Synergist - May 2010

air-conditioning costs by saving space, reducing accidents by keeping work areas orderly, and reducing hazardous waste by eliminating spills.

Kaizen events. These team efforts are intended to identify and eliminate waste from one part of a process and quickly make process changes. From analysis to implementation, kaizen events may last up to one week. The word “kaizen” is Japanese for continual improvement. This tool works well at the process level and involves people at various levels of the organization. For sustainability efforts, kaizen events can train workers and supervisors on environmental impacts of proposed process or material changes, such as air emissions from volatile organic compounds and wastewater discharges from water-intensive processes.

Value Stream Mapping (VSM). VSM involves developing maps of current and future conditions, including those encompassing suppliers and customers, to illustrate the effects of process changes. The objective of VSM is to look at an entire process and identify the changes needed to make it more efficient—that is, to “lean” it—and obtain the most significant improvement. This tool is applicable to the supply chain level and can be used to pursue sustainability goals, such as lowering carbon footprints by local sourcing of materials, increasing recycled content of products, or developing zero-wastewater discharge processes.

Six Sigma. A tool of continual improvement, Six Sigma is a detailed statistical control and data analysis method used to identify variation in a process, diagnose root causes of performance gaps, and improve quality control of a product or process. Green opportunities that may be uncovered by Six Sigma include reduction of raw materials and packaging costs by eliminating defective products, and consideration of the impacts of discarded products.

Key Performance Indicators. These met-
rics are used in manufacturing, supply
chain management, and sustainability to
relate outcomes from two separate ac-
tivities. Common examples include link-
ing business metrics—such as sales,
inventory levels, transportation costs or
production units—to energy use, water
or fuel consumption, accident rates, or
environmental aspects.

EHS Professionals’ Role EHS professionals have the training and experience to contribute to sustainability efforts. They have knowledge of the manufacturing environment, cross-disciplinary training, the ability to communicate effectively with different stakeholders, and professional experience in risk reduction strategies, auditing, and program development, as well as essential regulatory knowledge. With a better understanding of lean concepts and tools, EHS professionals can become key contributors in their company’s lean and green initiatives.

Thisarticlewasoriginallypublished,indifferent form, in Pulse Point, a newsletter published by AllianceConsultingInternational.

EnriqueMedina,MS,CIH,ispresidentofAlliance ConsultingInternationalandamemberoftheAIHA EnvironmentalIssuesCommittee.Heassistsorgani-zationstoimplementEHSmanagementsystems andsustainabilitystrategies.Hecanbereachedat emedina@pulse-point.comorat(619)297-1469.

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References

1. BPM Forum: Acceleration of Eco-Operation: Achieving Success and Sustainability in the Supply Chain. [Online] Available at www.eco-ops- center.com/ report.php (2009).

2. Framework:CR: “Where Sustainability Lives: Linking External

Recognition to the Organizational Structures that Support Sustainability.” [Online] Available at www.frameworkcr.com/wp-con- tent/uploads/2009/07/Where-sus- tainability-lives.pdf (2009).