ESG Initiatives: How Safety Professionals are Leading from the Front

In March of this year, Veriforce’s ESG expert Nicolai Massyn had the distinction of co-authoring an article showcased on the cover of the Professional Safety Journal (PSJ). This educational piece discusses how safety professionals can play a vital role in managing and growing ESG initiatives within an organization.

This blog briefly introduces the specifics of this timely and important topic.

Critical Considerations for ESG Initiatives

Several ESG-related topics were covered as they pertain to a safety professional’s involvement in and contribution to an ESG initiative. More specifically, it outlines and touches on core concepts for understanding ESG:

• What is ESG and why is it important?

• Voluntary and mandatory ESG constraints
• Stakeholder expectations
• Understanding and applying ESG elements
• ESG risks and opportunities assessments
• What is ESG reporting?

Pertinent talking points and critical takeaways from these topics include the following:

The Key Attributes of ESG Leaders

A safety professional’s critical attributes that make them ESG leaders is covered in the article. These qualities include the following:

• Formulating an ESG vision, mission, operating principles, and strategy
• Driving key sustainability initiatives, including developing a net-zero strategy, quantifying climate-related risk, leading greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies, achieving science-based targets, and corporate reporting
• Optimally positioning the organization for stakeholders and potential investors

ESG Risk Management

Also outlined, is a standard risk management step-by-step approach to evaluating the various ESG requirements. Those steps are as follows:

1. Identify ESG risks and opportunities.
2. Prioritize ESG elements
3. Implement relevant controls and capitalize on opportunities. 

Key Takeaways

Lastly, upon reading this article, you should walk away with a foundation that allows you to answer the following questions:

1. What is OSH’s role in expanding compliance and stakeholder initiative?
2. Why are well-documented ESG risk and hazard assessment methodologies crucial for safety professionals?
3. Why are safety professionals expertly positioned to assist their clients and companies as ESG consultants?
4. How can organizations and safety professionals work together to implement, manage and grow ESG elements?

Managing ESG Initiatives Requires the Right Solutions

In summary, safety professionals have good institutional knowledge of their clients or their organizations. They can use regular risk assessment and management protocols and methodologies to identify, create and maintain specific components of their ESG initiatives.

You can download the ebook here. However, remember that integrating an effective ESG initiative, as outlined in the article, requires the industry’s best sustainability solutions. When you’re ready to begin, allow our team of professionals to design your ESG game plan and help you conduct business more responsibly for your stakeholders and the surrounding community.