ISC

Environment, Health and Safety

Corporate Social Responsibility

Environment, Health and Safety

China's Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces have helped spur the nation's economic miracle and remain powerful engines of growth, generating 11 percent and 12 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. At the same time, these two provinces face energy shortages and many environmental challenges.

The Chinese government has set ambitious targets for environmental protection, occupational health & safety, energy use and carbon intensity. However, due to the large number of factories, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, adherence to the corresponding standards and regulations lags, presenting compliance challenges and risks for those companies and the multinational supply chains.

The Environment, Health and Safety Academy

In order to help boost compliance and reduce risk, ISC has established two Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Academies, the first in Guangzhou (Guangdong) in 2008, and the second in Suzhou (Jiangsu) in 2011. These academies will expand the pool of qualified EHS and Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) managers serving factories in China.

Located in Lingnan (University) College in Guangzhou and in Nanjing University's Research Center in Suzhou Industrial Park the two academies mark the first time that Chinese and U.S. experts from major brands have joined together to create world-class, independent, Chinese-owned and Chinese-staffed EHS training centers.

Through affordable and convenient training sessions, managers are learning to apply international best practices in EHS and IEE management; enabling their companies to increase compliance with Chinese standards; decrease workflow interruptions due to injury; lower energy consumption; and reduce greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions. These initiatives help companies improve worker performance and product quality, lower operating costs, decrease the risk of fines, and provide a competitive advantage in the global marketplace as well as decrease overall enterprise risk.

In 2009 the Guangdong Bureau of Labor and Social Security officially endorsed the Academy and is working with Academy experts to develop China's professional, government sanctioned EHS certification protocols. The EHS Academy has trained over 3,500 individuals from MNCs and their supply chains, ensuring that the Academies will serve as a vital source of EHS leadership and expertise in China's Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta for years to come.

The objective of the Academies is to build the capacity of Chinese practitioners to meet and exceed the standards demanded by the national agencies and the multinational brands, and contribute to the development of future standards in China. A core group of highly qualified Chinese and international master trainers oversee continual curriculum development, in-step with Chinese EHS regulatory policy as well as mentoring Academy instructors.

The Academies offer affordable, flexible courses in three successive tiers of complexity. The curriculum is organized into modules 2-4 days in length to accommodate the schedules and demands of working managers. Core courses include:

  • Intro: EHS as Management System
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Hazard Recognition and Risk Assessment
  • Job Safety Analysis
  • Clean Production
  • EHS Inspections & Audits
  • Incident Investigation and Root Cause Analysis
  • Business and Climate Change
  • Management of Change and Preventive Maintenance
  • Project Management for Solving EHS Issues
  • Making the Business Case for Good EHS Practice
  • Greenhouse Gas Accounting
  • Industrial Energy Efficiency

Course fees are highly competitive. For further information or to register for courses, please visit our websites or contact by emails:

Guangdong EHS Academy

Jiangsu EHS Academy

ISC is actively seeking brand partnerships to further enhance the robust curriculum and potentially expand the demonstrated success of the EHS Academy concept to new regions and industries. For information on how your organization can play a role in the future development, please contact Mr. Matthew DeGroot, Director-Asia at mdegroot@iscvt.org and Mr. Bill Gong, Industry Program Manager, at bgong@iscchina.org.

EHS Academy Resources

Overview & Curriculum
Informational Brochure
"Developing Strong Local and International Partnerships," an article by Clinton Global Initiative CEO Robert S.Harrison