7.30.2012

Context of the Organization – A 360 Perspective and ISO 22301:2012

Black Swan events, holistic business continuity, Emerging Risk Audits, and non-financial risk management are terms swirling in C-Suites, on Boards, and in the business, risk management and auditing literature.  Also swirling around are discussions about sustainability, corporate social responsibility, organizational resilience, as well as organizational health.

The confluence of these signals suggest an emerging business model that incorporates a 360 Perspective. Central to this perspective is a systems view and an integration orientation. Read More

Posted By | in 360 Perspective, Auditing & Metrics, Emerging Issues, ISO News, Management Systems, Risk Management | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

7.25.2012

Deepwater Horizon – U.S. Chemical Safety Board Releases Preliminary Findings

In a presentation yesterday, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released preliminary findings from its investigation of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, well blowout on April 20, 2010.  Several investigation reports have been issued, including ones from BP and The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)/U.S. Coast Guard Joint Investigation Team.  I have discussed some of the findings in previous posts and will address some of these issues in future posts.

In the presentation, the CSB said “BP focused too much on the little details of personal worker safety instead of the big systemic hazards that led to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and wasn’t as strict on overall safety when drilling rigs involved other companies that they hired.” Safety board managing director Daniel Horowitz told the AP that “BP applied lesser process safety standards” to rigs contracted out than it does to its own facilities. “In reality, both [drilling contractor] Transocean and BP dropped the ball on major accident hazards in this case.” The CSB went on to state that BP “did not conduct an effective comprehensive hazard evaluation of the major accident risks for the activities of the Deepwater Horizon rig or for the Macondo well” because the oil company’s large risk evaluation program “looked only at BP assets, not drilling rigs that it contracted” to other firms for operation.  Read More

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3.26.2012

Strengthening CEO Links with EHS/S and Risk Management

A recent survey of leading European companies, conducted by the Ashridge Business School and University of St. Gallen and reported in the MIT Sloan Management Review (Spring 2012), suggests that links between corporate functions and the CEO could be stronger.

Some of the reported consequences of these weak links include: mixed performance, more bureaucracy, a sense of C-Suite interference, lack of cooperation from operating managers, and a focus on transactional issues as opposed to value-added ones.

Read More

Posted By | in 360 Perspective, Auditing & Metrics, Innovation, Risk Management, Strategic Thinking & Planning | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

3.15.2012

Building a Culture of Assurance

The value of building a “culture of assurance” was one of the key reflections shared by BP’s Vice President of HSSE Steve Flynn at the IOSH conference in Manchester, England, March 6–7, 2012.

Flynn examined the role of systems, engineering, and people in contributing to the incident, discussed key points relating to the “change journey” at BP, and shared some reflections/lessons learned that EHS professionals could take away from the event’s investigations.

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3.9.2010

The Power of Informal Networks

Challenged to achieve regulatory compliance, EHS professionals are always looking for beyond-compliance ways to reduce risk. As organizational models have evolved to push accountability away from corporate functions toward business units and process-specific operations, the role of EHS professionals has also morphed.

The trend has been for EHS professionals to act in the role of consultant or coach within the organization, as opposed to an enforcer to be avoided. While this trend makes sense, a significant component of EHS accountability still resides within the EHS department and its professionals.

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2.5.2010

An Integrated EHS Function for a New Era – Quantum Environmental Health and Safety

Over the past several years, I have been working on an EHS organizational management model and methodology that provides organizations with a way to bring innovation and fresh thinking to its Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) function. Some of these ideas have been presented in email newsletters and white papers, including ways to integrate the EHS function within itself as well as within the organization.

Central to this work have been ways to elevate EHS thinking as a driver in business strategy for competitive advantage, take EHS performance to zero or near zero, and empower EHS professionals as leaders in their organizations. I was excited when I first learned of and read Green to Gold, as it reinforced and validated much of this work. Read More

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2.2.2010

Green to Gold Implications for the EHS Function: Management of Change and EHS Function Capacity

The issues and challenges presented in Green to Gold and suggested in REACH and the nanotechnology areas raise several issues. The first relates to an organization’s Management of Change structures and functions, while the second relates to the EHS function’s capacity to manage and guide the organization in these areas.

Management of Change

The concept of Management of Change (MOC) is central in EHS management systems. The basic idea behind MOC is that policies and procedures are established to identify and respond to new issues that can change an organization’s EHS risk profile. Typically, changes in processes or production lines are currency of MOC activities. More forward-thinking organizations include organizational and regulatory change issues in their MOC activities. Read More

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1.30.2010

Nanotechnology – Looking Through a Green to Gold Lens

Nanotech issues and ideas metaphorically presented in the movie The Fantastic Voyage in 1963 are here. Nano-engineered materials are being incorporated into everyday products, including stain- or bacteria-resistant materials, stronger and lighter tennis rackets, more effective sunscreens, and super precise drug delivery vehicles. The promise of nano materials appears to be wide, impacting many industries and products.

With the development of new nano-level technologies, there are significant EHS considerations. Human and environmental health considerations are not well understood for many of these materials. Cutting-edge research is being conducted, but in the public health field, there is a general consensus that this research is not keeping pace with materials development. Read More

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1.29.2010

European Union Reach Program – Green to Gold Case Study

At the time Green to Gold was published in late 2006, the European Union promulgated a far-reaching new regulation that will have a wide impact on companies: Registration Evaluation Authroisation of Chemicals, referred to as the REACH regulation or program. The REACH program is very complex, providing many issues to consider; some highlights are presented here, with a focus on business strategy-related issues. Read More

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