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Original Date: 03/17/1997
Revision Date: 01/18/2007
Information : Health, Safety, and Environmental Audit Program
Polaroid considers its Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) Audit program as a value-added tool which helps drive its performance in HSE issues. However, a 1995 review convinced Polaroid that it needed to increase the effectiveness and overall value of its Corporate HSE audits of its manufacturing facilities. General concerns were that the Corporate Audit team did not always address the topic areas which the facility manager deemed most important; the time and date were revealed to the facility manager prior to the audit; and employees felt that the HSE resources were not being utilized most effectively between the corporate and manufacturing facilities. To address these concerns, Polaroid formed a Corporate Audit Effectiveness team in 1996 which conducted interviews with most plant managers and HSE representatives.
From the interviews, the Corporate Audit Effectiveness team identified specific areas for Polaroid to target: identify potential HSE risks; support HSE compliance goals; facilitate corrective actions and follow-up; and communicate results, lessons-learned, and training needs. These areas were then grouped into five major themes which Polaroid is now addressing:
Identification of True RiskPolaroid has restructured its HSE audit program to conduct unscheduled audits; identify true HSE concerns and risks by working with plant managers in selecting audit topic areas; and pursue more in-depth analysis and auditing of topic areas.
Continuous ImprovementThe HSE audit will provide a road map to guide the plant toward better compliance; increase HSE awareness and competency by conducting more training and identification of the areas to be audited and why; and encourage shared learnings and improvements between plant and division operating managements.
Balanced Audit ReportingThe HSE auditors will characterize and prioritize findings; cite deficiencies; and report and recognize improvements via rewards.
Verification of Corrective ActionsThe HSE audit team will provide more corporate consultation to the manufacturing plants which will supply the facility with the information it needs to take corrective action; and verify the HSE improvement via an annual customer satisfaction survey.
Providing a Clear PurposeThe Corporate Audit Effectiveness team noted that an HSE audit program mission statement and vision needed to be developed.
Since 1996, the Corporate Audit team has worked on developing a mission and vision; identifying environmental compliance and community relations risks; developing individualized environmental risk assessment matrices for each manufacturing plant; and preparing instructions to identify the specifics on how to perform the different HSE audits. Polaroid began its initial revamped HSE audits in March 1997. By upgrading its HSE Audit program and providing more consultation and follow-up services to its facilities, Polaroid expects to benefit by obtaining a truer risk-oriented picture of its manufacturing plants and more efficient measurement and balanced reporting methods for problem areas.
For more information see the
Point of Contact for this survey.
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