Recommendations for the integration of an occupational health and safety management system and an environmental management system

Research found, through the use of literature reviews and key informant interviews, that organizations integrate their Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and Environmental Management Systems to achieve cost savings, as opposed to improvements in health, safety, and environmental performance. Those individuals interviewed however, were not able to provide substantial evidence that cost savings were a direct result of integration, or that they outweighed the costs of integration, since savings were not adequately monitored. Also, a significant barrier to integration was identified in the cultural differences between the environmental departments and health and safety departments of the organizations. Therefore, the recommendations developed for managers involved in the integration process, focus heavily on the planning stage of integration, where the organization identifies the need for integration and determines how it will occur, as well as the integration of differing cultures. The recommendations suggest that an organization must first determine a legitimate business case for the integration of the two management systems, by conducting a cost-benefit analysis where the organization weighs the costs of the integration process against the benefits anticipated. The use of measurable objectives and targets and associated performance indicators to more adequately track the benefits attained is also recommended. Recommendations also advocate determining how fully the two systems will be integrated, at the various levels in the organization, and analyzing the departmental cultures in order to more adequately manage the culture change that often accompanies integration.