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The EHS management team consists of two committees: the Environmental Advisory Team and the Safety and Health Advisory Team. These committees are responsible for providing cross-functional strategic direction and leadership on companywide safety, health and environmental issues.
The Environmental Advisory Team and the Safety and Health Advisory teams make recommendations to EHS Vice President Edward Fox on matters requiring executive oversight. The teams are also responsible for developing and updating the EHS Policy and EHS Management Plan, and ensuring integrated implementation of these and other critical documents into the company’s operations. These teams have various Issues Teams reporting to them. The Issues Teams are responsible for more detailed work on important cross-company issues.
Mr. Fox provides primary executive oversight for our EHS efforts, and makes periodic reports to the Board of Directors regarding EHS issues and compliance status.
Frontline EHS professionals handle issues that arise in the field and at company facilities. These professionals provide daily, on-the-spot attention to EHS issues. They are the backbone of the company’s EHS program and work hard to keep things operating smoothly and safely.
Pinnacle West’s team of EHS professionals – including a team of nurses – strives to keep the company in compliance with all regulations and on the leading edge of the best environmental, health and safety practices.
EHS Management Systems
Our EHS Management System (EMS) is a systematic framework for managing our EHS practices and ensuring we meet our goals and objectives. The EMS is based on APS’ EHS Policy, which sets the vision and operating foundation for our EHS efforts. Another key internal document is the APS EHS Management Plan, which augments the EHS policy and outlines our EHS organization and responsibilities for meeting the federal, state, local and environmental, health and safety laws and regulations under which we operate.
Other critical corporate management practices are detailed in our Ethics Policy, the Standards of Business Practices, the APS Code of Conduct and the APS Accident Prevention Manual.
Maintaining day-to-day compliance with all applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations is the overriding objective of APS’ EHS management systems. APS strives to go beyond basic compliance, where activities are consistent with sound business practices and goals. All of our employees, from the officer level to the frontline, are responsible for compliance and have an obligation to bring issues and concerns forward for resolution.
Our EHS program is decentralized, with primary responsibility for complying with EHS requirements resting with the leaders and frontline employees at APS facilities. Support groups, such as the Corporate EHS Department and the Corporate Law Department are available to assist and support the operating areas with technical, strategic, regulatory and legal EHS issues. To evaluate and strengthen our compliance management systems we have an EHS compliance assurance program. This program has a four-tier assessment process which includes ongoing facility self-assessments, formal focused self-assessments, an aggressive EHS audit program and periodic extensive compliance reviews.
EHS professionals across the company are also active in many professional and industry groups which monitor regulatory changes, evolving EHS issues and other critical EHS matters affecting our industry. APS also has a Public Affairs Department that monitors and participates in federal and state legislative processes that may impact the company. All of these efforts are coordinated within the EMS to ensure ongoing compliance and continuous improvement.
Organizational Changes
The company’s EHS organization underwent several changes in 2004. The corporate EHS Department reorganized in order to implement its management succession plan and to improve overall service and support. Additional EHS management and staffing changes were also put into place in the company’s operating areas.
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