

All effective CMS have two common attributes: (1) a complete record of applicable regulatory and other requirements (e.g., internal procedures or industry standards); and (2) a concise library of tasks derived from these regulatory and other requirements. Together, they form the basis for a thorough, shop-floor detail training program for the environmental requirements of all job functions.

The basic characteristics of CMS will be reviewed, as will software and hardware products available to industries interested in developing or improving a CMS. Examples of high tech systems incorporating email notification, individual and web-based compliance calendars, automated and hand-held data entry, management of change, and streamlined compliance report preparation will be described. Low tech systems using role and schedule-specific checklists and a checklist administrator will also be described. The broad benefits of an effective CMS will be discussed.