Introduction

I was lounging at the beach one day this past summer, and in the distance I heard the distinct voice of Connie Francis singing a song from a long time ago, ‘Where the Boys Are”, which got me reminiscing about Frankie, Annette and all the rest of the old beach party bingo gang.

Hearing that tune and playing it in my head, got me thinking not about where the boys are as Connie sang, but rather, where the jobs are – specifically, where the EMS jobs are and who has these jobs. A neat little segue to this installment, the third in a trilogy of articles dealing with EMS market opportunities.

Continuing where we left off in the previous article where we delved into EMS auditor credentials (penned, “To Be or Not to Be…) and whether there was value in that arena, our focus now is to look at where the EMS jobs really are, or as one EHS manager of a manufacturing company who I interviewed for a cameo role, said: “Don’t you mean where the jobs were?”

As the manager for a company that went through a considerable downsizing and name change, he is IT for EHS and EMS in his company. Another RAB-accredited auditor who has yet to see any meaningful EMS-related work, declined to be interviewed for this article for personal reasons – can’t say that I blame him. From these two brief conversations, it became apparent that such a topic might warrant additional investigation to determine just where such jobs really are.

From my own experience, and in discussions with many managers and staff from a number of regulated organizations, I am fully aware that the bulk of work that an accredited EMS auditor can expect to find, albeit not without considerable marketing and behind-the-scenes horse trading, are with the accredited EMS course providers and registrars, but not without some trade-off.

For one, most, if not all, of the accredited course providers, rely upon a contractual arrangement with their EMS auditor-accredited trainers, where some my be exclusive contracts. If a prospective course instructor does not mind that arrangement, and can afford his or her own health insurance and office space, go for it. On the other hand, if such prospective trainers work for consulting firms, there may have to be some fancy non-compete agreements between parties. I lived through one such arrangement – mutual trust is not high among some organizations that perceive each other as competitors, and thus, such arrangements can be ultimately doomed to failure.

The other potential work opportunity for EMS accredited auditors can be found with the ISO registrars (the subject of my previous article); although here, too, there may be caveats and conditions, just as with the accredited course providers. From our research, here is what we found among a select few of registrars with which we have come in contact over the past several years. Among them, one registrar made a business decision to use in-house full-time staff for conducting registration and surveillance audits, and has relegated their contractors to an auditor bench, so to speak.

Another registrar has so many auditors on “staff” that it could be years before some of them may be brought to an ISO 14001 audit. One of their auditors mentioned in a conversation that he had yet to see any meaningful work from them, even though he was fully qualified. Other registrars rely almost exclusively upon contract auditors, and one in particular, requires their prospective auditors to carry their own liability insurance, which can run upwards of $1000 or more.

Granted, some auditors who also have their own consulting practice and are in business for themselves, may already carry such insurance, but not all, and if prospective auditors do opt to procure such insurance as a condition of working for this particular registrar, what guarantee can they receive that they will be gainfully employed for a certain time period in return for this costly investment?

In most cases, availability of EMS-related work, just as in real estate, it boils down to location, location, location. Market forces being what they are, some accredited EMS auditors will find more than enough work to keep them busy all year – whether with a registrar and/or with an accredited course provider – while others may need to find additional moonlighting work, or even a real job to help pay the bills and keep their staff and/or themselves busy.

The View from the Field

Of the half dozen or so folks I interviewed for this column, one accredited auditor was brave enough to discuss candidly with me his views on where the EMS jobs are. I respect his willingness to share with our readers his views and feelings. He had this to share with me. In his view, the big push to provide EMS auditor training can be traced back to the industry surge for training ISO 9000 auditors.

Is training auditors that relevant to ISO 14001? In his view, there is greater value in understanding the implementation of an ISO 14001 conforming system. And, to be effective in this capacity, one first needs to be a true practitioner who can capture value for the organization being serviced. Where does he see EMS work? He sees this work in several areas: the big registrar houses will always have work for their auditors (as we pointed out, the trick is finding the work first with a registrar!), especially in several key areas, but from his viewpoint, he feels that too many of them do not go the extra mile for their clients/customers.

He further explained that it’s not enough for an auditor to say that you didn’t perform this (blank) in accordance with the document or procedure x-y-z, and leave out where the system can be improved. (From my own experience in the client’s behalf as their ISO consultant, I have seen a few auditors during a registration or surveillance audit provide a little of that “added value”, but it’s a fine line they walk.)

Where else does he see EMS work, and does he consider EMS auditor credentials key to this work? In the beginning (in the US), many prospective clients asked whether he was certified, now they are more concerned about his knowledge level in EMS implementation matters, and what value he can bring to the table; whereas, elsewhere in the world, that is still a key driver for work opportunities. In his estimate, not too many EMS auditors are working in the US, unless they work for registrars (and/or course providers). The real jobs are in implementing EMS systems – (the key to these jobs is experience and familiarity with ISO 14001 and EMS elements.)

Value for the Dollar

The various individuals I interviewed shared their real world experiences in this arena. The follow-up question that begs to be answered then is: if there really aren’t that many jobs for EMS accredited auditors, what can the forces that hold the EMS auditor keys do to level this playing field? Some of you may recall that expression was first attributed to Joe Casio, who voiced that phrase in numerous articles to make a pitch for why organizations worldwide should pursue ISO 14001.

We have now come full circle. If the EMS-related service industry that acts as a factory to train, accredit and hire and/or contract EMS auditors wants to really provide added value for their respective services, shouldn’t they also have a responsibility see their EMS trainees through? After all, if one goes to the RAB website, there is mention of how much more an accredited EMS auditor can expect to receive in compensation over their non-accredited counterpart, yet that is not necessarily so. Is something being left behind?

What has your experience been in this arena? What experiences have you had, either as a prospective EMS auditor seeking work opportunities, or as a facility person trying to decide which EMS consultant/service provider you should pick to help you put your EMS program together or which auditor you should choose to conduct a registration audit at your facility? Would you be willing to share your thoughts with me in a future article? If so, please contact me directly. As the pitch person for The Enquirer states in a commercial – “Inquiring minds need to know!”