The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health
Environmental and climate policy
The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health is actively involved in combating climate change and strives to minimise the negative environmental impacts of the operations.
Future vision
The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health is a model for environmental and climate change. The agency is actively involved in combating climate change and minimising the negative environmental impacts of its operations. The agency fulfils its role in order to fulfil the obligations of the Icelandic authorities towards the Paris Agreement. Thus, we lay the foundation for the government's goal of Iceland's carbon neutrality by 2040. The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health is an attractive workplace that focuses on sustainability in order to enrich the quality of life of people without diminishing the potential of future generations. It is important to promote the well-being of employees and their positive professional development so that they can finish their working lives without reduced working capacity in a healthy environment. Fostering the environment by reducing negative environmental impacts is an important part of that journey. The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health ensures that legal requirements related to its operations are observed and that the Institute undertakes continuous improvements in its environmental work. The organization takes into account the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 requirements for quality and environmental management systems.
Overarching objectives
The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health intends to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHL) by 50% by 2030, compared with 2019. The agency also aims at carbon neutral activities by equalising all remaining emissions from 2019. This will be achieved by reducing energy consumption by 5%, reducing both internal and external flights by 20% and by revising procurement, reducing waste by 20% and 56% by reducing road transport. Furthermore, the goal is to ensure that the organization is actively involved in combating climate change and to educate its employees on the importance of reducing negative environmental impacts of its operations. In this way we foster the future and contribute to the wellbeing and wellbeing of working people. Active environmental work also enhances the image of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health as a good workplace, where employees care for their immediate environment as well as its effects on a wider scale.
Scope
This policy applies to the environmental impacts of the operations of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health and concerns all staff of the Administration. The agency has 9 operating bases located in Reykjavík, Akranes, Ísafjörður, Sauðárkrókur, Akureyri, Húsavík, Egilsstaðir, Selfoss and Reykjanesbær. The environmental and climate policy covers all the facilities.
Scope
The Environment and Climate Policy of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health addresses the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with guidelines on public sector climate policy, as well as the environmental impact of the agency in general. The policy covers the following environmental factors that can be monitored and measured at any given time:
Transport
The FDA's policy is to reduce GHL emissions due to road and air transportation, but it is clear that GHL emissions from land-based vehicles need to be substantially reduced. For this purpose, the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health emphasises accelerating the energy exchange of their automobiles from fossil fuels to more environmentally friendly energy sources, such as electric cars. The same applies to emissions from car rentals and taxis operated by the Agency, but it seeks to use the services of those with the lowest GHL emissions. Furthermore, the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health places increased emphasis on teleconferences between staff at its facilities, as well as for meetings with external parties inside and outside the country. Thus, staff always consider the possibility of participating in meetings at a distance and meetings abroad be attended only if the interests of the Icelandic authorities so require. The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health ensures that all meetings are always well-equipped and accessible to its staff. This will reduce GHL emissions due to staff travelling within and outside of Iceland.
0Energy consumption
The FDA's policy is to reduce negative environmental impacts by reducing the use of electricity and hot water in all its facilities. We monitor our energy consumption regularly, have motion sensors in low-level spaces and make sure that computers, monitors and printers go into sleep mode after use. We have established regular monitoring of ventilation and furnace settings. Staff are encouraged to pay attention to their energy consumption and to make sure that lights are turned off in spaces that are not in use and at the end of the day. This is done with a reminder to the switch and selected exits along with regular reminders to the staff. There is regular education for staff on the benefits of saving energy and methods for this, e.g. to prevent excessively high-set stoves in the summer and preserve the contents in the winter.
Waste
The FDA's policy is to reduce waste from all operations and emphasizes education to prevent unnecessary waste, as well as to classify all waste that is unavoidable. The goal is to have 70% of waste sorted for reuse and recycling by the end of 2023, which was 64% in December 2021. We only offer reusable containers in cafeterias and dining rooms. We enable staff to sort all waste produced in their daily work in establishments into designated sorting containers and staff shall avoid using disposable containers. The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health has introduced an electronic filing system and received authorisation from the National Archives to submit data electronically to this effect. We send letters only electronically to our customers and encourage our customers to communicate with us electronically. We have introduced electronic access controls to printers and encourage people to limit printing as much as possible. We offer staff education on the importance of recycling. We invite staff to re-use furniture and other equipment for which the institution has no longer used and which cannot be resold. We also encourage staff to offer their colleagues the opportunity to re-use items they have stopped using, such as books and furniture.
Procurement
The purchasing policy of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health requires that products and services that are selected for selection at all times should be selected with regard to low GHL emissions, thereby increasing the share of environmentally certified products. Unnecessary procurement shall be reduced and, wherever possible, reusable products shall always be chosen instead of disposable. Cleaning products that are environmentally certified shall be purchased. Conferences and accommodation shall be selected whenever possible for selection of those who have environmental certification. The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health offers streaming at all times from all events held under its auspices for those who choose to do so, and the content remains available on the website of the Administration.
Internal work
In all the work of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health, attitudes that lead to negative environmental impacts from the operation of the Administration will be counteracted or the commitments of the Icelandic authorities towards the Paris Agreement will be counteracted. Environmental and climate change measures and ways to reduce negative environmental impacts will be active factors in the daily work of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health and will influence decisions in all internal work of the Administration. Environmental and climate challenges
GHL emission reductions for transport, waste and energy use
Increase teleconferencing ratio
Waste generation traps and increased recycling
Spare energy
Educate staff on internal environmental work and other environmental issues
Make environmentally friendly procurements
Follow Green steps
Carbon emissions should be balanced in a responsible manner
Introducing technical solutions that make the operations more environmentally friendly
Carbon offsetting
Assessment of the institutions carbon dioxide footprint, calculated in CO2 equivalents, is the basis for the measurements and scope of purchased carbon offsets. The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health will primarily focus on reducing emissions in operations, but also on carbon offsetting all remaining emissions through the purchase of approved carbon units.
Follow-up
The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health has established a three-year action plan on environmental and climate issues, which will be reviewed annually. The Action Plan sets out objectives and actions that fit with the Agencys environmental and climate priorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHL), as well as to reduce other negative environmental impacts. This includes that the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health keeps a green accounting system that summarizes the most important aspects of the operations of the Administration that affect the environment. The results of the accounts are used to formulate policy and action in the environment and climate. The green accounts for the previous year are compiled before 1 April each year and submitted to the Environment Agency's Data Portal. The Division of Operations and Development is responsible for compiling the accounts in collaboration with the Institute's environmental team. The environment and climate policy is reviewed annually by the environmental team and the action plan when the results of the green accounts are available and submitted to the Commission. The management shall also undergo a review which takes place in the management organ. The results of the Green Accounting and the results of the Environment and Climate Policy of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health are communicated on the website of the Institute and in the Institute's electronic annual report each year. The results of the green accounts are also published on the Green steps website along with the results of other governmental institutions.