Description
This is the Web site of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) facility Environmental Management System (EMS). This site provides information and resources related to TFHRC's facility EMS and its stewardship of the environment. What is an EMS?
An EMS is the process used by an organization to manage, review, correct, and improve the organization's impact on the environment. An EMS offers a structured way to incorporate environmental considerations into day-to-day operations; it promotes continual improvement of the environment and human health. Essentially, an EMS brings together the people, policies, plans, review mechanisms, and procedures used to manage environmental issues at a facility or in an organization. Important EMS elements include continual improvement, management commitment, formalization, and awareness of a systems-based approach.
As the foremost highway transportation research facility in the Nation, the TFHRC leads the way in pursuit of knowledge to improve transportation infrastructure, operations, and safety. The EMS assists TFHRC in considering the environmental consequences of its activities and setting goals for reducing or mitigating adverse impacts. Finally, an EMS challenges and empowers individual employees to make environmentally friendly decisions in their day-to-day activities.