In a new article published in the July edition of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Magazine (http://www.ohsonline.com), Medgate’s Product Manager and safety expert, John Easton, provides guidance to companies on how they can effectively implement one of the most challenging of EHS: “Compliance Management.”
“Keeping Pace with EHS Compliance Management” details how to effectively implement standardization across EHS functions using automated data management software to face key challenges of compliance management, such as maintaining an up-to-date inventory of all legal and other requirements changes over time.
Easton explores the topic by focusing on the ways in which such an automated system can be leveraged to face key challenges of compliance management:
- Integrating various EHS programs with one another to feed into the compliance management program
- Gaining business intelligence (reporting and analysis) to improve decision-making processes
- Fulfilling and exceeding ISO/OSHAS requirements
“The often-overlooked goal of a safety/environmental management system is not just meeting each of the required ISO/OSHAS elements individually and then obtaining the relevant certification, but also to improve overall health, safety, and environmental performance,” states John, “Thus, the real value of the management systems approach is not simply fulfilling the individual requirements. It is found in the overlap and interaction of all of the system elements. When companies come to this realization, they are able to take advantage of the full ‘system’ benefits.”
John Easton is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional and MHSc (Industrial Hygiene). He currently works as the Product Manager at Medgate Inc., a leading provider of integrated Health and Safety Software Solutions. He previously worked for 12 years at Toyota in various Health & Safety roles including Assistant Manager Safety as part of the Toyota North America Safety team, and in prior roles as Safety Specialist, Project Lead for Toyota Safety Management System, and Industrial Hygienist.