An environmentally responsible company knows how its operations impact the environment and how environmental impacts are managed. Use of materials, raw materials, chemicals and energy, as well as waste and wastewater pollute the environment. Environmental impacts can affect nature, the climate, human health and living conditions.
All products of your company, as well as goods and services, have environmental impacts. They may concern raw material procurement, different stages of product manufacturing, product use or product disposal.
Your company should always act with caution and thoroughness in environmental matters. Make every effort to prevent risks and minimise adverse effects. Prepare risk management plans. The company is responsible for providing compensation and for repairing environmental damage it has caused, which means that good environmental management also creates financial security for the company.
Familiarise yourself with environmental protection legislation and environmental guidelines relevant to your company. You can also ask for advice from environmental authorities as well as from Tukes and the Rescue Department in matters related to chemical safety.
Risks of environmental pollution may arise in different areas of your company's activities. The risks may be linked to the storage of raw materials, the production process itself and products, repairs and maintenance, as well as building structures. In addition, lack of preventive action and lacking environmental competence of personnel may also pose an environmental risk.
For example, hazardous or harmful substances may spread as sudden emissions in accident situations, causing an immediate threat when spreading in air, soil, bodies of water or groundwater. On the other hand, a device leak or other fault that has gone undetected may cause gradual pollution of the environment. When realised, environmental risks can harm the health of both humans and other organisms and the quality of the living environment.
Your company is also financially responsible for any environmental damage caused by its operations, so investing in good risk management is worthwhile.
The purpose of environmental risk management is to ensure the success, production capacity and the continuation of operations of your company so that the health and safety of the environment are not affected. Environmental risks will remain minimal if you implement pre-emptive and thorough risk management.
Start by identifying and reviewing the environmental risks associated with your business operations. Also assess their likelihood and what will happen if they are realised. Consider all eventualities and the situations in which they may occur and why. Also come up with ideas on how you can prevent risks from becoming reality, and plan the actions necessary if risks are realised. When making risk management plans, try to ensure that the losses arising from the realisation of the risks can be minimised.
Prepare clear and detailed plans for accidents and other emergencies. Provide your employees with guidance, instructions and training so that they know how to manage risks associated with their daily tasks and how to act in emergencies.
Use your environmental management system in the risk management process.