EHS – Environment, Health, and Safety – is a key component of modern business practice. It’s also one of the driving forces behind the push for sustainability and corporate responsibility. A strategic EHS program also defines a company’s relationship and obligations to its employees, contractors, customers, and the communities where it operates.
ICL is determined to be a force for good – and a global leader in environmental health and safety. By aligning its comprehensive EHS program with global standards and best practices, ICL not only ensures compliance but also sets new benchmarks in safety and sustainability. ICL’s dynamic EHS program is creating new growth opportunities, transforming its sustainable workplaces, and strengthening the company’s role in the community!
Environmental Health and Safety – A Quick Overview
Environmental health and safety for corporations encompass proactive environmental protection measures and the systematic safeguarding of employee health and wellbeing in the workplace.
An effective EHS program is data-driven and comprehensive, relying on planning, quality assurance, and control through monitoring, regulatory compliance, as well as regular re-evaluation as the working environment changes.
Additionally, it incorporates advanced technologies such as AI and drones for real-time data collection and hazard detection. It engages employees in proactive safety practices and integrates sustainability goals to minimize environmental impact while ensuring the health and safety of all stakeholders.
Put simply: A boardroom-level commitment to EHS management means that employees can go to work with a high expectation of physical safety and the knowledge that their daily workplace activities aren’t damaging the environment, or negatively impacting their communities or others around the world.
On a practical level, environmental health and safety programs are a raft of protective measures. An EHS policy can also be viewed as an ethical compact or covenant between employers, workers, and society as a whole. Companies that achieve a safe, high-trust work environment, can see positive improvements in productivity and profitability, employee and community engagement, and corporate reputation.
A Brief History of EHS in the Workplace
Even before the Industrial Revolution, work was often dangerous. Vital trades and professions like mining, fishing and seafaring, baking, and agriculture had a devastating effect on individual health and came with a high mortality rate.
As trade unions emerged, and democracy expanded, legislation and compensation schemes to protect workers began to develop. Nonetheless, avoidable industrial accidents remained commonplace and were often seen as an occupational hazard.
The negative environmental impacts of industry and agriculture mirrored attitudes towards employee safety and welfare. Industrial pollution through greenhouse gas emissions and the pollution of waterways continued relatively unchecked for centuries.
Similar issues occurred as agricultural revolutions led to mass scale – and frequently irresponsible – use of chemical inputs. A major landmark in environmental protection was the passing of the Clean Air Act in 1963, signifying official recognition that fundamental change was required.
Structured environmental health and safety began to emerge as a discipline in the 1980s. The catastrophic Bhopal disaster in 1984, which resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries following the leak of 40 tonnes of highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas, put EHS firmly on the corporate and political agenda.
In March 1989, the oil tanker the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of highly polluting crude oil. The environmental devastation caused by the accident led to the establishment of the Valdez Principles and the Ceres Organization – and a new focus on proactive protection of the environment.
During the 1990s, environmental protection entered the political mainstream. Environmental protection, and health and safety in the workplace were increasingly regulated by governments and official bodies, employing scientific methodology, clear targets, and compliance requirements.
Issues as diverse as air emissions, wastewater management, traffic safety, radiological, biological, and chemical hazard management, noise levels in the workplace, and the structural safety of buildings came under the wider EHS umbrella on legal and regulatory footings.
EHS and Regulatory Compliance
Every developed country has its own local EHS regulations, and official regulatory bodies to enforce compliance. These vary in complexity and in how stringently and thoroughly they are enforced.
Companies like ICL that operate on a global basis, and maintain plants and operations in several countries are subject to a host of EHS laws and regulations. One advantage ICL has when it begins the task of meeting compliance requirements in new markets is that the company already has its own long-standing culture of environmental health and safety. EHS management is built into the ICL mindset and the company can rapidly meet local EHS requirements.
For instance, in Europe, ICL complies with the EU Seveso Directive, which aims to prevent and control major industrial accidents. In the United States, the company adheres to OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standards, ensuring the safety of chemical processes. ICL’s proactive approach involves continuous evaluation and integration of evolving EHS standards. This ensures that the company not only meets but often exceeds local regulatory requirements.
The advantages of meeting regulatory compliance go far beyond avoiding the negative consequences of failure (such as fines or other official sanctions). Companies that value their own ESG ratings, and are ready to invest in achieving wider reputational enhancement, have a direct interest in meeting EHS regulatory compliance. The benefits can extend to attracting ESG-conscious investors and new employees and being in a stronger position to bid for contracts and forge strategic partnerships.
ICL’s robust governance structures ensure that EHS performance aligns with ESG principles. This alignment not only improves the company’s ESG ratings but also attracts ESG-conscious investors and employees.
Workplace Risk Management and Hazard Prevention
While it may be impossible to completely eliminate accidents that result from human error or negligence, it’s certainly possible to reduce the circumstances in which they can occur. Systematic audits of equipment, procedures, and systems will identify and help to prevent workplace hazards. As we make the transition to smart workplaces, integrating AI and machine learning, and utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) with smart sensors and drones significantly enhance our ability to manage and eliminate risk increases exponentially.
