Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

14.14 
Environmental considerations
Organizations must also be concerned with aspects of 
the environment. There will be an interaction between 
the health and safety policy and the environmental pol-
icy which many organizations are now developing. Many 
of these interactions will be concerned with good prac-
tice, the reputation of the organization within the wider 
community and the establishment of a good health and 
safety culture. The health and safety data sheet, used 
for a COSHH assessment, also contains information of 
an environmental nature covering ecological information 
and disposal considerations.
There are three environmental issues which place 
statutory duties on employers and are directly related to 
the health and safety function. These are:
➤
air 
pollution
➤
water 
pollution
➤
waste 
disposal.
The statutory duties are contained in the Environmental 
Protection Act (EPA) 1990 and several of its subsequent 
regulations. The Act is enforced by various state agen-
cies (the Environment Agency, Local Authorities) and 
these agencies have very similar powers to the Health 
and Safety Executive (e.g. enforcement, prohibition 
notices and prosecution). The Act is divided into nine 
parts but this chapter will only be concerned with Part 
1 (the control of pollution into the air, water or land) and 
Part 2 (waste disposal).
Pollution is a term that covers more than the effect 
on the environment of atmospheric emissions, effl uent 
discharges and solid waste disposal from industrial 
processes. It also includes the effect of noise, vibration, 
heat and light on the environment. This was recognized in 
the 1996 EU Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention 
and Control and The Pollution Prevention and Control 
Act 1999 replaced the Integrated Pollution Control 
Regulations made under Part 1 of the EPA by extend-
ing those powers to cover waste minimization, energy 
effi ciency, noise and site restoration. Thus the Pollution 
Prevention and Control Act has now replaced Part 1 of 
the EPA.