IGD 1003: ESOHMS ASPECTS/RISK ASSESSMENTS

A. PURPOSE

This Interpretive Guidance Document (IGD) provides general guidance for the DLA-SM 

Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health Management System (ESOHMS)

aspects, risks, hazards, and opportunities. These aspects, risks, hazards, and 

opportunities are from those activities, products, and services that DLA-SM can be 

expected to influence and have control over. The ESOHMS aspects, risks, hazards, and 

opportunities assessment processes are based upon the guiding principles set forth in 

the integration of ISO 14001:2015 & ISO 45001:2018. 

B. PROCESS 

1. Actions addressing risks and opportunities

Planning for the ESOHMS, DLA-SM considers:

a. Internal and external issues relevant to the purpose of ESOH and that 

affect the ability to achieve intended outcomes of the ESOHMS. Such 

issues shall include ESOH conditions being affected by or capable of 

affecting DLA-SM.

b. DLA-SM shall determine interested parties, in addition to workers, 

relevant to the ESOHMS.

c. Relevant needs and expectations (i.e. requirements) of workers and other

interested parties.

d. Which of these needs and expectations are, or could become, ESOH 

legal requirements, environmental compliance obligations, or other 

requirements.

e. The scope of the ESOHMS.

f. Determine ESOH risks and opportunities that need to be addressed to:

i. Give assurance the ESOHMS can achieve its intended outcomes.

ii. Prevent or reduce undesired effects.

iii. Achieve continual improvement.

iv. Consider the following:

1. ESOH risks, aspects, and hazards.

2. ESOH opportunities and other opportunities.

3. ESOH legal requirements, compliance obligations, and 

other requirements.
4. ESOH potential emergency situations, including those that 

can have environmental impacts.

5. Planned, permanent, or temporary changes effecting the 

ESOHMS before the changes are implemented.

Documentation shall be maintained and retained for determining and addressing 

ESOH risks and opportunities to the extent necessary to have confidence they 

are carried out as planned.

2. Assessment of ESOH risks, aspects, and opportunities and other risks, aspects, 

and opportunities

DLA-SM will establish, implement, and maintain processes to:

a. Assess ESOH aspects and risks from identified adverse environmental 

impacts and hazards and other risks related to the establishment, 

implementation, operation, and maintenance of the ESOHMS.

b. The methodologies and criteria for the assessment of ESOH risks and 

aspects are defined with respect of their scope, nature, and timing to 

ensure these methodologies and criteria are proactive rather than 

reactive and used in a systematic way and that all related documentation 

will be maintained and retained. 

c. Assess opportunities to enhance the ESOH performance, while 

accounting for planned changes to DLA-SM, its processes, policies, or its 

activities; assess opportunities to adapt to work, the work organization, 

and work environment to workers, and assess opportunities to eliminate 

hazards and to utilize beneficial environmental impacts and reduce ESOH 

risks; and assess other opportunities for improving the ESOHMS.

3. ESOH aspects and hazards identification

a. Environmental aspects identification:

i. Within the defined ESOHMS scope, DLA-SM will determine the

environmental aspects of its activities, products, and services that it 

can control and those that it can influence, and their associated 

environmental impacts, considering a life cycle perspective.

ii. DLA-SM will consider the following when determining environmental 

aspects: abnormal conditions; reasonably foreseeable emergency 

situations; planned or new developmental changes; and new or 

modified activities, products, and services.

iii. DLA-SM will determine those aspects that have or can have 

significant environmental impact (significant environmental aspects) 

by using established criteria.
iv. DLA-SM will communicate the determined significant environmental 

aspects among the various levels and functions of the organization, 

as appropriate.

v. DLA-SM will maintain documented information of the determined 

environmental aspects and their associated environmental impacts,

criteria used to determine significant environmental aspects, and the 

significant environmental aspects.

b. Safety and Occupational Health hazards identification:

i. DLA-SM will establish, implement, and maintain a process for 

hazard identification that is ongoing and proactive. The process will 

consider, but not be limited to: 

1. How work is organized, social factors (including workload, 

work hours, victimization, harassment, and bullying), 

leadership, and the culture within DLA-SM.

2. Routine and non-routine activities and situations, including 

hazards arising from:

a. Infrastructure, equipment, materials, substances, 

and the physical conditions of the workplace.

b. Product and service design, research, 

development, testing, production, assembly, 

construction, service delivery, maintenance, and 

disposal.

c. Human factors.

d. How the work is performed.

3. Past relevant incidents that are internal or external to DLASM, including emergencies, and their causes.

4. Potential emergency situations.

5. People, including consideration of: 

a. Those with access to the workplace and their 

activities, including workers, contractors, visitors, 

and other persons.

b. Those in the vicinity of the workplace who can be 

affected by the activities of DLA-SM.

c. Workers at a location not under DLA-SM direct 

control.
6. Other issues, including consideration of:

a. The design of work areas, processes, installations, 

machinery/equipment, operating procedures, and 

work organizations, including their adaptation to the 

needs and capabilities of the workers involved.

b. Situations occurring in the vicinity of the workplace 

caused by work-related activities under the control 

of DLA-SM.

c. Situations not controlled by DLA-SM and occurring 

in the vicinity of the workplace that can cause injury 

and ill health to persons in the workplace.

7. Actual or proposed changes in DLA-SM, operations, 

processes, activities, and the ESOHMS.

8. Changes in knowledge of, and information about, hazards.

C. SUPPORTING ESOHMS DOCUMENTS

1. DLA-SM ESOHMS Policy Statement

2. DLA-SM ESOH Management Plan 

3. DLA-SM Activities & Environmental Aspects

4. DLA-SM Job Hazard Analyses

“Any reproduction of this document may not reflect the current version. Please refer to 

the ‘I Am The Key’ website for the most current version.”