ESS EXPO.08 to Provide Latest Trends, Innovative Solutions for EHS Software Users

If you haven’t already registered, here’s a personal invitation from me to join us at ESS EXPO.08 from Sunday, April 13 - Tuesday, April 15, at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort outside Phoenix, Arizona.

ESS EXPO.08 is the largest software users’ conference of the year dedicated to Environmental, Health & Safety and Crisis Management. Attendees will see the latest technology innovations from ESS – with up-close looks at new versions of our software (Essential Suite™ version 7.1 and the browser-based version of Compliance Suite™) as well as quick tips and in-depth explanations from the experts who design, develop and support those tools. In addition, our training team will offer training courses that address key regulatory compliance issues and best practices.

Participants will hear the latest news about a variety of Governance, Risk and Compliance issues and information management challenges. Sessions like “Corporate Sustainability: Helping People and Businesses Reach Their Potential” by Microsoft and “REACH – Understanding and Implementing for Compliance” by PTK, Ltd — the firm that co-authored the regulation — provide a brief sample of the topics that will be discussed at this year’s ESS EXPO.

At ESS EXPO, you can meet your peers, exchange best practices and meet keynote speakers Simon Jacobson of AMR Research and racing icon Kyle Petty. Jacobson will provide an overview of enterprise trends, while Petty, of course, plans to talk about NASCAR and business success.

Our business partners will show how they can enable ESS users to achieve even greater success with complementary solutions and services. And finally, ESS software users will benefit from sharing their own ideas and experiences while networking with other top professionals from a wide variety of vertical industries.

ESS EXPO.08 continues the tremendous success of previous EXPO events, which have attracted hundreds of EHS and Crisis Management professionals.

Add comment February 13th, 2008

Chemical Industry Implements News Standards to Assure Sustainability

For companies that use chemicals as part of their operational processes and are interested in practicing product stewardship, chances are those organizations will measure their performance against standards that have been established by the American Chemistry Council (ACA).

Responsible Care® is a chemical industry performance initiative that is implemented in the United States through the ACA. U.S. companies that have implemented the Responsible Care protocol have reduced environmental releases by 78 percent, achieved an employee safety record that is significantly better than the U.S. manufacturing sector, generated improvements in reportable distribution accidents involving transportation of chemicals and reduced process safety incidents. Responsible Care is also a global initiative that is currently practiced in 52 countries.

Responsible Care helps America’s leading chemical companies go above and beyond government requirements for Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) risk management by implementing world-class management systems, verified through independent auditors; tracking performance through established EHS and Crisis Management measures; and extending these best practices to business partners through supply chain and vendor relations management.

For example, railroads are an integral part of the supply chain for chemical companies because they transport many of the chemicals used in manufacturing processes. So it’s significant that Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. recently earned certification to implement the ACC’s Responsible Care continuous-improvement process for transporting chemicals. As a result, the company has implemented policies to enhance its processes for safe transporting of products, preventing in-transit spills and providing timely notification to local communities under right-to-know provisions.

It’s another outstanding example of industry taking the lead to assure a sustainable environment for everyone.

Add comment February 8th, 2008

Study Shows Pollution Can Increase Risks of Heart Attack and Stroke

Last week, the Blackstone Institute, which is dedicated to solving pollution problems in the developing world, released its list of the ten most polluted placed in the world. That list includes many places most people don’t commonly visit, but also includes several in the former Soviet Union and Russia. Here’s the list:

• Sumgayit, Azerbaijan
• Linfen, China
• Tianying, China
• Sukinda, India
• Vapi, India
• La Oroya, Peru
• Dzerzhinsk, Russia
• Norilsk, Russia
• Chernobyl, Ukraine
• Kabwe, Zambia

Why is this of more than passing importance? For the past few weeks I’ve been concerned with reports that the Beijing Olympics could be impacted by that city’s air quality. I have already blogged that several teams aren’t going to train at the site of the Olympics, which is quite uncommon.

But now new medical studies have come out saying that particles of air pollution can actually trigger blood clots in the heart and lungs. I think it’s important enough to quote from Reuters so you won’t have to follow the link:

“Large population studies have shown pollution from the exhaust of trucks, buses and coal-burning factories increases the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes.

Apparently the inflammation from air pollution tells the lungs to release an immune system compound that causes the blood to clot.

Up until now, we have only had anecdotal evidence that air pollution can kill. Now we not only know it can kill, but actually how it does so. And we have the tools to clean up the air, by monitoring emissions and making changes in how we drive, live, and conduct our businesses.

Add comment September 27th, 2007

Industry Should Lead, Not Follow Regulations

There were three mine disasters in 2006 before the latest disaster at the Crandall mine in Utah. At the Crandall mine, a seismic event equivalent to a 3.9 magnitude earthquake trapped six miners. Days later, during the rescue effort, another collapse killed three rescuers, including a member of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Weeks later, the company is still boring holes into the mine, trying to recover the bodies.

This has led the governor of Utah to investigate whether state mine safety regulations need to be tightened because federal regulations aren’t stringent enough. More significantly, OMB Watch has said “The Aug. 13 issue of Mine Safety and Health News reported that Dr. R. Larry Grayson, who heads the Pennsylvania State University mining and engineering program, agreed
…the mining company may have been following the MSHA-approved mining plan, but that does not mean that it was safe.”

This is a worrisome trend. Professors are second-guessing regulators, who are second-guessing the people in the industry itself.

What is really needed here is some thought about good incident management systems and real-time emergency response systems in the mining industry overall. There is actually a global need for stronger health and safety protection for the mining industry, including these incidents as well as the ones in China. Would a better emergency response or incident management
system have helped the rescue workers respond more efficiently? I think so. Good systems can be proactive, rather than reactive, even in situations that can’t be predicted, like seismic shifts.

OMB Watch goes on to point out that perhaps it is wrong to allow industry to comply voluntarily with regulations. A promotional email I got from them this morning said “Two recent stories exhibit the problems associated with
voluntary industry compliance with federal rules. In New York, Governor Elliot Spitzer is using state law to enforce a mandatory recall of children’s toys contaminated by lead paint. Spitzer cites the federal government’s weak voluntary recall system as reason for pursuing action at the state level.”

The writer goes on to discuss the use of “compliance assistance” in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration in the Crandall disaster.

What is the takeaway from this? Industry should lead, not follow, the regulations. I don’t know one client of ours (or non-client for that matter), who would like to experience a disaster like Crandall if it could be anticipated. That’s what GRC initiatives are designed to address.

Add comment August 30th, 2007