Environment Health & Safety (EHS) Policy

Standard Operating Procedure for Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Policy and procedure/practices at pharmaceutical drug manufacturing plants.

Procedure / Policy: Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)

1.0   PURPOSE:

    • The objective of the procedure is to define the company goal and driven procedures with respect to the top management.
    • Establish the Environment, Health & Safety Management System (EHSMS), which defines the business process and activities for managing EHS in the company.
    • An interdependent culture where EHS is considered a core value and employees are encouraged to demonstrate behavior that never compromises on EHS.
    • The company should strive for best practices in business, production, and research, while continuously improving our environment, health, and safety (EHS) performance.
    • The EHS policy – A guiding principle used to set direction in an organization.
    • The course of action to guide and influence decisions.
    • A guide to decision making under a given set of circumstances within the framework of objectives, goals, and management philosophies as determined by senior management.
    • Policies are long-term, high-level management instructions.
    • Policies reflect an organization’s goals, objectives, culture, and intended for broad audiences.
    • They also are mandatory and are applicable to anyone — employee, contractor, temporary, etc. Policies drive standards, procedures, and technical controls.
    • The Company should be committed to bring in and maintain with continuous improvement of high standards of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) management as an integral part of the business in consonance with corporate values and culture to maintain ‘Zero Harm’to employees working to us and ‘No damage’ to the environment wherever we operate.

2.0   SCOPE – SOP FOR ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & SAFETY (EHS) POLICY:

    • This Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policy and the procedure are applicable to all employees, managers, contractors, temporary employees, and visitors at the pharmaceutical drug manufacturing plant.

3.0   REFERENCES:

    • In House

4.0   RESPONSIBILITIES –ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & SAFETY (EHS):

    • Unit Head /Plant Management shall be responsible for  :

    • Accepting the centralized policy and release the updated policy.
    • Review the policy in case any changes mentioned above.
    • Form a review team for reviewing regulatory changes.
    • Take part as leadership, guidance, and commitment, and allocates the necessary resources for the purpose of assimilating a safety culture and continuously improving the level of safety under their responsibility.
    • Assisting the operational bodies to improve on Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) culture and encourage them to enhance EHS activities.
    • Set Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) performance indicators throughout the company, and follow up on their improvement.
    • Develop and maintain human and technological infrastructures in order to draw conclusions from Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) incidents, publish and distribute these conclusions throughout the organization, build an information base of insights and best practices, and seek constant improvement;
    • Ensure that his site conducts a gap analysis with respect to the audit protocol of the Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policy.
    • Head Human Resource (HR) shall be responsible for :

    • Ensuring that employee’s awareness of the company’s Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policy.
    • New joinee shall be going through the company Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policy & this shall be documented in the training file.
    • Notifying to EHS department for any deviation happens from the EHS policy.
    • Head – Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) shall be responsible for :

    • Ensuring that employee’s awareness towards the company’s EHS policy.
    • Ensure that all employees in the units under their responsibility follow the Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policy/ principles.
    • Take an active role in developing, implement, and maintain a recorded on a safety system that complies with the company’s EHS policy.
    • Ensuring that operational activities comply with the company’s Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policies.
    • Follow up on local legislation and other changes in the areas under their responsibility and adapt their EHS system to the changing requirements.
    • Implement a system for conducting an audit on Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policy and the gaps are recorded.
    • Respective Department Heads shall be responsible for :

    • Ensure their department employees are aware of the company’s EHS policy.
    • Clearly identifies dedicated employees for the implantation of the policy.
    • Ensure the training of all the employees on the EHS policy and new joiners also oriented company EHS Policy.
    • Adequate knowledge applicable to EHS rules and regulations, training and reporting requirements, and standard operating procedures associated with their department.

Related: SOP for Training Management System

    • Identifying hazardous conditions or operations in their department, determining safe procedures and its controls, and implementation on the EHS system where enforcing standard safety procedures.
    • Training of all employees on the revised EHS policy and align with the policy for EHS improvement. New joinee shall be going through the company EHS policy & this shall be documented in the training file.
    • Notifying for any regulatory changes pertain to their department and incorporate it to the EHS policy.
    • Conduct gap analysis with respect to the EHS policy audit protocol and write CAPA for the identified gaps in the EHS CAPA portal and track them.
    • Quality Assurance Department shall be responsible for:

    • Check the SOP and maintain the master copy of SOP for all departments.
    • Issuance of the controlled copy of SOP & maintain issuance copy record.
    • Retrieve the controlled copy of SOP when it is superseded and to control &Monitor the review process of the SOP.
    • Ensure implementation of SOP
    • IT Department shall be responsible for:

    • To provide access authorization for authorized persons as per SOP.

4.0   ABBREVIATIONS:

    • EHS:  Environment, Health & Safety
    • EHSMS:  Environment, Health & Safety Management System.
    • IT:  Information Technology

5.0   PROCEDURE – ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & SAFETY (EHS):

    • Ensure the following below mentioned expectations by the respective person and or their team members.
      • The signed EHS policy by the top management shall display at company premises & also in all departments.
      • Plant / Site Head should release the policy to the site by communicating to his team in an open forum or town hall and express his commitment to following the EHS policy.
      • All department HODs to conduct an open forum in their department regarding their commitment to site safety rules and get the commitment from each of their department employees.
      • Site safety rules to be part of EHS induction.
      • Conduct regular awareness sessions on-site safety rules and incline branch surveys (annual basis).
      • Implement the Gate pass system with the provision of having Site Safety Rules on it and also taking acknowledgment from the visitor of the same.
      • The department HOD shall ensure the display of EHS policy in their department. Keep intact and replaced if found in poor condition.
      • Provide the training to all employees on the EHS policy and align with the policy for EHS improvement
      • The site EHS team shall provide training to all employees and new joinee of the site on EHS policy and evaluate their training effectiveness.
    • Document the training.

    • EHS team to communicate the regulatory changes to the site employees.
    • The EHS team shall provide training to the site employees on the EHS regulatory changes.
    • Head EHS shall update the policy with the new occupier in case of any change in the company.
    • The department HOD shall communicate to their employee if any changes to the EHS policy.
    • If there are no changes as mentioned above, the EHS policy shall be revised once in 3 years by the Site Head depending on the EHS policy rolled out by corporate.
    • Revised EHS Policy to be communicated to all employees & concerned and will be displayed at all prominent places at site.
    • Changes to the policy shall be acknowledged by all the employees and the affected parties by signing the documents for their acceptance.
    • The EHS policy & procedures are expected to achieve the goals “ZERO HARM” to our employees and no damage to the environment. Follow EHS Policy & procedure every one, every day & everywhere in our site.Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)
    • The Company EHS Policy and procedure shall be communicating and shall be proactively achieving the management goal.

6.0   DISTRIBUTION:

    • Maintenance
    • Environment, Health & Safety
    • Quality Assurance
    • Quality Control
    • Production
    • Personnel and Administration
    • Information Technology

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