Environment (E), health (H) and safety (S) (together EHS) is a discipline and specialty that studies and implements practical aspects of environmental protection and safety at work. In simple terms it is what organizations must do to make sure that their activities do not cause harm to anyone. Commonly, quality - quality assurance & quality control - is adjoined to form the company division known as HSQE.
From a safety standpoint, it involves creating organized efforts and procedures for identifying workplace hazards and reducing accidents and exposure to harmful situations and substances. It also includes training of personnel in accident prevention, accident response, emergency preparedness, and use of protective clothing and equipment.
Better health at its heart, should have the development of safe, high quality, and environmentally friendly processes, working practices and systemic activities that prevent or reduce the risk of harm to people in general, operators, or patients.
From an environmental standpoint, it involves creating a systematic approach to complying with environmental regulations, such as managing waste or air emissions all the way to helping site's reduce the company's carbon footprint.
The HSE Management System model comprises eight interrelated components: commitment and leadership and accountability. Policies and objectives. Organization and resources. Contractor and supplier management. Risk management. Business processes. Performance monitoring and improvement.
Regulatory requirements play an important role in EHS discipline and EHS managers must identify and understand relevant EHS regulations, the implications of which must be communicated to executive management so the company can implement suitable measures. Organizations based in the United States are subject to EHS regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations, particularly CFR 29, 40, and 49. Still, EHS management is not limited to legal compliance and companies should be encouraged to do more than is required by law, if appropriate.[1]
- 2Regulatory agencies
Other names[edit]
Notwithstanding the individual importance of these attributes, the various institutions / authors have accented on the acronyms differently. Viz in successful HSE programs also include measures to address ergonomics, air quality, and other aspects of workplace safety that could affect the health and well-being of employees and the overall community. Another researcher transformed it as SHE in 1996, while exploring the 'concept of “human quality ” in terms of living standards that must follow later than the health.....[as per the] paradigm of SHEQ, ....raising up the importance of environment up to the “safety of people as a prime consideration[2]'. It is because 'Safety First' is called in for the commitment to transform the safety culture of [countries].[3] Quality is 'fitness for purpose',[4] and without which each and every endeavour will be futile. . Besides ESH, SHE, HSE, SHEQ, a few more [5] are also in vogue
Acronym | Name | Group |
---|---|---|
OHS | Occupational health and safety | Occupational health and safety |
WHS | Work health and safety | Work health and safety[6] |
HSE | Health, safety and environment | Health, safety and environment |
EHS / EH&S | Environment, health and safety | |
SHE | Safety, health and environment | |
QHSE | Quality, health, safety, and environment | Quality, health, safety, and environment |
HSEQ | Health, safety, environment and quality | |
HSSE | Health, safety, security and environment | Health, safety, security and environment |
QHSSE | Quality, health, safety, security, and environment | Quality, health, safety, security, and environment |
HSSEQ | Health, safety, security, environment, and quality |
Regulatory agencies[edit]
United States[edit]
- Federal / international
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
- Mining Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), etc.
- European Union (EU standards) – Health & Safety At Work Act
- Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)
- State
- Safety & Health Council of North Carolina, Massachusetts Nuclear Regulatory Commission, etc.
- Local
- Municipal fire departments (building code inspections)
- Environmental Management Agency (EMA)
General categories[edit]
EHS guidelines cover categories specific to each industry as wells as those that are general to most industry sectors. Examples of general categories and subcategories are:
1. Environmental | |
1.1 Air emissions and ambient air quality 1.2 Energy conservation 1.3 Wastewater and ambient water quality 1.4 Water conservation 1.5 Hazardous materials management 1.6 Waste management 1.7 Noise 1.8 Contaminated land | |
2. Occupational health and safety | |
2.1 General facility design and operation 2.2 Communication and training 2.3 Physical hazards 2.4 Chemical hazards 2.5 Biological hazards 2.6 Radiological hazards BG 2.7 Personal protective equipment (PPE) 2.8 Special hazard environments 2.9 Monitoring | |
3. Community health and safety | |
3.1 Water quality and availability 3.2 Structural safety of project infrastructure 3.3 Life and fire safety (L&FS) 3.4 Traffic safety 3.5 Transport of hazardous materials 3.6 Disease prevention 3.7 Emergency preparedness and response | |
4. Construction and decommissioning | |
4.1 Environment 4.2 Occupational health and safety 4.3 Community health and safety |
Specific categories[edit]
History[edit]
The chemical industry introduced the first formal EHS management approach in 1985 as a reaction to several catastrophic accidents (like the Seveso disaster of July 1976 and the Bhopal disaster of December 1984). This worldwide voluntary initiative, called 'Responsible Care', started by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (formerly the Canadian Chemical Producers' Association - CCPA), operates in about 50 countries, with central coordination provided by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA). It involves eight fundamental features which ensure plant and product safety, occupational health and environmental protection, but which also try to demonstrate by image-building campaigns that the chemical industry acts in a responsible manner. Being an initiative of the ICCA, it is restricted to the chemical industry.
Since the 1990s, general approaches to EHS management that may fit any type of organisation have appeared in international standards such as:The Valdez Principles,[7] that have been formulated to guide and evaluate corporate conduct towards the environment.
