EHS Trends To Watch Out For In 2022
Companies of all shapes and sizes around the world are concerned about the safety and well-being of their employees. In the aftermath of the pandemic, this concern has assumed a newer meaning. Companies collectively took all possible measures to keep up with the incoming challenge and ensure the safety of their employees by strictly mandating remote work.
Now that work-life is set to come back to the office, even in the case of hybrid work models, ensuring the safety and health of the employees will be the biggest challenge facing companies. The challenge has also given rise to new opportunities for adding value to the company by staying on top of EHS trends that will differentiate you from your competitors.
EHS professionals will have their work cut out as they gear up to welcome employees to offices. Their job will gain more prominence as employee safety will assume center stage under the new scheme of things. In such a scenario, EHS professionals need to stay on top of the latest EHS trends to do justice to their job roles and add value to their company. Some of these trends are discussed below:
Climate change will push environmental management
As effects of climate change have become more visible lately, companies have begun placing increased emphasis on environmental management. The shift in their stance may be viewed as a direct result of the combination of voluntary efforts and pressure for regulations. EHS professionals should keep track of these developments.
Leaders of the biggest companies of the world have been vocal about their support, both material and intellectual, for environment management initiatives within and beyond their organizations. Net zero-emission targets have become a centerpiece of their show of solidarity towards mitigating the effects of environmental degradation.
Organizational success will start depending heavily on climate risk management
The advent of the pandemic and the hammering of the global economy in the aftershock has placed increased pressure on companies to bring climate risk management into the fold of their projects. The pandemic has exacerbated the process of adoption of climate risk mitigation measures within the working pedagogy of organizations.
The growing danger of climate change calls for companies to reduce their environmental damage activities, directly or indirectly contributing towards it. The overall risk management strategies of companies will now have dedicated efforts towards climate risk management as the consequences are already upon us.
Investment in clean energy will increase by leaps and bounds
In the sequence of taking necessary measures to counter climate change risks, companies are now motivated to shift to cleaner sources of energy for all of their energy needs. Demand for fossil fuels is slowly decreasing as the pandemic exposed the volatility of the oil market, in addition to its adverse impact on the environment.
Governments have started offering aid and incentives for industries that adopt and promote the use of clean power. The idea is to give impetus to a large-scale shift to clean energy in a bid to reduce the impact of climate change and save future generations from impending doom.
EHS will continue with digital transformation
The sudden shift to remote work increased the dependence of companies on cloud-based EHS software. As a result, EHS software has elevated from being the tool of choice for large corporations to become a mainstay for companies of all shapes and sizes.
The digital transformation in EHS will continue as software like VelocityEHS is affordable and doesn’t burn a big hole in a company’s pockets. VelocityEHS reviews speak for themselves as far as user satisfaction goes.
Diversity and inclusion will become priorities in health & safety practices
There have been demands from the employees and the civil society to address the issues of race and inequality within companies. The companies are expected to begin with an unequivocal acknowledgment of disparities existing in occupational safety and health.
Therefore, EHS professionals must be equipped to address the hazards and challenges faced by minority employees, including harassment, language barriers, intimidation, and job security. The next step is to break free all barriers to employee safety.
Conclusion
EHS professionals are primed to assume a bigger role in the functioning of organizations. Therefore, they must be up to date with all of the above trends to stand out in their work.
