How to make your company environmentally compliant

 

The world is growing too fast for its own good, and with developments in technology to serve an ever growing population, we constantly need to remind ourselves that the planet remains as the lone source of all of our resources. In this light, a more conscious concern for the environment was born, which many companies adopt today. In this blog, Martin Sanders shares some ways for companies to be environmentally compliant. 

Image source: moneycrashers.com

1. Use filtered water 
The average human being consumes about 2 liters of water per day. This amounts to as many as 8 disposable water bottles daily. It’s not hard to imagine that this is as many disposable bottles can be prevented from going to waste with the use of filtered water in the office. If all companies make this a policy, we would literally prevent tons of plastic bottles from going to waste each day.

2. Reduce paper waste
As it was before, the importance of reducing paper waste remains the same. Truthfully, with all the computing technology that is available today, there is no reason for companies not to go paperless and leave the documentation and other traditionally paper-heavy transactions to virtual storage. Certainly, this can be done by any company at least part of the time. People have to be more aware of how many trees need to be cut down just to produce paper. 

Image source: nextiva.com

3. Allow Telecommuting
Telecommuting affects the environment positively in so many ways that could increase a company’s environmentalism score. If workers were allowed to do work from home even just for some days of the week, then less people would need to transport themselves to work, which lessens pollution significantly. With a smaller workforce, less power is needed in the office too. It’s even a welcome bonus that a company can also save money when it rents a smaller place to do this, adds Martin Sanders.

Capt. Martin Sanders , Ph.D., is a scientist and officer in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. He currently serves as the Director of Safety, Environmental Compliance and Emergency Management for Federal Occupational Health, Program Support Center, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, and the acting Chief of Safety for the Department of Health and Human Services. To know more about his work, follow him on Twitter.


Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.

Safety Tips For Corporate Traveling

Image source: healthytravelblog.com

For major and multinational corporations, international travel is often necessary to attend business meetings outside the country. Regardless of the destination or length of the trip, safety precautions should be followed to avoid unwanted situations. Here are some safety tips to follow during corporate travels.

It is always good to research the culture of the location where you are traveling to. Some cultures have specific taboos, cultural or religious beliefs, social norms, or even laws that do not apply to your home country. For example, the use of pens with red ink is avoided in South Korea as it was historically used to write the name of diseased people in red.

Image source: iamat.org 

Booking a secure passage and a safe hotel should also be considered. By checking the ratings online, one can easily scope whether or not the hotel in question has high standards regarding safety and amenities. It also bodes well if the hotel can send personnel to pick you up from the airport to avoid abusive taxis or overpriced private shuttle transfers.

Lastly, prepare emergency items if necessary. If one takes prescription medication, one should bring enough as it may be difficult to find the same type of medicines in a foreign country.

Captain Martin Sanders formerly served as Chief of Safety for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), responsible for the HHS regulatory oversight related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). For more articles on occupational safety and health, click here.