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Environment Plus CD-ROM: Helping to Meet Your ISO 14001 Information Requirement

August 1998
Sheila Pantry, OBE

If you need access to a wide range of information on the protection of the environment, the new Environment Plus CD-ROM will assist everyone who is seeking to be up to date. This unique combination of environment information will help a wide range of information seekers, not only in the UK but internationally. It will be of particular use to those organisations aiming for the ISO 14001 objectives.

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' (DETR) Information Services have joined together with Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd to produce, and update on quarterly basis, the Environment Plus CD using SilverPlatter's powerful WinSPIRS software. Environment Plus contains the following information: The full text of:

• appropriate UK Acts of Parliament e.g. Environment Protection Act,
• appropriate UK Statutory Instruments, e.g. Environment Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) (Amendment) Regulations
• appropriate European Union Directives e.g. Waste, Lead in Air
• in the September 1998 edition the full text of the DETR Policy Planning Guidance will be added

Plus the extensive Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Information Services bibliographic database which contains approximately 105,000 references to a wide range of publications e.g.:

• over 3000 guidance and advice publications - both free and priced
• press releases
• appropriate legislation e.g. Building Regulations
• appropriate Interpretations of legislation
• over 170 references to Green Papers and 300 references to White Papers
• appropriate Command Papers
• codes of practice
• over 350 references to DOE circulars
• reports and monographs e.g. Building Regulations and fire safety
• statistics
• Annual Reports
• journal articles from a worldwide range of journals e.g. over 1300 articles from the Surveyor, over 1000 articles from the Municipal Journal

The information seeker can search for information by title of the document, author(s), journal titles, by year of publication, or by subject using words or phrases. For example anyone searching for information on 'Landfills' will find over 500 articles or documents. If the information required is that which has been published within the last two years then it is possible to search on the dates required.

Environment Plus is based on SilverPlatter's WinSPIRS2 software which will give the user quick and easy access to a wealth of important publications. The user will be able to download data and print out required pieces of legislation and references to documents as well as cross search the database with other titles which use the WinSPIRS software such as the OSH-CD, FIRE CD and OSH-ROM.

It is also possible to network CD-ROMs to enable simultaneous access by multiple users in an organisation. Users will be able to use their own personal computers to give authoritative and validated answers to questions on all aspects of environment concern.

Who will want Environment Plus CD?

• legislators
• lawyers/solicitors
• government departments/agencies
• local authorities, including Environmental Health Departments,
• Trading Standards and Building Control/Planning Officers
• trade unions

Corporate bodies consisting of:

• manufacturers
• process industries
• equipment manufacturers
• emergency planners
• architects/builders/facilities management

Also:

• consultants
• editors/journalists
• universities
• information centres and public libraries
• International organisations
• consumer groups
• Associations (trade and technical)
• Loss adjusters, insurance companies

The products mentioned in this article are available for a free trial. Why not try these for yourself and check out the contents of these exciting sources of information against your own workplace needs?