What’s Missing in Your EHS Policy?

Many companies are taking a hard look at their environmental health and safety (EHS) policy. They are realizing that their EHS policy doesn’t measure up to industry standards. There are many pieces missing, but let’s talk about the most important ones.
The most obvious is that your company does not have a written EHS plan. If your company does have a policy in place, often it is not communicated well and employees may not even know it exists. Communication of EHS policies should come from top management to ensure safety is a top priority at their company. Without top management support, employees will not see the importance in adhering to it, which can lead to a negative corporate culture. It must also be specific to the company, so all available resources are utilized in EHS incidents. This can include names of people who will carry out specific tasks in regard to completion and responsibility.
Another piece that gets overlooked is the periodic review of the EHS policy. As with all company policies, an EHS plan should be reviewed at least once a year. If this is not done, the policy is at risk of not being in full compliance. EPA and OSHA are constantly reviewing and changing regulations; missing an important update can be costly to your company. It is the responsibility of your EHS professionals to stay on top of these updates and to revise the EHS plan accordingly. Aside from these organizations, your EHS policy must also reflect the relevant concerns of interested parties, staff and employees. For example, does your company have a pandemic/COVID-19 plan in place? Has the EHS plan been updated in the past two years?

The last missing piece is the document management system. Often, a company has the proper documentation, but lacks a system for easy organization and access. Documentation could include a multitude of things from incident reports and JHA’s to SOP’s and system audits. It’s also important to let key staff know the location of the EHS plan, so it can be accessed quickly.

If you have an EHS policy, you are on the right track, but you must not forget that saying and doing are two different things. Be sure your company follows through in achieving what is stated in your EHS policy. An updated EHS plan is one that demonstrates that safety is on the minds of EHS professionals as well as top management. This will lead to a positive safety culture, which can reduce workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. Contact us today to learn more about EHS policies.