4.23.2010
“What gets measured, gets done” is a popular saying in performance improvement circles. There is more though. Yes, true as this is, measurement – and I’ll go a step further here and say auditing – is just part of the “gets done” piece. When crafted within a context of breakthrough performance, EHS auditing and the audit function in an EHS department can be a catalyst for accelerated performance improvement and EHS integration. EHS auditing is commonly viewed as a necessary evil or burden to satisfy regulatory and legal requirements. Within this context, the results are predictable. There is little if any enthusiasm; there is a struggle; and there can be challenges with inter-rater reliability.
When EHS auditing is formulated through an organizational learning and systems thinking lens – supported by an integrated EHS management system structure – the function shifts from being summative to formative, as program evaluation professionals would say. There is a shift toward action research that fosters partnership in solving EHS challenges. Audits are viewed as opportunities to see things not previously apparent. Casual links and patterns are distinguished in a way that people can see their roles in the “organizational systems” and see possibilities to alter the system and their roles.
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Posted By Charles Redinger | in Auditing & Metrics, Emerging Issues, High Performance Teams, Innovation | Tags: Aspects/Impacts, Audit Department, Audit Program, Collective Wisdom, EHS, EHS Audit, EHS Auditing, EHS Management System, EHS Performance Measurement, ISO 14001, ISO 19011, OHSAS 18001, Systems Thinking | No Comments »
4.8.2010
There is increased activity on occupational health and safety (OHS) programs in OSHA with its new administration. The agency’s new director has a goal of addressing and improving the safety culture in companies. One vehicle to do this is addressing comprehensive OHS programs. There was activity in the mid to late 1990s in this area with attempts to codify the highly regarded Voluntary Protection Program and elevate the status of the OSHA’s 1989 Program Guidelines. These efforts morphed into attempts in federal OSHA to adopt a national Illness and Injury Prevention Program (IIPP) found in a handful of states, including California.
In a March 25, 2010 speech to a joint meeting of local sections of the ASSE and AIHA, David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health talked about how OSHA inspectors are increasingly looking at how companies “are taking steps to improve the overall [OHS] performance, reduce risk, and make prevention a daily part operations.” He said that there is a more “intense look at whether there is in place a comprehensive safety and health management system, and asking ‘is it being implemented, and are management and workers working together toward continuous improvement.’”
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Posted By Charles Redinger | in Auditing & Metrics, Emerging Issues, OSHA & EPA News | Tags: EHS Management System, General Duty Clause, IIPP, Illness and Injury Prevention Program, OSHA, OSHA Program Standard, PEP, Performance Evaluation Profile, SHARP, Voluntary Protection Program 1989 Program Guidelines | No Comments »
3.26.2010
Auditing is a tough subject. The term rarely conjures pleasant thoughts. It’s often a dreaded event for the auditee. For the EHS department, it is a complex endeavor that the EHS professionals often don’t feel they fully have a handle on, as issues of program validity and reliability swirl around. With internal audit programs in large companies, scheduling can be a nightmare with auditors swamped by primary-non-audit duties. While the audit job gets done and reports are generated for the C-Suite, Board of Directors and External Third Parties, the EHS audit programs I’ve observed often miss the mark that the EHS department want to hit.
Some of the recent EHS audit program challenges I’ve observed are 1) integrating EHS management system audits with existing compliance audits, 2) developing procedures to close the gap between EHS program/system upgrades and the audit tools measuring them;, 3) training auditors how to audit the EHS management system, and, 4) identifying leading indicators that can hopefully shorten the audit process or be used in site/plant self-assessment activities. Read More
Posted By Charles Redinger | in Auditing & Metrics, Corporate Social Responsibility, ISO News, Risk Management, Sustainability | Tags: Auditor Training, CSR, EHS Audit Program, EHSMS, ISO 14001, ISO 31000, OHSAS 18001, Sustainability, Systems Thinking | No Comments »
1.21.2010
Welcome to the Redinger EHS blog, Strategic EHS. Here, I provide EHS professionals and senior management with cutting-edge ideas and tools to strengthen the EHS function in your organizations.
My focus is integration: helping professionals transition EHS out of the department and into overall business practice—through sound strategy, integrated management systems, metrics and auditing, and high-performance EHS teams. Read More
Posted By Charles Redinger | in Auditing & Metrics | Tags: EHS | No Comments »
