MIT’s EHS Program 2000-2005

Bill VanSchalkwyk

Environmental Programs Office

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reported New Program to HERUG- 2001:
”EHS Management System Concept”
• Now 75%+ Complete
• No Longer a “Concept”
• Reporting Today on Progress & Outcomes

2004
 Today’s Report:

• What is EHS?
• Intent- Why a Management System?
• How- The “EHS Development Process”
• Concept in 2001 and Outcome in 2005
• Technology (SAP and other) Support
• Opportunity and Barriers
• Expectations as We Complete Build Phases

2004
What EHS is:
(Environment, Health, Safety)
• Environment- Conserving Air, Water, Soil,
Plants, Animals, Wildlife, Our Community
(causing no damage)
• Health- Preserving Human Health both
Chronic and Acute (preventing illness)
• Safety- Preserving Human and Community
Safety/ Well Being (preventing injury)

2004
Intent: Why an EHS Management
System at MIT?
• Professional Management:
– Manage Cost (2nd and 3rd order)
– Lower Risk
– Avoid/ Mitigate Incidents
– Address Local Culture and Issues
– Enable- not Impede

2004
Scope of EHS Management System:
• 43 Departments Laboratories and Centers
• Facilities, Student Life, Athletics
• Cogeneration Facility, Research Nuclear Reactor,
Linear Accelerator
• Campus Community ~ 20,000 people
• 3351 Lab Rooms (2481 Campus, 870 MIT LL)
• 575 Principal Investigators (incl. LL)
• 49 Departmental EHS Committees
• 40+/- Local (DLC) EHS Coordinators
• 18 Central (EHS Office) Lead Contacts

2004
 The “EHS Development Process”
Sustainability: Involve Faculty, Researchers, Administration and Students in EHS-MS
Systems Design to Ensure Client Satisfaction, Utility, Widespread Ownership

Institute Direction

Leadership and
Senior Officers
Oversight
Provost Work “Heavy
Chancellor Production Lifting”
Institute Committee on
Executive Vice Environmental, Health, and Working
President Safety Committee Project
EHS Management
Team
Ad Hoc Subcommittee
Overseeing the EHS System Design
Management System and
Development Implementation Project
Manager
Students
Faculty Senior
Administration Researchers Rep. Faculty, Projects
Researchers,
Administration
2004
Concept: 2001and Results: 2005
(* = Major Technology Support Indicated)

2001 Design Element 2005 Outcome

1. EHS Policy Policy Complete 12/01
2. Organization* Installed 06/2002*
3. Inventory* Alternative Implemented 12/2002*
4. Training Program* Interim System 09/2002*
5. Auditing Program* Began 04/2003*
6. Incidents* Developing Now*
7. EHS Manual* Went Live 06/2004*
8. Pollution Prevention Planned 10/2005
9. Measurement* Mgmt Reports Planned 4/06*
10. Third Party Audit Planned 06/2006

2004
 2001 Inventory Proposal
MIT-EHS Management System Concept Components
1. Controls/Preventative Measures/Compliance Oversight Linchpin -
Purchasing Automation and Integration:
 Chemical/Biological/Radioactives Inventory
 Automated tracking of purchase, destination and disposal
of chemicals/biologicals/radioactives (Later phase may
track internal consumption and transport.)
 Facilitated by vendor (bar coding/other electronic transfer
of information)
 Facilitated by e-commerce service
 Interface with regulatory briefing/training and auditing
 Interface with internal marketplace
 Interface with toxic use reduction opportunities
2004
Inventory Alternative

• Central and Departmental Objectives of Inventory

• Purchasing System Not Optimized for Inventory
• Inventory Not Providing EHS Second Order Data
Needed
• Positioning MIT to be Prepared for a Regulatory
Imposed Inventory
• Limit to Prospect of Internal Marketplace

2004
Alternative: “PI/Space Registration”,

• PI/Space: Modeled on Radiation &

Biological Programs
• Based Upon
– Who is in Charge,
– What Areas Under Control,
– Hazard Potentials in Area
• 3300+ Areas Registered

2004
Inventory Support,
Proactive P2 Program

• Local Inventories Popular

• Position MIT to Expand Institute-Wide
• Central Support to Keep Awareness High

• P2 Encourages Less Hazardous Use

– Student Studies
– Possible Integration w/ Procurement

2004
Training: Needs Determination
• Not Possible to Determine Needs by Job
Description
• Several Thousand Personnel Not
Classified Employees (Students)

• Needs Assessment Based Upon Activities

• Over 6,000 Persons (Users) of Program to
Date

2004
Training Implementation
• Needs Based Approach
• Web Based Modules
• Live Training Options
• Central Record Keeping
• Non SAP Now- But Conversion Planned
for Appropriate Components

• Subset of Institute-wide Training Initiative

2004
Findings-
• Results of
– Audits,
– Incidents

• Track Corrective Actions

• Notify Affected Parties
• Initiates Work Orders (Integration)

• Paper System In Conversion Now

2004
SAP Implementation Notes

• EHS Business Processes Not Mature

- Business Process Development is Concurrent Design-
Build Due to Regulatory Requirements
– Roll Out New Process Manually and Paper Based (Audit)

• Enforce and Re-Enforce Lock In of Business

Processes (Vote on Lock-in)
• Make Hard Decisions on Enhancements and
BP Changes

2004
SAP Implementation Notes
• Academic Development Process Different
from Tech Development Process
• Central EHS Office New to Entire Business
Process Development and Modeling
– Nature Of Research Culture is One-off, Not Always
Systematic, and Change Oriented
– Technology Personnel Seek Stable, Mature, Tried-
Tested Processes to Model and Support

• Need to Collaborate at All Levels for Groups

to Learn How Each Other Operates
• Need Small Success Early to Ignite Change
and Innovation

2004
SAP Implementation Notes
• Academic ‘DLCs’ Decentralized- Not a
Monolithic Client
• No Single Person Can Represent the ‘Client’
– SAP Implementation Methodology Suggests a
BP Expert Join Development Team
– EHS Office Unable to Satisfy This Need with an
Wide-Knowledge Resource

• Variation to this Process- IS&T Attend EHS

Meetings, EHS Attend IS&T Development

2004
SAP Implementation Notes

• PDA Support
– Desired by Clients especially for Inspections
– Determined Support in EHS Committee

– Planned for later Deployment

2004
Future Activity
• Future Business Processes
– Pollution Prevention
– Local Inventory Support
– TSCA and other Regulatory Programs
• Retirement of Local and EHS Office Systems
– Select Agents
– Bio and Rad Protocols
– Asbestos Sampling and Abatement Data

• Balanced Scorecard Approach

2004
Bill VanSchalkwyk Hal Burchfield
MIT Environmental MIT Information Services
Programs Office and Technology

[email protected] [email protected]

2004