Environmental management foundations

Through our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Policy, we are committed to:

• Preventing pollution and reducing environmental impacts, including those contributing to climate change and affecting the ecosystems in which EPCOR operates.
• Meeting or exceeding all applicable legal requirements, industry standards and societal expectations.
  
• Continual improvement of the performance of its HSE system.
  

To achieve these goals, we've built an enterprise-wide Integrated Health, Safety & Environment Management System (HSE MS) that meets the requirements of two international standards: ISO 14001 (environmental management systems) and ISO 45001 (safety management systems).

All of our businesses in Canada and the United States are required to conform to the EPCOR HSE MS. Most of our operations in Regina, Chestermere, Strathmore, Britannia Mine, Kananaskis (Evan-Thomas) and Edmonton hold third‑party ISO 14001:2015 Certifications. In addition, our Edmonton water lab holds ISO 17015 accreditation.

All material operations of EPCOR Water and Electricity in Edmonton have transitioned from certification under OHSAS 18001:2007 to ISO 45001:2018. All Drainage operations will achieve ISO 45001:2018 Certification in 2021. The White Tanks Water Treatment Plant is pursuing certification under the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program, the highest U.S.-based safety recognition program.

Maintaining these certifications requires annual external surveillance audits and triennial recertification to confirm we have the systems in place to protect the environment and is continuously improving on its performance and monitoring.

The periodic audits involve a review of the management system documentation, followed by an assessment of how well we're applying the concepts in the field. This involves the co-operation of all employees and contractors on site and in the field.