The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can provide a useful framework to organise a company’s Sustainability & CSR efforts. With ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance) performance becoming an increasingly critical metric for stakeholders, adherence to SDGs quantify business operations in a relevant manner.
Incoming President Joe Biden is set to radically overhaul the US Government's attitude towards the environment. Chief among his proposed goals is a return to the Paris Agreement, which the US controversially quit as of November 2020. Signatories of the agreement are required to adopt a framework that regularly reports on emissions, submit nationally determined contribution plans (NDCs) limiting emissions, and outline implementation efforts, with the goal of keeping global temperature increase below 2C.
Making environmental performance commitments – whether it be to achieve carbon neutrality by a certain date, or otherwise minimise impact on the environment – is in vogue for many businesses. The rising relevance of ESG, and interest in sustainability, has introduced tangible financial incentives for companies to improve environmental performance.
At Emex, we strive to provide the best in class for Health & Safety Management, Environmental Performance and Sustainability & ESG Reporting. Siloed data, inefficient workflow systems, and inadequate reporting expose businesses to unnecessary risk - Emex automates these complex processes to optimise business performance.
Whether employers like it or not, remote work is set to become a regular feature of employment. Forced by the closing of offices and other work environments, millions around the world have now been working from home for a considerable amount of time during lockdown. LinkedIn research suggests that ‘job searches for remote work have gone up 60% globally since March.’ Shopify has suggested that its offices will be closed until 2021, and many tech firms such as Slack have announced permanent remote working. Businesses can predict a saving in overheads; less office space means increased profit per employee. Yet employers are still responsible for the health & safety of their employees, and liable if something goes wrong.
Ventilation has been shown to be a key weapon in the fight against COVID-19, so now is the time for H&S consultants, FMs and building owners to work together to prepare buildings for people returning to work full time. Sara MacLean from MacLean Communications explains.
Coronavirus has caused the largest decline in economic health since the second world war; a contraction three times greater than that caused by the '08-'09 crash. But economic risk is equalled by never before seen levels of occupational risk, even in traditionally safe working environments. Employees in shops, restaurants, and offices are on the frontline as businesses seek to re-open. But as businesses react to the threat of COVID-19, it is paramount that employees remain protected by a holistic EHS management system. After all, 'traditional' Health & Safety risks are still present in the workplace, and should not be ignored despite new pandemic threats.
Protection Beyond Compliance
COVID-19 has placed a spotlight on employee health & safety. Businesses that may never have filed an incident report find themselves in murky waters. Many have responded by implementing EHS management systems, in a desperate effort to manage and understand the threat of COVID-19. In the UK, the HSE has made it clear that workplace exposure to the virus is a prosecutable offence. Yet businesses are not only responsible for preventing the spread of the virus; they also must protect remotely working employees, providing at home risk assessments and appropriate equipment. Under the headline issue of the pandemic spread, a whole new risk environment has been created by new workplace realities. So how can businesses protect employees from all sources of risk, beyond headline issues?
Unforeseen Risk
As businesses get a grip on the realities of working during the pandemic, unforeseen areas of risk threaten employee safety. With the need for social distancing, reduced staff on site, and new PPE requirements, normal tasks take on unexpected risks. Any business that wants to proactively protect their employees needs a system that can balance COVID-19 risk with pre-existing issues like
Emex. For the construction worker, reduced staff may make it more difficult to carry out day to day tasks, exposing them to an increased chance of injury.
Holistic EHS Management
The pandemic has acted as a catalyst, flagging the need for proactive EHS management to keep businesses operational. But the virus is only one area of risk, one which will eventually disappear. Management have to take a holistic view of risk management if they want to properly protect employees, acknowledging pre-existing areas of risk as well as new challenges that occur. If they do not, unreactive businesses will not be able to respond to the next risk event on the horizon.
London, 1.06.2020
- Emex, a leading EHS software provider, has today announced the release of an
innovative COVID-19 solution to enable businesses and their employees to safely return to work. With over a decade of sector experience, Emex has taken proven EHS functionality and adapted the platform to aid businesses of all sizes in return to work initiatives.
Businesses are beginning to return to work. Employees who have been safely working remotely are now preparing themselves for a return to the workplace. For many, this is good news, and a step on the path towards normality. Yet anxiety remains for employees in a variety of workplaces, from teachers, construction contractors, and office based workers.
It is no secret that mental health issues affect the construction industry more severely than comparable industries. Male site workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than their non-construction counterparts; with men making up nearly 90% of the construction workforce, this is a clear systemic issue in the industry.
