What is Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS)?
Environment, health, and safety (EHS) is a field that evaluates the practical elements of protecting the environment while ensuring workplace health and safety.
EHS teams are responsible for making sure that the company does not undertake any activities that could severely harm both the environment and employees.
As the name suggests, EHS teams are responsible for three main things: protecting the environment, the health, and the safety of the company’s stakeholders.
Why Workplace EHS Matters
It’s hard to understate the importance of environment, health, and safety teams in the modern workplace.
Regulatory Requirements
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA regulations, require many companies to set up EHS teams to review different activities and estimate their impact on the environment and the stakeholders.
Each of the attributes must be independently evaluated, and the recommendations put forth must be implemented.
Risk Assessments
Companies often set up EHS programs to measure points like air quality, ergonomics in the workplace, and job site safety.
Without EHS regulation, there is a risk that companies may end up causing irreversible damage to the environment.
Or, they may not care as much about the health and safety of their employees. A strong behavioral safety culture is critical in mitigating these risks and ensuring compliance with regulations.
Enhancing Safety Performance
The EHS manager can review general safety performance in the workplace and give suggestions, which could help the company mitigate the risk of safety incidents and ensure CSR and environmental compliance.
What are the General Responsibilities of EHS Teams?
Environment, health, and safety teams have several responsibilities, as discussed below.
- Sustainable Environmental Practices
Teams are responsible for tracking how company activities affect the environment. This may include proposing steps to conserve water usage, checking air quality, or recommending steps to reduce energy consumption.
In organizations where hazardous materials are used, EHS teams develop and implement safe handling and disposal methods. They must also prepare steps for mitigating noise or decontaminating land and other spaces.
- Employee Safety and Risk Management
Similarly, EHS teams are also responsible for managing the environmental health and safety of the employees in the organization.
This means identifying any major workplace hazards, including physical, chemical, or biological, and recommending steps to mitigate or eliminate these risks.
EHS teams also enforce standards for wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Utilizing AI for workplace safety can enhance PPE detection to ensure employee safety.
- Safeguarding Public Health and Safety
EHS teams ensure that the organization doesn’t harm the broader community. Their responsibilities include:
- creating strategies for disease prevention
- managing hazardous material transportation
- enhancing traffic safety protocols
- oversee water quality testing
- implementing fire safety measures
- ensuring effective emergency preparedness plans
For instance, on a construction site, EHS teams are responsible for making decommissioning plans and making sure that all workers know how to protect themselves properly.
- Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory compliance is another important duty of EHS teams. They review regulations depending on the industry and then devise plans to ensure that the company abides by them.
EHS guidelines differ based on industry and the region, but almost every major country has some principles that companies are required to follow.
Empower Your EHS Teams with Protex AI
Protex AI offers a powerful workplace safety solution that seamlessly integrates into your company’s existing CCTV systems. It helps companies monitor safety conditions and compliance. It also allows EHS teams to make better decisions by analyzing workplace safety statistics.
With Protex AI, EHS teams are capable of making data-driven decisions that benefit the company. It allows teams to set up tailored safety protocols based on specific work environments.
This safety technology enhances EHS management by providing real-time insights and information about near misses or safety events, which they can use for more effective decision-making.
