Health, Safety, and Environment Management and ISO 14001 in Shell Canada: Addressing Increasing Public Expectations in Exploration, Development, and Operations
Authors: Crowe T. , Cussin J. , Calder L. 
Published: March 2010

Background

Society's expectations of big corporations are changing. These expectations include The need for safe places to live and work, a healthy environment environmental protection, conservation of biodiversity, clean air and water, and a reasonable rate of return on investment. Public confidence in large corporations is at a low ebb. Companies must do more than tell people what they are doing to meet these expectations. They must show them.

In the past decade, then.. have been many issues that the oil and gas industry has needed to address such as flaring, c1imale change, land use and the creation of access, and water usage and availability.

Stakeholders of all types are demanding increased engagement and participation in the decision-making process at the exploration. Development, and operation stage. The implications for the oil and gas industry are critical. Continuing to have access to explore and develop hydrocarbon resources is becoming a major issue for the industry.

Shell Canada is striving to meet these changing expectations. In 1990. Shell adopted a formal policy and management system on sustainable development. Since then it has been working to integrate the economic, environmental, and social considerations of sustainable development into the Company's day-To-day business activities. In recent years, the most powerful addition to Shell's understanding of sustainable development has been the identifications of the need for transparency in the Company's policies, plans., and performance.

To address these changing expectations in 2000 Shell began revising its system for environmental management in order to register to the international standard ISO 14001.

As an initial step towards registration, ISO 14001 requires companies to identify the environmental interactions of their operations called environmental aspects. The ISO 14001 Standard requires that an organization must know and uderstand its interactions with the environment and must have a system in place to effectively control and manage this interaction.

The management of Shell's environmental aspects is controlled Through its Environmental Management System (EMS). This EMS provides a structured framework to effectively manage environmental risks and issues and provide a process to initiate improvement. Shell's EMS is embedded in its broader Health, Safety and Environment Management System (HSE MS). In 2000 and 2001, Shell successfully registered the EMS of its operating activities and major business functions to the ISO 14001 standard.

What is ISO 14001 and Why Register?

ISO 14001 registration is one way to demonstrate transparency and accountability to stakeholders. ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized environmental management standard that is used by organizations across the world. Registering to ISO 14001 required that an outside independent body (Registrar) audit Shell's environmental management system initially, and then continuously. The external audit by an outside body is an important element to demonstrate transparency and accountability.

The ISO 14001 Standard defines a minimum set of requirements for environmental management that an organization must have effectively implemented to achieve registration. The systematic approach structure and discipline that an ISO 14001 management system creates helps companies focus on continually improving their environmental performance.