All Around Workplace Environmental Issues

Industrial pollution of air, water, and soil is not acceptable today. (Courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.) 

Occupational safety and health has undergone a change in that safety and health have been expanded to include the workplace environment. Today, most of you will hear the term Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), which is in use by industry and companies and their safety and health departments. 

The reason for this is that many industrial processes have the potential to contaminate or pollute the worksite and its surroundings. If chemicals are able to escape from a process, they may result in the occurrence of a spill or the release of vapors, fumes, or particles into the atmosphere. These releases may result in creating an atmosphere that could be toxic (poisonous) to workers and the public. In addition, the escaped or spilled material may result in contamination of water or soil. 

Department of Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) or yonr state Department of Environmental Protection may be alerted to these incidents and find you in violation of existing environmental laws. Whichever agency has jurisdiction, it may assess a penalty of 25,000 per day 

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT A PRACTICAL APPROACH 

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Chapter 18—All Around Workplace Environmental Issues—The environmental laws and regulations have application to workplaces. In fact, the tines levied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are substantially higher than those from OSHA. Companies need to be aware that they must be responsive to the environmental requirements specified in the laws. This is the reason that many companies have individuals who have titles like director of environmental health and safety (EHS). This chapter considers what the employer needs to do to comply with the environment component in the workplace. 

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