Safety, health and environment

We all impact the environment in which we live and operate, and the people around us. Often these impacts are negative, specifically in the areas that traditionally fall under the safety, health and environment banner, ie:

occupational health and safety, in your day to day activities at work
health and safety of the public around your day to day activities
environmental health - deterioration in the environment (which in turn impacts people's health)
destruction, use and pollution of natural resources
health and safety aspects in product use and disposal.

To manage these impacts, governments create an ever increasing array of legislation and regulations to protect employees, natural resources and the public. Additionally, NGOs and activist groups monitor and ‘expose’ organisations that do not adhere to these rules and often expect even higher standards.

Compliance to law is a starting point, but maturing performance, enhanced risk management and greater efficiency is a must. Failure to do so will not only result in fines and penalties, but may lead to distrust as various stakeholders – investors, customers, employees – reassess their relationship with an organisation.

Issues you may be facing

There are several key drivers for responding to this imperative:

Government and stakeholders are requiring improved safety, health and environmental compliance and performance from companies through increasingly stringent legislation and public reporting.
Global shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic show that global resilience in these areas is weak. Companies need to think further than just compliance in these areas, but to identify material risks that could impact their business continuity.
NGOs and activist groups monitor and ‘expose’ organisations that do not adhere to these rules and often expect even higher standards.

By responding to this risk and opportunity, your organisation could:

identify significant risks that could impact business continuity and a company’s going concern;
improve efficiency and effectiveness of operation; and
protect your people and the environment.