Identifying Common Workplace Hazards
- Chemical, biological, and toxin exposures
- Ergonomic issues and repetitive stress injuries
- Noise pollution and psychological stress
- Equipment and vehicle hazards
- Fire and electrical hazards
- Risks associated with confined spaces
- Slips, trips and falls, and routine physical hazards
Once a detailed risk assessment is conducted, effective risk mitigation strategies can be devised. These strategies can include engineering controls, technological controls, administrative controls, and the issue of personal protective equipment (PPE).
However, workplace safety measures aren’t always popular with employees, particularly if they complicate or lengthen existing procedures, or mandate the wearing of protective equipment like helmets. Employee education and training programs are thus essential to any corporate EHS policy.
Environmental health and safety measures are invariably more effective when employees see tangible benefits, rather than a list of inconvenient rules and regulations. Adding health and wellness programs that offer free health testing and screening for work-related conditions, or even general health issues, can have a highly positive impact on employee morale.
Identifying emerging health problems, and promoting a culture of personal health awareness can reduce health-related absenteeism, increase productivity, and reduce the risk of companies being exposed to damaging litigation or negative publicity.
Developing Environmental Protection and Sustainability
Companies that can demonstrate genuine progress towards net zero carbon already have a key advantage over competitors that are slow to adopt sustainability practices. Properly implemented circular economies, clean energy solutions, and sustainable supply chain optimization can also reduce carbon footprint and operating costs, and decrease dependence on suppliers, vulnerable global infrastructures, and fluctuating commodity prices.
Every business is unique, and there are no standard formulas for implementing sustainable practices or reducing environmental footprints. Investment in clean, hybrid energy grids, recycling initiatives (often in collaboration with other companies or local authorities), transitioning to electric vehicles, and even simple energy-saving measures in plants and offices can make a major difference.
Employees and managers are often a valuable source of ideas for pollution control and resource management initiatives. They identify problems and opportunities – and can devise innovative solutions – during their day-to-day work. Programs like ICL’s BIG internal innovation accelerator channel employee enthusiasm and expertise into meaningful change.
ICL: A Unique Approach to OEMS – EHS
“Our EHS vision is to be a worldwide leader in safe, reliable operations and site resilience.” Dr. Lior Eli, VP of Global EHS at ICL.
ICL takes a bold and ambitious approach to EHS management, aiming to harness emerging technologies and align them with human vigilance to create a zero-incident culture. Routinely working with potentially harmful materials to produce vital products that benefit society ICL is determined to operate safely; protecting employees, the public, and the environment.
The company has created a groundbreaking Operational Excellence Management System (OMES-EHS) to drive industry-leading safety and reliability across all operations. Our proactive OMES-EHS model creates a framework for periodic risk assessments, stringent external and internal audits, as well as realistic and demanding emergency drills.
Complacency is the biggest threat to safety, and the Operational Excellence Management System is designed to prevent the emergence of complacency, institutional arrogance, and the sense of “safety fatigue”—common contributing factors in industrial accidents and environmental disasters.
Technology plays a crucial role in ICL EHS management. Robots and drones perform automated checks and access confined spaces or locations that are potentially dangerous for humans. Smart sensors reduce the hazards associated with using forklifts and other vehicles, while AI and machine learning can anticipate part fatigue or potential machine malfunctions long before they become a hazard.
A key pillar of ICL’s EHS management policy is its Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Methodology. HOP focuses on early hazard detection and incident prevention and draws upon employee engagement and commitment to promote a mindset of risk management and organizational competence. A significant part of HOP is creating a learning culture with a free flow of information across the entire organization, as genuine safety and environmental protection seldom flourish in silos.
The GoArc system is an advanced EHS platform that functions in real time and connects 8,300 ICL employees globally. It encapsulates all of ICL’s EHS and emergency modules, including all four pillars of its OEMS Methodology (HOP, PSM, Emergency, Industry 4.0).
The platform delivers unparalleled preparedness for crisis management and emergency responses, allowing ICL employees to play an active role in risk management and hazard identification in the workplace. A major advantage of GoArc is that the universal platform operates outside local chains of command and management structures.
Conclusion
ICL has leveraged the basic concept of EHS and turned it into a sophisticated process that draws on the latest technological innovations to deliver a vehicle for building trust with stakeholders. Innovations like HOP, GoArc, and the OMES-EHS model are designed to allow continual improvement and rapid adaptation to new health and safety challenges. They not only save lives in the workplace and prevent environmental damage, but they also deliver tangible long-term financial, regulatory, and reputational benefits for the company.
ICL’s comprehensive EHS policy covers every aspect of the company’s global operations and serves as a model for other companies looking to integrate EHS into their wider business strategy. The innovative ICL’s approach demonstrates that EHS is not merely a precautionary measure to avoid liabilities and prevent disruption, it is a tool for sustainable growth and market expansion.
Companies that view EHS as a dynamic, ongoing process that requires input from every employee—and create platforms to facilitate this participation— have a unique tool to build employee trust, engagement, and productivity.
EHS is ultimately an innovative process that contributes to a broader corporate culture of innovation. ICL is a world leader in innovation and sustainability, committed to continued investment and development in its EHS models.
