An integrated environmental information system (IEIS) for corporate environmental management

摘要

Enterprise-wide information systems have been gradually moving into the corporate and industrial setting, driven by demands for nimbleness and efficiency in the competitive marketplace. These systems seek to integrate access to and management of such information as financial, inventory and personnel data. Implementation of these systems is often highly disruptive to the organization, because it requires a significant change in the way units within the firm do business, but may be undertaken anyway because of the strong business case that can be made on their behalf. Environment, health and safety (EHS) management has similar requirements, but the role of this function within the organization presents unique problems that have inhibited implementation of integrated environmental information systems, particularly in large companies. EHS is different than most business processes for two reasons. It is associated with government regulations and the significant legal and economic sanctions which can result from violations, but at the same time it is considered an 'overhead' operation and is not seen as adding direct value to the product or the firm. The former constrains the way in which EHS information can be managed, while the latter prevents the EHS organization from disrupting business operations in order to implement an integrated information management system. These problems are exacerbated in larger firms, since most EHS information management processes grow in proportion to the number of people the company employs and the number of buildings the company owns or leases. The present case study describes an approach taken by a company with over 10000 facilities and hundreds of thousands of employees.