An important part of QHSE management is the environment. Especially today! Think of the Climate Agreement, nitrogen production, increasingly strict environmental legislation and the climate objectives for 2030. However, the environmental aspect of QHSE management is often underestimated. In this blog we will explain the most important points of attention when it comes to the environment.

QHSE, what is that again?

QHSE stands for Quality, Health, Safety and Environment. QHSE refers to the design of an organization’s policy in such a way that it complies with requirements and/or legislation in the field of working conditions, the environment and the quality of products or services. Components of QHSE are HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) and QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control).

Every organization organizes its QHSE management differently. But there are common characteristics. The guidelines for quality, health, safety and environment are often laid down in external guidelines. The ISO standards are the best known and most used of these. The QHSE management ensures that these guidelines are followed and included in the organization’s processes. An external organization periodically checks whether the ISO standards are actually followed, in the form of an external audit.

Environmental legislation

As an entrepreneur, you have a duty of care to prevent or limit the adverse effects of your business operations on the environment. The requirements you must meet are often included in the law. But what else should you look at?

Establishing requirements in environmental legislation for a company appears to be one of the most underestimated parts of QHSE in practice. QHSE managers or coordinators often have a “knowledge gap” about which environmental legislation applies to their own organization in its entirety.

The Environmental Management Act applies to all Dutch companies. This law contains general regulations for the protection of the environment. The law has been translated into concrete requirements for companies in the Activities Decree. This mainly contains general environmental rules for companies. For example, rules on the discharge of waste water, composting, the number of farm animals per square meter and instructions for welding work. Your company must comply with all requirements of the Activities Decree (if applicable).

Other environmental regulations

In addition to the requirements in the Activities Decree or the requirements in your environmental permit, other environmental regulations may also apply to your organisation. Sometimes this is referred to in the Activities Decree. This is the case, for example, in the case of the Soil Protection Act, the Water Act, the Decree on emission requirements for medium-sized combustion plants and the Soil Quality Decree. However, it is also important to look at topics such as transport and requirements for carbon dioxide emissions. The Energy Act also applies.

If your company has a major impact on the environment (for example, large metalworking companies), an environmental permit must be applied for. This permit also contains requirements that your organisation must meet. These conditions are often strict. ISO-14001, the certificate for environmental management systems, requires, among other things, that you have identified the relevant environmental laws and regulations for your company. In addition, it must be assessed whether the organisation also complies with these.

ISO-14001

ISO-14001 focuses on the environmental policy of an organization. This international standard sets the framework for a company’s environmental management system. ISO-14001 ties in with topics such as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and the circular economy. It responds to the importance for organizations to base their environmental policy on a good insight into both internal and external developments, but also into the requirements and expectations of stakeholders.

How can we help?

In order to show as a company that you seriously and systematically want to improve your environmental performance and objectives, it is wise to obtain the ISO-14001 certificate. INBISCO can support you with this! Thanks to our clear software, you can easily shape your environmental policy and have it tested via an external audit. Curious? Request a free demonstration and discover the convenience of our software!