The Ideal State of EHS: How To Visualize the Future

For organizations just beginning their journey with EHS&S management, visualizing the future can be difficult. With a variety of workplace risks, inefficient incident management processes and data scattered across spreadsheets, you may be overwhelmed trying to fix everything at once.  

If you're just starting out, or trying to paint a picture of what a modern EHS program could look like for your leadership team, it's important to define what your realistic ideal state of EHS should be. This vision not only provides direction but also lays the groundwork for EHS professionals looking to build a business proposal for software investments. Let’s discuss this in more depth below. 

Using the EHS Maturity Model to Chart Your Path 

Prior to visualizing your ideal state of EHS, you should determine where your organization falls on the EHS maturity model. The maturity model curve establishes a baseline for your organization’s progress and provides steps for advancing to the next stage. Your organization will likely fall in one of the follow five stages: 

1. Negligence: Organization has little to no EHS accountability. 

2. Reactive: Organization practices health and safety, but only after incidents occur. 

3. Compliant: Organization follows all regulations and standards but does not actively improve beyond minimum requirements. 

4. Proactive: Organization strives to be proactive in all things EHS 

5. Achieving Excellence: Organization understands EHS is a continuous journey. 

Keep in mind that it may not be realistic to jump ahead multiple stages at once. Focus on getting to the next step through achievable, reasonable goals. Do this by picturing how your EHS program would operate one stage ahead of where you are now. What data would you have access to? What processes would be automated? How would your teams behave differently? Use the answers to these questions as a step-by-step guide for your long-term vision.  

What Does the Ideal State of EHS Look Like?

The final stage of the maturity model, “Achieving Excellence,” is where organizations should aim to be. 

In a mature, high-performing EHS program, the focus shifts from reacting to incidents to building a system that proactively prevents them from happening. Rather than chasing compliance, EHS becomes embedded into daily operations. Data is unified in a central platform that makes it efficient to compile reports, identify hazards and stay compliant.  

While the specifics may vary depending on organization size, industry or structure, most high-performing EHS programs share these core characteristics: 

• Centralized and accessible data 

• Engaged, accountable workforce 

• Proactive workflows 

• Automated manual processes 

• Data-driven decision-making 

• Integrated processes  

• Real-time visibility  

• Feedback loops 

• Accessible training 

Achieving a health and safety program that operates at this level requires EHS to be fully embedded in your organization’s core values. W. Edwards Deming, one of the leading minds in management theory, argued that “94% of workplace issues are systemic, and only 6% are attributable to individual-level idiosyncratic factors.”  

In other words, remember that poor past performance isn’t the result of specific individuals, but rather overarching organizational practices and systems. Use this reasoning to strive for a high-performing EHS program that embeds safety organization-wide. 

Support to Business Goals 

An ideal EHS program does more than just reduce workplace incidents. When planning for the future, be sure to include how EHS initiatives can directly support your organization’s broader business objectives. Organizations that reach the “Achieving Excellence” stage of the maturity model see: 

• Reduced costs associated with workplace incidents 

• Increased operational efficiency and productivity 

• Streamlined regulatory compliance 

• Improved employee trust, engagement and retention 

• Strengthened ESG performance and brand reputation 

This is the kind of value that resonates with senior leadership. A clearly defined, holistic vision of ideal EHS performance makes it easier to demonstrate impact and secure ongoing support for future initiatives.   

Conclusion? You Don’t Have To Do It All at Once

In a perfect world, workplace injuries and illnesses would be sufficiently prevented. Achieving this level of performance can seem far off for businesses in the beginning stages of EHS maturity. Therefore, approach progress with a mindset of continuous improvement, rather than trying to fix everything all at once. Remember, transformation is a journey: there will always be room for improvement.  

Investing in EHS programs that promise high safety performance is one way to steer your organization in the right direction. Talk with one of our EHS experts today to see how Evotix can help you on this journey.