Environmental Management ||
By: Isreal Hodges
August 2, 2017
Today’s fast-paced workplace requires one to be able not only to maneuver within and through adverse situations, but rather be able to predict when they may occur and ultimately prevent their occurrence. Professionals in the environmental and manufacturing realms understand the sensitivity of schedules and supply chains, realizing that one obstacle has the power to instantly disrupt systems that have matured over decades.
Environmental forecasting allows individuals, groups and companies to predict the future characteristics of the “environment,” whether in an industrial, ecological, or sociological sense, and make current decisions that will equip these groups for the future. However, a stretched workforce with limited resources may simply lack the time to look forward when there are several “fires” to take care of today. Here are some tips any professional can apply to their business operations:
1) Track the data you already report.
Proper forecasting involves lots of data to be collected, information that is already being reported to your local, state, and/or federal environmental agencies. Place this data into spreadsheets or databases that compare reporting periods, and then start the process of understanding the people and activities behind the data. Why did your water usage increase by 12% from last year? Why were disposal fees from your annual shutdown 24% lower in July 2017 compared to July 2016, but there was only a 4% decrease in waste volume generated? This line of thinking allows you to create ways to enhance your processes, increase the safety of your workers and decrease your organization’s environmental liabilities.
2) Assign an environmental, financial, or time cost to all unplanned downtime or system errors.
We often assign costs only in terms of dollars and cents spent or lost today, but many times the costs from unplanned downtime and/or environmental incidents are not incurred until much later down the road. Additionally, an issue may not result in direct financial losses, but productivity losses and increased environmental vulnerabilities all potentially end with penalties and fines if not addressed. Review your past incidents and the factors that led to them happening. These past lessons can be applied to future activities, better highlighting areas of environmental concerns and potential deviations, exceedances and violations if not properly managed. This is done more easily when there is an actual number assigned to the incident, emphasizing not only the costs suffered, but the potential losses of productivity (in man hours) or what an environmental penalty would be if one was issued.
3) Let the sun shine (when there is one).
Forecasting is not only to prevent system errors and wasteful use of resources, but to help organizations plan for positive events such as expansions (facilities and workforce) or product changes that are environmentally friendly. Reviewing and understanding the data allows companies to make informed decisions on how it will function with an extra facility, two additional product lines, or a 20% increase in employees. These changes will ultimately affect your environmental & safety permits needed to operate, which can affect your environmental fees, inspection occurrences, and needs for additional control devices because of your increases and expansions.
These simple tips can become powerful when implemented into an organization’s philosophy. They allow opportunities for improvement to be realized without any individual or group enduring an increased workload. Ultimately, if there’s a potential for cost savings, improved products yield, or even decreased environmental liabilities, it will set up your company for success more quickly than one who does not have an eye toward the future.
If your organization would like to better understand how an environmental forecasting plan will establish & improve its operational excellence, please contact us today so we can assist you in refining your company’s environmental objectives and develop strategies that help you reach your goals effectively.
Take care, and the best is yet to come!