March 3, 2006

“But the only possible guarantee of the future is responsible behavior in the present.”
Wendell Berry -- author (1934 – present)

• Making the Business Case for Employee Wellness Program – Web Seminar
  April 20th 1:00-2:00 PM

This Week’s Interactive Poll

Giving you the opportunity to consult with your peers! Click here to see past poll results and participate in this week’s poll.

In preparation for the upcoming winter months and the expected inclement weather:

How often do you hold facility level EHS training sessions?

Summary

1. World’s Most Precious commodity is getting even scarcer
2. Ten Trends to Watch in 2006
3. New Tool Places Valuation on Corporate Sustainability
4. North America: Corporate Image- Reputation is Everything
5. BlackBerry’s Waiting Game
6. What is the Mobley Matrix?
7. Job Opportunities

World’s Most Precious commodity is getting even scarcer -- commentary
Ask yourself what the world's most precious commodity is, and you might say gold; you might say diamonds. You'd be wrong on both counts. The answer is water. If by "most precious" we mean what's most desired by most people, nothing comes close to water - fresh, clean water, that is. This basic truth has been hidden from us in the rich Western countries because we have long had such a plentiful supply. But much of the rest of the world has had no such luxury. Across the globe, perhaps a third of all people suffer from "water stress". There are 1.1 billion people lacking access to clean water, 2.4 billion lacking access to improved sanitation, and half the world's hospital beds at any one time are thought to be occupied by people suffering from water-borne diseases. You think this is bad? It's going to get worse.

Ten Trends to Watch in 2006 -- article
Those who say that business success is all about execution are wrong. The right product markets, technology, and geography are critical components of long-term economic performance. Bad industries usually trump good management, however: in sectors such as banking, telecommunications, and technology, almost two-thirds of the organic growth of listed Western companies can be attributed to being in the right markets and geographies. Companies that ride the currents succeed; those that swim against them usually struggle. Identifying these currents and developing strategies to navigate them are vital to corporate success.

New Tool Places Valuation on Corporate Sustainability -- tool
Yachnin & Associates, Sustainable Investment Group Ltd., and Corporate Knights Inc. today released a report, previewed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that demonstrates how corporate sustainable development (SD) practices can be translated into financial valuation measures to help isolate effects on share price appreciation and company valuations. The sdEffect^TM –Translating Sustainable Development into Financial Valuation Measures –A Pilot Analytical Framework can be found at www.sdeffect.com. The Pilot Analytical Framework applies five standard financial valuation techniques –Ratio Analysis, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Rules of Thumb Valuation, Economic Value Added^TM (EVA) and Option Pricing –to SD metrics such as energy use and community involvement, to demonstrate how business aspects traditionally viewed as "soft" by analysts can be translated into hard valuations.

North America: Corporate Image- Reputation is Everything –- case study
While the corporate reputations of US companies are generally slipping, there are some good examples of how to build public confidence and respect despite widespread corporate governance reforms and a growing commitment to ethics and social responsibility, more than 70% of consumers participating in a recent survey, the “Reputation Quotient”, rate US businesses’ reputations as “not good” or “terrible”, up from 68% in 2004. Most industries, including autos, airlines, pharmaceuticals and energy, lost ground in 2005. In fact, only tobacco ranks lower than pharmaceuticals and energy.

BlackBerry’s Waiting Game -- article
A federal court ruled the e-mail service infringes patents but has yet to decide whether to shut down RIM's service in the U.S. A federal judge may order a U.S. shutdown of the BlackBerry e-mail service. What would that mean for you? BlackBerry users will need to stay on the edge of their seats a little longer. A U.S. federal judge -- on whose shoulders rests the fate of the popular e-mail service -- held off on a decision whether to shut down BlackBerry service across the country. U.S. District Judge James Spencer did say that Research In Motion (RIMM), which runs the wireless paging service, has indeed infringed on patents held by Virginia-based holding company NTP. As to an injunction that would require RIM to shut the service, a decision on that will come as soon as possible, he said Feb. 24. The news caused BlackBerry users around the U.S. to breathe a sigh of relief -- at least for now.

What is the Mobley Matrix? -– commentary
What is the Mobley Matrix? How can it help my company's financial management?
Too many managers and even owners are lost when it comes to financial management. They keep their accounting up to date, file their taxes, but don't know how to use financial reports strategically. The late Lou Mobley (part of the task force that developed IBM's first computer, and creator of the leadership development program that forged IBM's leaders), grappled with that problem nearly fifty years ago -- and came up with a tool that we find helpful in our company, and which might be useful for yours.

Job Opportunities

Senior Environmental Health and Safety Specialist for Beckman Coulter. Person develops, implements and/or manages Environmental Health and Safety programs at the Fullerton facility, ensuring compliance with federal, state and local environmental regulations and company standards. The incumbent oversees environmental compliance programs including hazardous materials/waste, bio-hazardous waste, waste water, storm water, air quality, environmental training, reporting and permitting; Manages the site's health and safety programs including, but not limited to hazard communication, injury and illness prevention, bloodborne pathogens, emergency response, forklift safety, lockout/tagout, industrial hygiene and accident investigations. Site contact for regulatory agency representatives; participates in emergency response and spill teams; interprets regulations and maintains records related to compliance; and completes required regulatory reports and program documentation. Qualifications necessary for the chosen Senior Specialist Environmental Health and Safety include: B.A. or B.S. in Environmental and/or Occupational Health and Safety related field. CIH, CSP or certification in related field a plus.
Contact: Felicia Tolliver frtolliver@becman.com

Senior Specialist Environmental Health for Beckman Coulter. Person develops, implements and/or manages Environmental, Health and Safety programs at the Brea and Chino facilities, ensuring compliance with federal, state and local regulations and company standards. The incumbent oversees environmental compliance programs including, but not limited to hazardous materials/waste, bio-hazardous waste, waste water, storm water, air quality, environmental training, reporting and permitting. Manages the site's health and safety programs including, but not limited to hazard communication, injury and illness prevention, bloodborne pathogens, emergency response, forklift safety, lockout/tagout, industrial hygiene and accident investigations. Is the site contact for regulatory agency representatives; participates in emergency response and spill teams; interprets regulations and maintains records related to compliance; and completes required regulatory reports and program documentation. Qualifications necessary for the chosen Senior Specialist Environmental Health include: B.A. or B.S. in Environmental and/or Occupational Health and Safety related field. CIH, CSP or certification in related field a plus. May require minimal travel to Chino location. Must be proficient in MS Suite.
Contact: Felicia Tolliver frtolliver@becman.com

Director Environment, Health, Safety & Business Continuity Planning (EHS-BCP) for MDS Inc. Position based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania . The Director EHS-BCP will lead development & implementation of global risk management initiatives throughout MDS Pharma Services in . A minimum of 10 years of applicable work experience is required. Prior experience with quality or management systems (e.g. ISO 14000, OHAS 18000) is required.
Contact: Rosina Felice rosina.felice@mdsinc.com

Have a safe, healthy and environmental week!

Carol Singer Neuvelt

NAEM Executive Director

202-986-6616

Check out our website www.NAEM.org for up-to-date information about NAEM's Forum, EHS management workshops and training seminars!