Eaton is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our operations and products wherever we do business and to continuously improve in our Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) performance. It is the responsibility of every employee to meet this EHS policy.
To that end, Eaton applies a standard group of practices worldwide for energy and water consumption, waste generation, employee safety and more.
Eaton is guided by MESH (Management of Environment, Safety, Security and Health), a globally deployed, unified system which consolidates existing programs into one integrated management system. All Eaton facilities worldwide work toward consistent goals, applying the same metrics, setting targets for improvement and identifying and sharing best practices. Most importantly, MESH elevates EHS from a series of isolated activities to a responsibility shared by all Eaton employees. MESH is also designed to conform with international standards such as ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001/ISO 45001. Our MESH management system covers the categories shown below with a global management approach.
Element |
Scope |
Planning |
Establishes and implements activities to maintain and improve practices based on changing circumstances within a site’s EHS footprint of influence. |
Checking and review |
Establishes the measurement, monitoring and evaluation of a site’s EHS performance. |
Security |
Establishes a safe and secure work environment. This includes the following subjects: access control, security systems, planning, training, travel and reporting. |
Legal compliance standards |
Establishes our commitment to meet or exceed regulatory and company requirements consistent with Eaton's policies on ethics and compliance. Compliance and safety rules apply to all third parties performing activities at Eaton locations, including suppliers, contingent workers, contractors, vendors, visitors and all other non-Eaton employees. |
Element | Scope |
Air emission management and minimization |
Establishes Eaton’s minimum requirements for the management of air pollutants generated and discharged from Eaton facilities. Each Eaton business site must be managed in a way that minimizes the impact of air emissions to the community and operates continuously within the guidelines set forth by the administering regulating agency. |
Energy management and minimization |
Establishes requirements and performance objectives related to energy management. The benefits of optimizing energy performance are two-fold: (a) reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental impacts associated with energy consumption; and (b) reduction in energy-related operating costs at Eaton facilities. |
Element | Scope |
Water management and conservation |
Establishes water use to assure compliance with all regulatory requirements and minimize any impact of water releases to the community and the environment where the plant operates. |
Storm water management |
Establishes management procedures to minimize stormwater being exposed to industrial activities. |
Element | Scope |
Waste management and minimization |
Establishes the characterization and management of wastes or by-products which are either disposed or recycled, including the disposal or reuse of manufacturing equipment at Eaton’s facilities. In addition, waste management must include waste-minimization goals to reduce waste generation, thus minimizing a site’s waste disposal footprint. |
Element | Scope |
Chemical management |
Establishes proper handling of chemicals to meet both Eaton's requirements and any applicable regulatory requirements. |
Element | Scope |
Hazardous materials transportation |
Establishes a comprehensive management process at each location, along with specific personnel assignments, to manage hazardous material/dangerous good transport safely and in compliance with law. |
Element | Scope |
Contractor EHS management |
Establishes the minimum standards for managing contractors' performance on environment, health and safety issues. These standards are consistent with the company’s commitment to continuously improve EHS performance. |
Driver and fleet safety |
Establishes requirements for employees that are assigned company vehicles or occasionally drive them. |
Heat treat safety |
Establishes minimum performance requirements for the safe operation of furnaces employing carbon-laden atmospheres for treatment of ferrous alloys. |
Pressure testing and pressure vessels, HP air and compressed gas (combined two elements) |
Establishes minimum requirements for the testing of products using fluids or gases above the working pressure. |
Element | Scope |
Process safety |
Establishes minimum requirements related to confined spaces, machine safety, energy control, powered industrial trucks, and personal protective equipment. |
Element | Scope |
Emergency preparedness, response and communication |
Establishes the minimum requirements for all Eaton locations regarding preparedness, response and communication for emergency events that may create EHS risks, cause business disruption or require evacuation or shelter in place at the location. |
Element | Scope |
Ergonomics |
Establishes areas where ergonomics risk factors exist. Ergonomics is the process of optimizing workstation design to minimize risk factors to all associates, eliminate extra effort and wasted motion, and maximize productivity and efficiency. |
Exposure assessment and control |
Establishes processes to perform risk assessment, change management, and routine audits are all in place in order to identify and recognize exposure risks. |
Incident investigation and medical management |
Establishes the minimum requirements for three topic areas: (i) the reporting and investigation process for EHS incidents; (ii) medical management requirements; and (iii) the reporting and claims management process for workers’ compensation. |
Noise and hearing conservation |
Establishes the minimum requirements for all Eaton locations regarding employee exposures to noise, evaluation of noise in the workplace, employee protection to hazardous levels of noise, and audiometric testing. |