Establishing an EHSMS
The first R2 Practice states that the electronics recycler must develop and use an Environmental, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) to plan and monitor its EHS practices.
A combination of the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards is approved for meeting this requirement.
These management system standards are based on the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” (PDCA) model. This model is based on management principles popularized by W. Edwards Deming.
The elements of the PDCA model include:
Plan – (a) Identify environmental and worker health/safety impacts and legal and regulatory requirements, (b) Establish environmental goals, objectives and targets (c) Plan actions that work toward achieving identified goals (d) Plan for emergency preparedness and response; and (e) Identify management support
Do – (a) Establish roles and responsibilities for the EHSMS and provide adequate resources, (b) Ensure that staff are trained and capable of carrying out responsibilities; and (c) Establish a process for communicating about the EHSMS
Check – (a) Monitor key activities and track performance (b) Identify and correct problems and prevent recurrence, and (c) Provide a measurement system
Act – (a) conduct annual progress reviews, (b) Act to make necessary changes to the EHSMS; (c) Create and implement and action plan for continual improvement.
Click here to learn more about PDCA
If an organization already has an EHSMS that meets the requirements of the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standard, only minor changes will be needed to address the EHSMS requirements set out in the R2 Practices. If an organization has not yet developed a documented EHSMS, meeting these requirements is likely to prove much more challenging. Implementing an EHSMS can be a lengthy process, usually taking a minimum of 6 to 9 months.
It is important to note that the R2 Practices require that the EHSMS be documented. This means that the policy, plans, goals and procedures all must be in writing. Click here for more information about developing EHSMS documentation.
Want to know more about implementing an EHSMS?
Click here to download an EHSMS Implementation Checklist. This checklist has been prepared by Thea Dunmire based on her many years of experience in implementing environmental, safety and health management systems.
Additional Resources
Check out these blog posts from www.OHSAS18001expert.com –
Traditional Safety Programs vs. OHS Management Systems
Strategy vs. Implementation – Which is Important?
Irrational Decisions Impact OHSMS Implementation