EMS Context & Obligations Author
Get Started with This SkillOverview
Guided elaboration of EMS context, environmental aspects/impacts, compliance obligations register, and environmental objectives and plans for ISO 14001. Ensures significant aspects are linked to obligations and objectives and flags obligations without review date or compliance evidence.
Getting Started
Add your source materials to the project workspace, then activate the EMS Context & Obligations Author skill. The agent will guide you through the process step by step.
Example Conversation
You: We need to build our compliance obligations register for ISO 14001. We have a list of permits and regulations but no review dates or compliance evidence yet.
Agent: I’ll create an obligations register template with columns for source, applicability, review date, and compliance status. Then I’ll run
check_obligations_coverageon it to flag any obligations without review date or compliance evidence.Agent: I’ve added the template and populated the first five obligations from your list. The tool reported that the register doesn’t yet clearly reference compliance status or evidence — I’ve added a “Compliance status / evidence” column and a note that each obligation should state how compliance is verified (e.g. audit, self-check, certificate).
You: Add a review date column with “Next review” and set annual for all.
Agent: Done. After you fill in the evidence column for each obligation, re-run
check_obligations_coverageto confirm the warnings are resolved.
Sample Output Excerpt
Excerpt from an EMS compliance obligations register.
Compliance obligations register (excerpt)
| Obligation | Source | Applicability | Next review | Compliance status / evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waste management permit | Regional authority permit no. 2024-EM-12 | All sites generating hazardous waste | 2025-03-01 | Annual self-assessment; last audit 2024-06. |
| Emissions (NOx, SO2) | National decree 123/2020 | Site A stack | 2025-06-01 | Continuous monitoring; quarterly report to authority. |
| Water discharge | Local wastewater consent | Site B | 2025-09-01 | Sampling monthly; consent renewed 2024. |
Significant aspects (e.g. emissions, waste, energy) are linked to the above obligations and to environmental objectives in section 6.2.
Built-in Validation Tools
The skill includes an extension tool that checks EMS documentation for obligations and aspects coverage.
What the tool checks
| Check | check_obligations_coverage |
|---|---|
| Obligations section | Detects compliance obligations / legal requirements register (e.g. 6.1.3) |
| Review date | Looks for “review date”, “next review”, or date patterns in the obligations section |
| Compliance evidence | Looks for compliance, status, evidence, conform, audit |
| Aspects and objectives | Checks that significant aspects are linked to objectives (info message if aspects exist but objectives not clearly linked) |
| Findings | WARNING if obligations lack review date or compliance evidence; INFO for linkage |
Example validation output
======================================================================
EMS OBLIGATIONS & ASPECTS COVERAGE REPORT
ISO 14001:2015
======================================================================
Document: docs/ems-manual.md
--- FINDINGS ---
[WARNING] Compliance obligations register should include a review date (or next review) for each obligation. Add review dates where missing.
[INFO] Document includes aspects and objectives; verify linkage between significant aspects, obligations, and objectives.
--- SUMMARY ---
Errors: 0
Warnings: 1
======================================================================
Run the tool on your obligations register or EMS manual after drafting or updating.