Environmental protection, health management, and safety are guiding principles of our company and integral parts of our business processes. Siemens established an environmental protection office active throughout the company as far back as 1971. Since that time we have consistently expanded our environmental management system and adapted it for new challenges. Like safety and health management, environmental protection is an important element in our Business Conduct Guidelines, which represent the basis of activity for all Siemens employees. They are the source of our "Environmental Protection, Health Management, and Safety Principles" (EHS Principles) and our guidelines.
Siemens has integrated company-wide guideline competency for environmental protection, health management, and safety in the central “Environmental Protection, Health Management and Safety” office (EHS). The Managing Board member responsible for Corporate Human Resources is also responsible for EHS. Since July 2010 this has been Brigitte Ederer.
The EHS principles are the foundation for our EHS organization and our EHS management system worldwide. They document the Siemens guidelines for environmental protection, health management, and safety.
Environmental Protection, Health Management, and Safety Guidelines
Siemens requires the introduction of EHS management systems at the location, Division, and regional company levels. They are based on ISO 14001 (international standard for implementing environmental management systems) and OHSAS 18001 (certification basis for safety). Details are governed by the corporate environmental protection and safety offices in special guides. The health management guide is currently being drafted.
To monitor compliance with the EHS principles and implementation of the management systems, we have defined an audit concept. It has already been implemented in environmental protection and safety; health management will be added in the future. The audit concept states that an organizational unit is audited by the next-higher EHS office in the corporate hierarchy. At Siemens the managing boards of the regional companies must also ensure that local laws are observed. For this reason the EHS officers of the regional organizations also conduct legal compliance audits in addition to the examinations described above. The company's central EHS office monitors all these audits using systematically selected random samples to ensure consistent quality.
Additionally, internal and external environmental and safety audits are performed as needed at the location level in accordance with ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.
The basis for our EHS management system is a worldwide organization encompassing all levels of the company as well as all Divisions and regional companies. Responsibility for EHS matters is clearly assigned and addressed in this organization. Those with responsibility are supported by a network of EHS experts:
The EHS principles define all parties' responsibilities and lay out the requirements for the competency and qualifications of EHS experts. Those with responsibility appoint the EHS experts and provide the necessary technical and human resources. This ensures an excellent management system for environmental protection, health protection, and safety worldwide.
At least once a year the responsible individuals appointed to perform EHS duties evaluate the level of goal achievement for the past year, the status of projects, and strategies for the coming year as part of a management review. At the company level, the director of the central EHS office reports with his management team to the responsible Managing Board member. Quarterly reports supplement the management information.
We view environmental protection holistically: from planning our products to manufacturing them to the collection, recycling, and disposal of used products. At Siemens it therefore includes the environmental compatibility of our products and solutions and thus environmentally compatible product development, in addition to matters of industrial environmental protection.
Environmentally compatible product development is part of our product responsibility.
2011-Mar-11 | Author