Read this whitepaper to gain insights into Effective EHS Action and Task Management Using Data Management Systems, including:

• The Management of EHS Actions and Tasks
• Corrective Action and Preventative Action (CAPA)
• Action / Task Plans
• Management Systems for Action and Tasks

UNI Global Union has announced that over 30 clothing and retail brands that source garments from Bangladesh have agreed to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (13 May 2013) (the Accord), which now covers over 1,000 Bangladeshi garment factories for a five-year period. The Accord commits its parties to "the goal of a safe and sustainable Bangladeshi [ready-made garment] industry in which no worker needs to fear fires, building collapses, or other accidents that could be prevented with reasonable health and safety measures".

The United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that SAFC Hitech Ltd (SAFC) has been fined £120,000 after an employee sustained severe burns following a chemical explosion at the company's factory in Wirral in 2012. According to the HSE, an unsealed glass bottle containing waste produced from a trimethylindium (TMI) purification process exploded in the factory's waste deactivation area, engulfing the employee in flames.

The Canadian National Energy Board (NEB) has made available a letter (2 May 2013) addressed to Enbridge Pipelines Inc (Enbridge) chief executive officer Al Monaco from NEB board secretary Sheri Young, which accepts Enbridge's recently submitted corrective action plan (CAP). According to the letter, the CAP was required by the NEB to address Enbridge's "non-compliances" with pump station emergency shutdown requirements pursuant to pipeline Regulations and a related Standard.

The United States (US) Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that DSC of Newark Enterprises Inc has agreed to pay US$1.6 million to cover over 90% of the costs incurred by the EPA in cleaning up a site that was "littered with asbestos material, acids, flammable materials, waste oil, solvents, and metal compounds".

The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) has announced that Ausgrid was convicted in the NSW Land and Environment Court for a December 2010 incident in which excavation contractors damaged an Australian Aboriginal rock engraving during works approved by Ausgrid.

The United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it has settled with Beef Products Inc (BPI) in relation to alleged Clean Air Act breaches at an Iowa facility. According to EPA, the facility released "anhydrous ammonia into a production area occupied by BPI workers" in 2007, which resulted in the "permanent disability of one worker and the death of [another]".

The United Kingdom (UK) branch of coffee chain Starbucks (Starbucks UK) has announced that it has introduced low-cost reusable cups in a bid to promote environmentally conscious consumption. The Guardian reports that the cups will be sold for £1 each, and that Starbucks UK is aiming for 5% of the drinks made in its stores to be served in reusable cups worldwide by 2015.

Read this whitepaper to gain insights into the steps and considerations necessary in building an effective Occupational Medicine Management System, including:

• Medical Surveillance
• Respirator Management
• Recordkeeping / Records Management
• Program Review Cycles

Unilever Group (Unilever) has announced a reduction of over one million tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions from its factories and logistics operations since 2008. According to Unilever, the reduction is "equivalent to taking 250,000 cars off the road". Unilever manufacturing sustainability director John Maguire highlighted Unilever's commitment to the use of sustainable energy sources where possible, and stated that "100% of the electrical energy [Unilever] buy[s] in Europe and North America comes from renewable sources".