How EHS Software Can Help Companies Meet Environmental Regulations

It’s more important than ever for companies to be aware of their environmental impact, which includes their impact on water, air, biodiversity, and climate.  Aside from just protecting the environment and communities in which we live, companies need to be aware of environmental laws that regulate their industry and ensure that they are meeting the requirements. But what’s the best way to go about that? 

For many companies, environmental, health, and safety (EHS) software can be a useful tool. Oftentimes, managing environmental risks and ensuring environmental compliance plays a role in promoting the health and safety of a company’s employees so it makes sense for companies to use software that manages both. It also streamlines processes which are beneficial when there are limited resources.  Let’s explore how EHS software can be helpful in companies meeting environmental regulations, as well as some of the other ways businesses can benefit from this software. 

Tracking Regulations 

The first step towards environmental compliance is understanding what regulations your company needs to comply with.  Regulatory requirements often vary between jurisdictions, not to mention changes in regulations happen over time. Fortunately, the right EHS software can track updates to requirements and alert companies when there has been a change to an environmental regulation they have to meet. Companies don’t have to track federal and state registrars or keep up with local ordinances and risk missing updates. If there are new requirements or a need for new licenses or permits, EHS software can deliver real-time updates. Utilizing this software Therefore, companies can’t plead ignorance because they will know whenever there is a change to regulations that affect the business. 

Track Environmental Metrics 

EHS software can help track key metrics related to environmental regulations to support compliance and adherence to permits or licenses. Software can help companies track metrics related to waste, water, stormwater, and air emissions. It can be a great tool to store periodic monitoring reports that are often required under permit conditions. More advanced EHS software can be connected to analytical monitoring devices to get real-time data. This can help monitor more sensitive issues such as leaks or flow rates and can notify staff so immediate action can be taken. This is essential not only to proper function of processes, but also to the protection of people and the environment. Using software to track and store data can simplify monitoring and reporting efforts.  

Carbon and Climate Reporting 

Internationally, regulations are being enacted requiring companies to report on carbon emissions and climate-related risks. This requires significant efforts from companies, especially those that are large or have complex operations. Determining the climate-related risks that may impact your business over time under different scenarios also requires modeling. Software is the best way to gather the underlying data and get the necessary output needed for reporting. Visualizing the results is also important for companies to understand the significance and each software will do this differently. Companies will need to find the best option to fit their company’s needs given their resources to help meet some of these complex requirements.  

Incident Management 

Just like EHS software can be useful following a safety accident, it can serve a similar role following an environmental incident. If there is an accident or near miss that needs to be investigated the spill of a hazardous substance – EHS software can help collect information on the incident and determine next steps. Depending on the severity and type of environmental incident, notification to a regulatory agency may be required. Having a system that can collect the information needed to make an informed decision on whether that step is necessary is important for regulatory compliance. Many EHS software allow organizations to assign investigation responsibilities so the organization can understand the cause of the incident and establish corrective actions to prevent future incidents. It also allows organizations to keep a record of any damage and how it was remediated should it be examined in the future. It can be a useful tool for record keeping but also for improving organizational procedures to avoid similar incidents.   

Improve Communication 

Within any organization, communication between employees is important for maintaining a good EHS culture. Companies with multiple departments or locations need to ensure sufficient oversight on regulatory requirements, such as monitoring and agency notification protocols, throughout the organization. EHS software can establish communication channels that provide information to the necessary personnel so that compliance tasks don’t get missed. It also allows for escalation methods within or between departments or locations for additional oversight. Often, these software systems have calendars or announcement systems where tasks and important notifications can be shared ensuring regulatory responsibilities, such as inspections or corrective actions, are completed.    

