EHS Management System

Across our locations worldwide, Grace is committed to preserving and protecting the environment and the health, safety and security of our employees, customers and the communities in which we operate.  

Global Policy

We hold ourselves to high standards in environmental, health, safety and security (EHSS). Our global policy brings that commitment to life and is grounded in the principles of the internationally recognized standard for Responsible Care® and environmental management systems (EHS): RC14001^®.

Our policy sets forth a standard to guide all aspects of our operations, including:

• Environmental, health, safety and security
• Process safety
• Product safety
• Sustainability

Our global EHSS policy is designed to support three objectives:

1. No one hurt
2. Nothing out of place
3. No harm from our products

EHSS and Responsible Care^® Certification

Across our manufacturing sites and our global headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, and as part of our commitment to responsible operations, Grace has maintained Responsible Care^® and other EHSS certifications.

Grace has initiated global certification efforts to seek a multi-site certificate to RC14001^®, partnering with an accredited and independent audit organization (DQS), to evaluate and recognize our company-wide implementation of a standardized management system. This effort will continue as Grace’s corporate functions and sampled plants are audited to verify that Grace’s Responsible Care^® system meets RC14001^®:2023 requirements.  

Grace’s adherence to the EHS and Responsible Care® Management System will be audited annually and recertified every three years by an independent, accredited auditor.

Grace Safety Tenets & Implementing Procedures (IPs)

In alignment with our management system, Grace maintains safety tenets and implementing procedures (IPs) to ensure our teams operate in a safe and environmentally sound manner, meet or exceed applicable regulatory requirements, and foster continual improvement in our operations around the world.

Our ten Grace Tenets are global commitments that guide our daily behaviors and decisions to prevent the most significant incidents or events. From the responsibility and authority to stop work when observing an unsafe behavior or condition to operating within design limits, striving for safe housekeeping, and planning work before beginning any tasks, our Tenets play an important role in setting expectations and reinforcing expected behaviors.

Grace’s IPs include global standards and expectations to ensure safe, reliable and consistent worldwide execution of work. Within Grace’s IPs is an embodiment of practices that exceed basic compliance for delivering industry-leading EHSS performance.

Below is an illustrative list of example topic areas that our tenets and procedures govern:

Sustainability at Grace

The discipline of continually improving the efficiency and performance of our manufacturing and integrated supply chain is deeply embedded in our culture and annual operating plans.

In efforts to improve the efficiency of our customers' processes, Grace products and technical services help reduce energy and water use, cut harmful emissions, conserve material inputs and reduce waste.

You can read more about our Sustainability efforts here.

Stakeholder Engagement

We regularly communicate our EHSS performance, programs and initiatives to our internal and external stakeholders.  As part of our Responsible Care commitment, our facilities participate in community action panels, work with our suppliers to promote robust environment, health, safety and security management systems, conduct audits of their programs, and work with suppliers to improve their performance.

Emergency Response Program

All Grace facilities maintain emergency response programs and plans. Emergency preparedness is a critical component of our Management System. 

Across our facilities, we have emergency programs in place, including specialized onsite emergency response teams, contracts with local third-party response providers, close working relationships with local emergency authorities, and trained emergency response specialists.

Customer and Regulatory Audits

Many of our facilities are subject to periodic customer and regulatory audits to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements as well as ISO and Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) standards.

Our FDA-regulated fine chemicals facility in South Haven, Michigan, routinely hosts FDA and multinational regulatory agency audits in support of customer projects.

Policy & Certification Adherence and Compliance

Grace’s corporate EHSS and Product Stewardship functions are responsible for the company’s adherence to our global policy and ensuring we operate at the highest EHS standards.

These functions meet routinely to track progress and report on EHS Management System effectiveness, improvement initiatives, and key performance indicators (KPIs).