H.C. Starck EHS Management Assistance

Challenge

For over 20 years, GZA has provided a full spectrum of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) services for H.C. Starck (HCST), a leading supplier of specialty technology metals and advanced ceramic materials used in the electronics, aerospace, energy, medical technology and chemical industries. HCST was looking for a system to help them better understand their local, state, and federal regulatory obligations and needed a way to focus and streamline their management systems. They asked GZA to help them implement a comprehensive environmental information management system for their facilities in Ohio, Massachusetts, and Michigan. 

Solution

GZA conducted a comprehensive study of the company’s current EHS management systems and programs to evaluate compliance—and potential areas of noncompliance—with federal, state, and local EHS regulatory requirements.  Based on the findings, GZA helped HCST develop the framework and content for a comprehensive EHS management system tool, including: EHS aspects (air emissions, fall protection, confined space entry, etc.); federal, state, and local regulatory programs; and regulatory authority for each HCST program (USEPA, MDEQ, MassDEP, Ohio EPA, HCST, etc.). For each compliance requirement under each program at each facility, GZA determined the regulatory citation, categorization (permit, management system, etc.), activity type (recordkeeping, inspection, training, etc.), description, responsibility (delegation structure – primary, supervisor), compliance frequency and schedule.

Benefit

GZA’s detailed inventory of regulatory requirements and compliance status at each facility allowed HCST to develop and implement a robust management information system to support HCST’s goals of maintaining environmental health and safety at their facilities and minimize the risk of non-compliance.