- the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), developed by the European Commission in 1993
- ISO 14001 for environmental management in 1996
- ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety management in 2018, preceded by OHSAS 18001 1999
In 1998 the International Finance Corporation established EHS guidelines.
Example[edit]
As a typical[quantify] example, the activities of a health, safety and environment (HSE) working group might focus on:[8]
- exchange of know-how regarding health, safety and environmental aspects of a material
- promotion of good working practices, such as post-use material collection for recycling
Publications[edit]
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (United States)[9]
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)[10]
- EHS Today[11]
- Safety+Health Magazine – National Safety Council[12]
- Environmental Leader[13]
- EU-OSHA[14]
- ISHN[15]
- NIOSH[16]
- OH&S[17]
See also[edit]
- Robert W. Campbell Award, an Award for Business Excellence through EHS Management.
References[edit]
- ^Kavianian, Hamid R. 'Occupational and Environmental Safety Engineering and Management', Van Norstrand Reinhold Company, New York (1990), ISBN0-442-23822-3
- ^'Editorial in J. Adv. Res. Prod. Ind. Eng. 2016; 3(2)'. 2016-10-14.
- ^'Safety First'. 2016-10-14.
- ^Joseph M Juran, Defeo Joseph Juran's Quality Handbook: The Complete Guide to Performance Excellence, Mcgraw Hill, 2000
- ^'H&S, OHS, HSE, HSSE, HSSEQ, HSSEQ/CSR … Alphabet Soupization'. Redlog Environmental Ltd. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
- ^'Model WHS Laws'. Safe Work Australia. 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
- ^Sanyal, R. N. and J. S. Neves: 1991, 'The Valdez Principles: Implications for Corporate Social Responsibility', Journal of Business Ethics 10, 883- 890.
- ^Compare: TEPPFA. 'Structure of Working Groups & Application Groups'. TEPPFA, The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
Concentrates on: [...] exchange of know-how regarding health- safety- and environmental aspects of plastic pipes and fittings; [...] promotion of good working practices, such as post use material collection for recycling.
- ^'United States Department of Labor'. United States Department of Labor. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
- ^'Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety'. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^'EHS Today'. EHS Today. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
- ^'What you need to Know to Prepare Your Organization for Electrical Compliance'. Safety+Health Magazine. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
- ^'Environmental Leader Is Your Source For Energy, Environmental & Sustainability News'. Environmental Leader. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
- ^'Safety and health at work - EU-OSHA'. osha.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
- ^'ISHN.com - the magazine for safety & health professionals who direct safety & health programs in high-hazard workplaces'. www.ishn.com. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
- ^'CDC - The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)'. www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
- ^'Occupational Health & Safety'. Occupational Health & Safety Online. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Environment,_health_and_safety&oldid=937322191'
Most of us can agree that job safety is a significant concern, no matter where we work. Obviously, we spend a significant amount of our time in the workplace, so we should feel that our employers are making safety and security a top priority. It is in a company’s best interest to ensure their employees’ occupational health and safety because injuries and illnesses on the job can significantly hinder staff productivity and, in turn, reduce profitability.
According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration within the U.S. Department of Labor, workplace injuries and illnesses cost American businesses an avoidable $170 billion per year. One of the best ways for businesses to stem workplace accidents and ensure employee health and productivity is by relying on a safety management system.
What Is a Safety Management System?
A safety management system is a series of policies and procedures organizations use to reduce accidents and illnesses among employees. According to OSHA, “Effective Safety and Health Management Systems (SHMS) have proven to be a decisive factor in reducing the extent and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses. SHMS will result in reduced injury-related costs. These savings, when properly administered, will exceed the cost of a workplace SHMS.”
Research shows that the successful adoption of a safety management system relies a great deal on the level of commitment from both management and employees, as well as an adequate commitment of resources to design and enforce the system. While each safety management system is unique, key components usually include hazard assessment, inspections, incident reporting systems, worker training and performance measuring tools. According to OSHA, “The best Safety and Health Programs involve every level of the organization, instilling a safety culture that reduces accidents for workers and improves the bottom line for managers. When Safety and Health are part of the organization and a way of life, everyone wins.”
Workers commitment to an organization’s occupational health and safety and the adoption of a safety management system can be important issues for any company, no matter its size or what it produces. Presently, these safety processes are predominantly used in what are considered high-risk industries, such as the maritime and train transportation industries and most notably in aviation. It is clear that transportation companies, which move massive numbers of people daily, work under an added imperative to reduce accidents and ensure safety.
Learn More About Safety Management Systems
Constantly evolving federal policies and laws make occupational health and safety increasingly important for every organization. Anyone hoping to work in corporate leadership should familiarize themselves with the development and implementation of safety management systems.
Recognizing the growing importance of workplace safety, some MBA programs, including Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s, offer courses with a focus on safety concerns. The coursework offers an overview of safety programs, as well as workplace legal liability and workers compensation. These courses help prepare you for a leadership role in safety program management. Degree candidates study the curriculum they need to advise companies on safety best practices and to implement safety protocols.
![Management Management](https://www.cnoocltd.com/picture/0/s_be14ef0b2fe5412c8e80128405b8b4fd.png)
Learn more about the SOSU online MBA with an emphasis in Safety.
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