In the coatings industry, environmental and employee safety regulations are having an increasing impact on corporate decisions. In the past, companies have often passed safety to Human Resource (HR) departments and their environmental issues to outside consultants to save money. To be a player in this global economy, companies are doing everything they can to stay competitive. Protecting our greatest investments — people and the environment — is now becoming a recognizable competitive advantage.
What does global economics have to do with environmental health and safety? More than you would think. No longer can we move away from or bury our problems. The global concerns about the environment and employee work conditions are forcing companies to rethink and restructure. The ability to plan for future laws and regulations can be overwhelming, and the financial and public relations consequences that a company can suffer by being out of compliance are nearly crippling.