Understanding How Changes to Your Business Impact Environmental, Health, and Safety Obligations

Whether you’re a startup, a business that may have a change in operations, or you’re in a new role or have joined a new organization, you may want to keep reading. Do you know which environment, health, and safety (EHS) requirements apply to your industry and operations? Do you have a plan to meet them and avoid the risks of non-compliance?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you might benefit from an EHS applicability assessment. In our recent webinar, “Changes to Your Business? How to Know What Your Environmental, Health, and Safety Obligations Are,” Lauren Corbett-Noon, EHS Compliance & Auditing Leader, moderates an informative session about EHS applicability assessments. Mike Pauli, a lead EHS Auditor at Antea Group, and Becky Matich, EHS Audits and Assessments services lead, share strategies for how to understand which EHS regulations apply to your business, and how to evaluate the potential EHS implications of a change in your business operations. Business changes may include a process change, an expansion, an acquisition, or maybe you’ve heard about a change in a regulation and you’re not sure if it applies to your business.

Missed the webinar? Watch on-demand below.

Watch On-Demand

What is an EHS Applicability Assessment?

First, an EHS applicability assessment is a process of identifying and understanding the relevant EHS requirements applicable to your business. It involves collecting information about your operations, processes, materials, and equipment, and then determining which EHS regulations apply at the federal, state, and local levels.

The outcome of an EHS applicability assessment is a customized report that summarizes your EHS obligations and provides recommendations for compliance. The report also prioritizes the most critical or urgent actions that you need to take, such as applying for permits, developing programs, or conducting training.

Why is an EHS Applicability Assessment Important?

Compliance with EHS regulations is not only a legal obligation, but also a strategic advantage for your business. Below are some of the benefits of conducting an EHS applicability assessment. It can:

• Reduce the risk of non-compliance, fines, accidents, and injuries that can harm your employees, customers, environment, and reputation.
• Improve your environmental performance and social responsibility, which can enhance your brand image and customer loyalty.
• Foster a culture of integrity and transparency, which can boost your employee engagement and morale.
• Help you plan and prepare for changes in your operations that might trigger new or different EHS requirements.
• Help you plan and prepare for potential regulatory changes that may impact your operations.
• Provide you with a clear and comprehensive understanding of your EHS responsibilities and how to meet them.

When Should You Consider an EHS Applicability Assessment?

You should consider an EHS applicability assessment in the following situations:

• You are a new EHS manager, or a contractor, and you need to understand the EHS requirements that apply to the facility or operation that you are responsible for.
• You are expanding or modifying an existing facility, and you need to know what EHS permits, licenses, plans, and programs you need to have in place before you begin operation.
• You are making changes to your products, processes, or equipment, and you need to evaluate the impact of these changes on your EHS obligations and update your EHS controls accordingly.
• There are new EHS regulations that affect your industry, and you need to evaluate the impact of these changes on your EHS obligations and update your EHS controls accordingly.
• You are opening a new facility in a different location, and you need to know what EHS regulations  apply to the new location and how they differ from the ones that apply to your existing facilities.

How is This Conducted?

Conducting an EHS applicability assessment can be a complex and time-consuming task, especially if you are not familiar with the EHS regulations that apply to your business. That is why you might want to consider hiring a professional EHS consultant to help you with this process.

An EHS consultant can provide you with the expertise, experience, and tools to conduct a thorough and accurate EHS applicability assessment. They can also tailor the assessment to your specific needs and context, such as focusing on environmental or health and safety aspects or covering multiple facilities or locations.

The typical steps of an EHS applicability assessment process are:

• Completing a questionnaire to gather basic information about your business and operations.
• Conducting a site visit to observe your operations, processes, materials, and equipment a, and to interview key personnel.
• Determining the applicable EHS regulations based on the information collected.
• Preparing a report that summarizes your EHS obligations and recommendations for compliance and prioritizes the next steps.

Wrap-Up

An EHS applicability assessment is the first step in building a solid foundation for EHS compliance. It can help you identify the gaps and opportunities in your current EHS practices and provide you with a roadmap for improvement. It can also help you avoid the costly and damaging consequences of non-compliance and enhance your business performance and reputation.

EHS compliance is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires ongoing care, review, refinement, and improvement. You may need to use different methods and tools, such as recurring inspections, internal or external audits, legal registers, management systems, or software programs, to maintain and monitor your EHS performance. However, it all starts with knowing which EHS regulations apply to your business, which is what an EHS applicability assessment can help you achieve.

If you are interested in conducting an EHS applicability assessment for your business, reach out today, our team is ready to help.