Environment, Health & Safety
EHS
Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary area focused on protecting human health and the environment in diverse environments such as workplaces, communities, and public places. The primary goals of EHS are to identify and mitigate potential risks, prevent accidents, and create safe and healthy living and working environments.
What is Environment, Health and Safety (EHS)
Government EHS departments, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), distribute EHS regulations to strengthen compliance with standards that promote collective environmental protection, occupational safety, health, and wellness. International organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), likewise develop standards and provide certification to agencies that comply with those standards.
EHS is sometimes referred to as HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) in some regions and circumstances, but it is often referred to the same field among other similar abbreviations, such as EHS, SHE, OHS, WHS, QHSE, HSSE, etc.
Three fields
Environmental Protection
Focuses on protecting the environment from pollution and devastation. This includes monitoring and controlling factors such as air quality, water quality, soil pollution, and waste management. Environmental management and protection measures aim to reduce the negative impact of human activities, emissions, and harmful substances on ecosystems, wildlife, and natural resources.
Occupational safety
Workplace safety is the protection of workers' health and well-being in the workplace. This includes identifying and mitigating potential risks that may cause injury, illness, or accident to employees. Occupational safety measures create a working environment that complies with safety regulations through the provision of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), training of employees regarding safety programs, conducting safety inspections, and implementing safety procedures. In 2021, 5,190 workers suffered fatal occupational accidents in the United States, and EHS measures aim to reduce this number.1
Health and Wellness
Focuses on promoting the overall health and well-being of stakeholders and communities. This includes addressing public health issues, conducting health risk assessments, monitoring disease outbreaks, and implementing health promotion programs.