The Role and Responsibility of the Environmental, Health & Safety Manager

According to estimates by the ILO (International Labour Organization), every year

there are some 2 million deaths worldwide due to work-related causes. Of these, some
354,000 are due to fatal accidents. In addition, there are more than 270 million occupational
accidents and 160 million work-related diseases which affect workers every year. The
financial cost for these work-related hazards is significant. The ILO estimates that more than
$1.25 trillion, which is equivalent to 4 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
is lost each year due to occupational accidents and diseases. (http://www.ilo.org)

Environment, health and safety (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.( https://en.wikipedia.org)

Health, an equally important aspect of EHS, involves making sure that your
workplace has all the necessary amenities to prevent illness and injury. For example,
ergonomics and air quality assurance are a few ways companies can assure a healthy work
environment. All occupations have some sort of potential health hazards that, if aren’t
managed properly, can lead to incidents. A company’s health management approach should
help reduce the chance for incidents and focus on the employees’ health and fitness. Making
sure workers are fit to work not only promotes a healthy workplace, but it can translate to less
sick time and higher productivity.

Safety management is a broad aspect of EHS. In the field, safety is clearly an

important aspect of the workplace, but how do you make an inherently risky occupation
safer? Requiring safety equipment is probably the most well known example worker safety.
Hardhats are needed in construction, gas masks are required when working with volatile
substances, and safety suits are mandated if working on potentially hazardous fields, like an
oil well. However in an office, it can be something as simple as making sure your office door
has a lock. Making sure employees are safe to do their duties is a company’s number one
goal. (https://psg.hitachi-solutions.com)

An Environmental Health and Safety manager looks over the development and
implementation of all the health and safety programs in the company. They are very much
responsible for all employees’ safety at work and the use of proper safeguards. EHS
managers also take the reins when it comes to the company’s compliance with all
environmental standards and regulations.

An Environmental Health and Safety manager also takes into account the assessment
of the company’s overall workflow. These specialists, along with other members of the senior
management team also implements the policies that is needed for the use of personal
protective equipment. They are also the ones responsible for all the details in the procedures
that is potentially dangerous in order for the employees to have better knowledge of how to
lower their risk of injuries and other dangerous threats.

EHS specialists have the responsibility to conduct on-going training regarding safety
for all employees in the company. He or she also has to make sure that new employees
receive their timely orientations and introduction regarding their training in their specific area
in te company. All EHS managers are expected to be professional and well-versed when it
comes to the requirements of the rules and regulations that help protect the worker’s health
and safety. He or she must be able to identify and call out which regulations should apply to a
certain industry or company. Environmental Health and Safety managers conduct routine
safety meetings in order for them to review the new procedures and policies needed for all
employees. These essential safety meetings help give staff members the chance to share their
safety issues, observations and also other suggestions for environmental health and safety
improvements in the future. Environmental Health and Safety managers are also responsible
for reviewing the posted safety information throughout the work field in order to be up to
date and accurate to what is new in rules and regulations.

In the event where an employee becomes injured, the EHS manager is responsible for
conducting the investigation of the entire incident. He or she is the one who reports the
findings to the senior management on what caused the injury and also makes suggestions on
how it could be prevented. However, if the injury was caused due to a unsafe action, the
Environmental Heath and Safety manager is the one responsible to schedule a retraining
session for the employees who were involved in the incident so that proper safety procedures
could be adjusted. (https://ishm.org)

Company owners should have a very good idea of what Environmental Health and
Safety is all about. The reason behind that is understanding this concept leads on to better
EHS management. It involves developing a systematic and organized approach to following
and complying to environmental regulations, managing waste and/or reducing the business’
carbon footprint. To have a strong hold of Environmental Health and Safety, companies
should have measures on how to address air quality, ergonomics and other concepts in the
workplace where the well-being and health of all employees and persons involved in the
company is taken into account.