IN CONVERSATION WITH EHS MANAGER MOHSIN JAMIL.
What is EHS, for readers who don’t know?
Answer: EHS stands for Environment, Health, and Safety. It’s a general term used to refer to laws, rules, regulations, and workplace efforts to protect the health and safety of employees and the public as well as the environment from hazards associated with the workplace. In practice, EHS is a business initiative for companies that want to not only comply with regulations and industry standards, but also be better environmental stewards, and provide their employees with a safe and healthy workplace.
How is it different from any other function of the company?
Answer: It is completely different from all other function of company because all other functions are established for production or supporting the production directly but this is the only department that neither generates revenue nor supporting the production directly and still this department is the backbone of the company that could severely affect companies business in term of its image and future growth.
Are there any latest developments in this field?
Answer: Yes, there are many developments in this field. Previously all EHS data was compiled and analysed manually but now there are EHS software’s available in the market for this purpose. New courses have been introduced for EHS practitioners. EHS awareness campaigns are on the move, seminars are conducted time to time to make the people aware of the hazards around them and safety precautions that are necessary for their protection. Besides private and International organizations, now government agencies are working hard to develop and implement laws, regulations, and standards to protect public health, safety, and the environment.
Why is it so important to have a separate department for this?
Answer: Firstly separate EHS department is very important because every worker has the classification of tasks in his mind and he set the priority of those tasks accordingly. A project team member or an activity executor will prior his work performance and progress than the safety of workers and environment. Secondly, separate EHS is very important to build safer working environments and more sustainable businesses through a scalable, flexible and integrated EHS solution. In today’s fiercely competitive and highly connected world, brand and reputation mean everything. Organizations have to make a separate department to demonstrate a strong commitment to employee safety and environmental sustainability because they don’t want to lose the hard-earned trust of investors, customers, and stakeholders There is no price or alternative of human life, therefore, we have to establish a separate EHS department that will make sure of the safety of workers, visitors, company assets and the environment. Considering this is so important, how do you see the future of EHS as a function? Answer: As our world continues down its path of innovation and awareness, EHS will also continue to evolve and change the roles and responsibilities of EHS professionals across all industries. From Turnotech perspective, some trends and areas of focus will be: Technology: While technology has provided companies with the tools to refine operations and drive revenue, innovation can also be disruptive by spurring new regulations or the need to redesign EHS guidelines and processes. Materiality: In order to make the business case for sustainability initiatives, materiality will be increasingly important for getting buy-in from internal and external stakeholders. Global expansion: As our world becomes increasingly connected, companies will continue to seize opportunities for expanding their businesses to new geographies. However, EHS departments must be prepared for local regulations, cultural nuances and local considerations if they want to succeed.
Why are safety signs, an important part of EHS regulation?
Answer: If you want to make sure that your workplace is safe for employees, customers, vendors, and other visitors, then keeping proper safety signs out at the appropriate times is a great way to do just that. Safety signs can be very helpful in avoiding injuries or illnesses in certain situations, and even offer some degree of defense in litigations. No matter what type of business you operate though, there are always good reasons to have safety boards, whether it is for hazards at a construction site or a spill in an oil terminal to keep customers from slipping and falling in that area. Here is some necessary information about using safety signs in the workplace. Safety signs are important in the workplace for employees, employers and public safety. They are one of the most efficient ways to give warnings, safety, and health information. When we could not deploy someone in a certain area all the time to communicate dangers or safety concerns, there needs to be a warning system. Safety signs perform this function. Safety signs range from custom-made printed signs to explaining how equipment like fire extinguisher works in an emergency. Not only do the signs need to contain certain colors and fonts to be well read and understood, but they should be brief and make sense at the same time.
What are the most important EHS implications on the work environment?
Answer: EHS protects employees from injuries, deaths, and illnesses. It protects the well-being of employers, visitors, customers, and contractors. Good EHS is not only good for employees it is also good for business because it increases profitability and reduces direct and indirect cost. It increases the reputation of the company and morale of employees. A serious workplace injury or death changes lives of victim families, friends, and co-workers. Humans loss and suffering is immeasurable and the same time can cause the business closure. Compliance with safety rules and regulations can save us from a big loss nad same time non-compliance can put us in a big trouble. “Better Be Safe Than Sorry”
Turnotech was awarded best EHS Supplier 2016, from one of our clients, Congratulations on that, If you had to pick what would you think was one main reason for getting this award?
Answer: It is the result of teamwork but if you are asking for one main reason for getting this award, in my opinion, all credit goes to our CEO, Mr. Salman Azam. It was not an easy task to improve the overall company’s EHS performance but His continuous guidance and support make us all able to improve it and the result, we all can see, we are awarded The Best EHS Supplier 2016. Thank You.
