Guide to Hazardous Materials Management

Best Practice Guide

Why hazardous waste management matters to businesses

If you’re reading this guide, you might strongly suspect or definitively know that your business generates or inadvertently hosts hazardous materials. Many companies do. Hazardous substances remain integral to the modern economy; they were long a driver of growth, especially in advanced economies. In consequence, you’ll find hazardous substances across the business landscape, even in small or medium-sized enterprises.

But irrespective of size and access to resources, all businesses must comply with hazardous materials regulations in place in their jurisdiction. What’s more, the regulatory frameworks that affect most firms are multilayered, consisting of international, federal/national, state, and/or local statutes. Companies need heed all relevant regulations to be considered fully in compliance.

And those regulations aren’t static either. The recognition of the hazards posed by potential contaminants often lags far behind widespread use of the chemical substance in question. Moreover, regulators continue to develop a deeper understanding of the latest environmental and health science.

Hazardous substance management is about the health of your workforce as well. Just a decade ago, nearly 900,000 workers died due to hazardous substance exposure at work. Worryingly, hazardous wastes are trending upwards. 

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