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Results-Driven Training Solutions Support Green Initiatives with EHS and Risk Management B Y SHANE AUSTIN, CSPHardly a day goes by when you don’t hear something about an environment friendly or ‘green’ initiative in your community and/or organization. Businesses and individuals alike are recognizing the impact (both negative and positive) that daily activities can have on the environment.From a regulatory perspective, EHS and risk management professionals have long been mindful of the appropriate ways to dispose of used chemicals, monitor storm water run-off, track air emissions, document these activities, etc. But when you move beyond the basics, it’s easy to become complacent and not dig much further. Have you ever considered your company’s safety training and other related risk management programs? Are they “green” too? Consider something as common as paper. You generate a lot of paperwork when developing lesson plans, conducting training, documenting incidents, handling workers’ comp claims, etc. A typical business office generates 1.5 pounds of wastepaper per employee per day, and the EPA estimates that the average U.S. office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of copy paper annually. And according to the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), every ton of recycled paper saves approximately 17 trees and 462 gallons of oil. Basic math reveals that there is an incredible opportunity for improvement. What about the logistics of conducting training? Having employees and/or trainers travel to various locations or hiring third party consultants can be expensive AND have a negative impact on the environment. The studies that carefully illustrate the need for lowering fuel emissions are too numerous to list, but we all understand the impact driving and flying can have on the environment. There is a better way to deliver and manage even your basic orientation and refresher training without putting your employees behind a wheel or in the seat of an airplane. Consider the use of Internet-based software solutions to address these programs and processes. Maybe you’ve tried to get budget approval on numerous occasions, but you haven’t quite been able to make the case to upper management. Here’s a suggestion. Take the facts & figures that you already have and paint them green. You may be amazed by what a little splash of color can do to a black and white report. Illustrate that not only will your organization see cost, time and productivity efficiencies, but the resulting positive environmental impact can be equally or even more significant. In short, you have an opportunity to greatly improve your organization’s safety and risk management programs, while supporting sustainability at the same time. The grass really can be “greener” on the other side — the technology side. FSM Shane Austin, CSP is the Director of Safety and Risk Management at Pure-Safety, a provider of online safety training and risk management software solutions (www.puresafety.com). He can be reached at 615.277.3123 or via email at shane.austin@puresafety.com.
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