Centralized Data Storage 

Another way that EHS software can help with communication is by serving as a centralized database. All documents and information related to environmental regulations and permits can be stored on the software, making it easy for anyone to access. Permits and plans, such as SWPPPS and SPCC plans, also need to be always kept on site. If updates are made, having an online database where site personal can access these updated versions ensures they are always working with the most accurate versions. When permits are renewed, sites will always have access to the recent version for inspections that may occur. When an organization updates company-wide policies, this database serves as an efficient way for employees to get new information and increases transparency. Having an accessible system allows departments, locations, and even third parties access to the information needed for the company to communicate on topics to be in good regulatory standing and is a vital part of a company’s operations.   

Training and Certificates 

In any workplace, it is important employers ensure their employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their job and follows company policies and procedures. This includes any training that is needed for the company to be a safe workplace and maintain good environmental standing. EHS software can help guide employees through the necessary training and is especially useful for industry specific training. Companies can leverage software to organize online and in-person training courses, set up refresher courses, and track employees’ progress. It also gives companies a way to keep training records which is required for certain environmental regulations. Certain certifications are also needed for employees to perform tasks and EHS software can both be used in training and store the certification once the course is completed for record keeping. It is a great way for organizations to make sure employees have the skills and knowledge to perform their jobs properly. 

Inspections and Audits 

Workplace inspections and audits are critical for employee safety, but the same logic applies to environmental regulations. Just like safety inspections should become routine, companies should be conducting regular inspections of environmental aspects of their work processes. Are the emissions or discharge still at expected levels for certain tasks? Are employees following proper procedures for performing their jobs in a sustainable fashion?  

These are important questions to ask and answer on a routine basis if companies hope to stay ahead of environmental regulations. With EHS software, these inspections and audits can be scheduled automatically while a standardized checklist for them can be produced. This helps to ensure that inspections take place when they’re supposed to take place and accomplish their purpose. 

Manage Contractors and Suppliers 

Companies aren’t alone when it comes to complying with environmental regulations. Companies often use third party contractors to perform work, and it is important that these workers are also aware of any environmental compliance procedures such as inspections or monitoring. It is also important to ensure that these third parties have the necessary permits or certifications required prior to work starting. EHS software can help manage this data by creating compliance checklists and creating data storage databases.  

Companies also work with many suppliers and having procurement procedures in place can help companies understand the environmental risk of using their product or services. EHS software can create and document a standardized vetting process for suppliers to evaluate them on topics such as instances of noncompliance, materials used in products, handling procedures for products, or product certifications. This process is a great way for companies to have oversight on the quality of the products and services. 

Benchmarking and Improving 

One of the biggest roles that EHS software can play in meeting environmental regulations in regards to meeting standards and identifying areas of improvement. Software can identify regulatory, or industry benchmarks or company set targets and can compare the company collected metrics to these. The company can then determine how they currently measure up to see if they are out of compliance and need to take corrective action. It will give them valuable information on whether their current processes are effective. By comparing to industry benchmarks, companies can see how they compare to their peers and identify areas to improve to become more competitive. Tracking against their own targets is a way for companies to highlight topics that are most important to them and track their progress to meet these goals. Being able to compare metrics over different time periods gives insight into whether the company is improving or not, regardless of whether they were out of compliance which is still valuable insight as it may be an indicator they could be noncompliant in the future. Using EHS software is a way for companies to go beyond just data collection as it can be a useful tool for companies to make informed decisions to better their operations. 

 Commitments and Disclosures 

Making statements or commitments to the public or to stakeholders can be risky if you don’t have the data and documentation to support them. EHS software can be used to maintain data and documentation to prove compliance with industry standards, certifications, frameworks, and claims related to company’s impact. There’s software that is used to help companies determine alignment with some of these standards and frameworks which makes supporting these statements even more credible. Companies are often disclosing metrics about their environmental impact, but not disclosing the underlying data and methodology. EHS software will each have methodologies for each metric calculation, and the company can provide the underlying data, and any assumptions made which make their claims more reliable. Leveraging tools that can collect and store data and documents, and provide information on calculation approaches, can benefit a company’s credibility.