Environment, health, and safety (EHS) is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on the protection of human health and the environment in various settings, including worksites, communities, and public spaces. The main objectives of EHS are to identify and mitigate potential hazards, prevent accidents and promote a safe and healthy living and working environment.
Government EHS departments, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the US, deploy EHS regulations to enforce adherence to standards that promote collective environmental protection, occupational safety, and health and wellness. Similarly, international bodies like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develop standards and provide certifications to entities that adhere to those standards.
In some regions and contexts, EHS is referred to as HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) among many other similar acronyms like EHS, SHE, OHS, WHS, QHSE, HSSE, and more, but these likely refer to the same discipline.
EHS comprises three interrelated disciplines:
This focuses on safeguarding the environment from pollution and degradation. It involves monitoring and controlling factors such as air quality, water quality, soil contamination, and waste management. Environmental management and protection measures aim to reduce the negative impact of human activities, emissions and hazardous materials on ecosystems, wildlife and natural resources.
Workplace safety addresses the protection of workers' health and well-being in the workplace. It involves identifying and mitigating potential hazards that can cause injuries, illnesses, or accidents to employees. Occupational safety measures include providing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), training employees on safety programs, conducting safety inspections, and implementing safety procedures to create a working environment that adheres to safety regulations. In 2021, 5,190 workers in the US suffered fatal work injuries, and EHS measures aim to bring that number down.1
This component focuses on promoting the overall health and well-being of stakeholders and communities. It includes addressing public health concerns, conducting health risk assessments, monitoring disease outbreaks and implementing health promotion programs.
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EHS management system software is designed to help organizations streamline and centralize their EHS programs into a single platform. Making it easier to manage and monitor compliance, track incidents and improve overall safety performance.
Data collection and incident tracking: The software allows users to collect, track, and manage various types of data that is related to the environment, health, and safety. This includes information on incidents, near-misses, inspections, audits, permits, risk assessments, training records and more. It tracks the entire incident lifecycle, from initial reporting to investigation and corrective actions. The software can collect and analyze environmental data, such as air quality, water quality, and noise levels. Data collection helps identify trends and root causes to prevent future issues.
Compliance management: Organizations can facilitate regulatory compliance with relevant regulatory requirements and standards by keeping better track of environment, health and safety compliance requirements, permits, deadlines, and reporting obligations.
Risk assessment and mitigation: EHS management software allows users to conduct risk management, implementing controls and preventive measures to reduce risks and maintain a safer environment.
Safety inspections and audits: EHS software simplifies the process of conducting onsite safety inspections and audits. It helps scheduling inspections, documenting findings, and tracking corrective actions. EHS also plays a crucial role in optimizing for emergency preparedness.
EHS training and certification: The software helps EHS professionals manage employee training records, certifications, and competency requirements. It ensures that employees receive the necessary safety training and stay up to date with the latest employee safety protocols.
Reporting and analytics: EHS management software generates comprehensive reports and analytics to provide insights into EHS performance. These reports help organizations understand trends, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance safety and compliance efforts.
Integration and collaboration: The software can integrate with other systems, such as environmental monitoring devices, incident reporting tools, safety management systems and enterprise resource planning systems. This integration streamlines data exchange and facilitates collaboration among different departments within the organization.
Sustainability tracking: EHS software supports sustainability efforts by helping organizations monitor and manage their environmental footprint, energy usage and waste management practices.
Mobile data collection: Many EHS software solutions offer mobile applications, enabling field workers to capture data, conduct inspections and report incidents in real-time using mobile devices.
Health and wellness programs: EHS software may be used to manage health and wellness initiatives for employees, such as health assessments, wellness campaigns and stress management programs. These are just a few examples of the diverse use cases for EHS software. The software's flexibility and customizable features make it adaptable to the specific needs and requirements of different industries and organizations.
EHS programming comprises countless reports, checklists, safety data sheets and more. It involves paperwork across many different work streams and historically, across many different siloed IT systems, if not tracked with literal pen and paper. The result is slow-moving EHS management, and that can translate to outcomes ranging from minor regulatory noncompliance fines to potentially catastrophic losses to worker productivity—or worse, threats to the lives of workers themselves.
Adherence to industry best practices and regulatory frameworks involve vigilant dedication to ensuring that the right actions are taken at the right time, in a consistent way. And when there are thousands or tens of thousands of actions that need to be taken, it can be a lot to keep track of. EHS software allows those actions to be streamlined, scheduled, automated, tracked, and even performed within a single environment. EHS software facilitates communication and collaboration among different departments and teams, so everyone who plays a role in EHS is on the same page.
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Footnotes
1 A look at workplace deaths and nonfatal injuries and illnesses for Workers’ Memorial Day (link resides outside ibm.com), Bureau of Labor Statistics, 28 April 2023