8 | |MARCH - APRIL 2026By Ergin Akba, Senior Manager - EHS Management Systems, AVANGRID [NYSE: AGR]ELEVATING YOUR COMPLIANCE-BASED EHS PROGRAMS TO RISK-BASED EHS PROGRAMSDo you wear a seatbelt because it's the law, or do you wear it to prevent severe injury or death in case of an accident? The answer can be both, and this idea can also apply to your company's culture, including how to manage safety. If you only focus on meeting the minimum regulatory requirement, you're missing a large opportunity when managing risk for your organization. This is where risk-based thinking comes into play and with a robust system, it can be achieved. Risk-based thinking is a systematic way of identifying risk and putting actions in place to both prevent an unwanted outcome and leverage an opportunity. For example, when driving, we automatically manage risks--such as weather conditions, speed, and fastest routes--and react to hazards or opportunities. During a blizzard, we'll drive under the speed limit or pull over until conditions improve. Or, if we're stuck in heavy traffic during our commute, we'll take advantage of carpool lanes to avoid being late. In business, companies must have a system in place to manage Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) risks. If you're having a hard time meeting the regulatory requirement for EHS risk, standards from the International Organization for Standards (ISO), The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) can help you build a framework to manage risk at every level of your organization. The following are the foundational standards to consider in your journey of building an EHS Management System that helps you better manage risks:· ISO 14001: Environmental management standards to help minimize your operations' environmental impact and comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements.· ISO 45001:2018: Enables you to integrate aspects of health and safety, such as worker wellness or wellbeing. Here, ISO 45003 can also complement your management system by implementing effective controls to manage psychosocial risks. · ANSI/ASSP Z10. 0: Helps to establish management systems to improve employee safety, reduce workplace risks and create better working conditions. While this standard is similar to ISO 45001, Z10 differs because it is based on the U.S. laws and regulations, business practices, labor relations, and health and safety approaches (whereas ISO 45001 considers these from international ISO member countries).· OSHA VPP: Promotes effective ways of handling health and safety risks by establishing a cooperative relationship between management, workers, and OSHA.The above standards have many aspects to move us from compliance-based thinking to risk-based thinking. While we should not ignore compliance requirements, they should instead be treated as a foundation to build from. In a robust system with engaged stakeholders, the risk is identified at all levels of the organization by recognizing and evaluating risk (not all risks are built equally), assessing the actions to control the risk, and prioritizing risk in order to manage them. IN MY OPINIONErgin Akba
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