Corporate HSE guidelines and guidance notes
In the Novartis Corporate Citizenship Policy, we pledge to operate in a manner that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable – and in the best interest of the company’s long–term success. Comprehensive, compulsory HSE guidelines define global standards and procedures to help us fulfill that commitment.
Guideline 1: HSE management
Establishes a framework to ensure that our health, safety and environmental protection standards are implemented and communicated throughout the company. The guideline outlines the HSE organization and defines the roles and responsibilities of various levels of the organization.
Guideline 2: Novartis Emergency Management (NEM)
Defines procedures to effectively manage unforeseen incidents with potentially significant impact on people, the environment, or the property and reputation of Novartis.
Guideline 3: HSE protection in development and production
Harmonization of the approach used by Novartis units worldwide to manage contaminated and potentially contaminated sites in order to keep liabilities, reputation risks and environmental impacts at an acceptable minimum.
Guideline 4: Biosafety
Gives broad guidance for managing risk to human health or the environment resulting from activities involving biological agents. Applies to use of all types of biological agents, including recombinant organisms, in production, and transport. Also covers the inactivation and safe disposal of potentially infectious material.
Guideline 5: Occupational health
Provides a framework for safeguarding the health of Novartis employees and others on Novartis premises, including protection from chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards. The guideline also encourages health promotion programs for employees.
Guideline 6: Warehousing
Summarizes the basic principles and rules for reducing warehousing risks. Applies to the storage of raw materials, intermediates, active ingredients, finished products and wastes
Guideline 7: Waste management
Defines guidelines to minimize generation of waste – hazardous and non-hazardous – and to ensure that the remaining waste is treated, stored and disposed of in a safe and environmentally sound manner.
Guideline 8: - Third Party Management
This has been included in Corporate Citizenship Guideline 5. It includes “Third Party Code” where Novartis describes its societal and environmental values supporting the UN Global Compact – which Third Party Suppliers are urged to support and promote. The guideline also outlines management systems required to implement these requirements – and to provide.
Guideline 9: Incident reporting and learning
Stipulates reporting of significant HSE accidents and incidents through a rapid–reporting system. Along with incident evaluation, using root cause analysis, the rapid–reporting system includes a database to facilitate sharing of best practice.
Guideline 10: Contaminated sites management
Harmonization of the approach used by Novartis units worldwide to manage contaminated and potentially contaminated sites in order to keep liabilities, reputation risks and environmental impacts at an acceptable minimum.
Guideline 11: Transportation
Calls for an effective management system for transport, expertise in classification of goods, and a comprehensive emergency response organization for transportation related incidents.
Guideline 12: Business Continuity Managem (BCM)
Ensures the uninterrupted availability of all key business functions, processes and resources required to support essential business activities. BCM is an integral part of the Novartis risk management framework.
Guideline 13: Energy Management
Defines the basic principles and management processes for energy management – including roles and responsibilities, energy reviews and energy audits, energy challenge in capital projects, performance targets and reporting, as well as awareness creation and promotion.
Guideline 14: Energy Standards for Buildings and Equipment
Specifies the Novartis requirements on energy efficiency and related greenhouse gas performance of buildings and equipment. It is based on a set of principles and standards for building design and structure, building envelope, utilities, HVAC systems, lighting systems, machinery and appliances and motor vehicles
