The “Right Home” for Environment, Health and Safety

Several surveys conducted by management consulting organizations show that Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) is “housed” in a wide variety of locations within organizations — Operations, Facilities, Legal and Human Resources, to name a few. Determination of the functional department that “owns” EHS is attributable to a number of factors, including the organization’s perceived EHS risks as well as the legacy of influence left by the organization’s various leaders.

Whether we work in a small-, medium-, or large-sized organization, none of us is individually responsible for how well EHS performs. The location of the EHS department’s “home” within an organization can make a big difference in its effectiveness.

In this article, Mark Katschen shares his experience as a consultant working with environmental, health and safety groups across a variety of industries and government agencies on optimal placement of the EHS department within an organization.

Author

Mark Katchen

Mark Katchen, MS, MBA, CIH, FAIHA is Managing Principal of The Phylmar Group — an organization that manages three business consortia in the EHS/sustainability area. Consortia members are Fortune 500 companies interested in monitoring regulatory changes, exchanging information on compliance issues and implementing best practices. More information can be found at www.phylmar.com. Katchen’s consulting expertise includes optimizing the EHS/Sustainability function by focusing on mission alignment, resource allocation and utilization, business process improvement, and demonstrating the value of EHS/Sustainability to the organization.