What is SAP EHS?

With SAP EHS (SAP Environment, Health and Safety), companies ensure that they comply with environmental, health and safety regulations. 

This reduces risks and strengthens social responsibility at the same time.

SAP EHS (SAP Environment, Health and Safety) is an additional solution for SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC that supports companies in complying with legal regulations in the areas of environmental protection, health protection and occupational safety.

It enables the systematic management of hazardous substances, occupational accidents, waste, emissions and operational risks. SAP EHS also ensures that safety-relevant processes are documented, monitored and continuously improved.

The main objectives of SAP EHS are

• Reduction of environmental pollution
• Establishment and expansion of the circular economy
• Realisation of safe work processes
• Protecting and promoting employee health
• Minimisation of compliance risks

The abbreviation EHS stands for Environment, Health and Safety. Translated into German, this means environment, health and safety. In a business context, these three terms have different relevance.

• The term "environment" forms the basis for sustainable systems and deals with how current conditions influence both the natural and the man-made environment.
• The topic of "health" highlights the comprehensive interaction of people with their environment and includes physical, psychological, social, cultural and biological well-being.
• The often underestimated area of "safety" focuses on minimising risks to people and the environment through preventive and mitigating measures. The aim is to create conditions in which people can live and work safely and healthily.

Companies now often have an EHS department that deals with the management of environment, health and safety. The experts based there can be supported by specially developed systems - EHS software. Classic functional areas of such solutions are

• Hazardous substance and environmental management
• Health protection and occupational safety
• Risk management and compliance
• Training, documentation and reporting

EHS plays a crucial role in modern management as it helps to comply with legal regulations and reduce liability risks.

Effective environment, health and safety management protects employees, the environment and, accordingly, the company's reputation. Furthermore, companies realise the following benefits through good environmental, health and safety management:

• Proactive prevention of accidents and environmental damage
• Seamless documentation of compliance requirements
• Reduction in costs for fines and rework
• Efficient implementation of internal and external audits
• Support for the implementation of sustainable strategies to reduce emissions

In principle, SAP EHS is suitable for all companies that have to comply with legal regulations in the areas of environment, health and safety. The same applies to companies that want to reduce operational risks, improve compliance and implement sustainable strategies.

SAP EHS is used in various industries. These include the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, for example, where the safe handling and management of hazardous substances is of great importance.

The same applies to the consumer goods industry, where issues such as product safety also play a role. SAP EHS is also used in the manufacturing industry. Here too, the solution is used to manage hazardous substances and comply with regulations relating to occupational health and safety and environmental protection.

Another target group is the logistics and transport industry, where the focus is on managing the transport of hazardous goods and compliance with transport regulations.

SAP Environment, Health and Safety consists of several components, each of which covers a specific area of environmental protection, health and safety.

However, all components use a standardised database, enabling centralised control of processes and consolidated data analyses. In detail, the SAP EHS submodules are as follows:

Basic data and tools (EHS-BD)

This component is the basis of SAP EHS. Central master data such as substances, hazardous goods classifications, waste codes, packaging and so-called phrases (text modules) are managed here.

The data serves as the basis for the other EHS components and is used there across the board. Report templates and language-dependent data can also be maintained here. The ability to enter and output information in different languages is also important for internationally operating companies.

Product safety (EHS-SAF)

This component supports companies that manufacture hazardous substances. It centres on the management and automatic generation of safety data sheets (SDS), labels and other legally required documents.

The SDSs are based on SAP material parts lists, from which the chemical composition is automatically determined and assigned. Companies can control which information is delivered to which regions or countries based on regulatory requirements and company-specific rules. Product safety is essential in order to fulfil legal obligations when marketing chemical products worldwide.

Hazardous Substance Management (EHS-HSM)

Hazardous substance management is aimed at companies that work with hazardous substances but are not necessarily manufacturers themselves.

The component enables the management of substances used, supports reporting for regulatory requirements (e.g. SARA in the USA) and ensures transparency regarding the chemicals used in the company. Risks can be identified, assessed and documented.

EHS-HSM also facilitates compliance with local and international regulations on the safe handling of hazardous substances.

Dangerous Goods Management (EHS-DGP)

EHS-DGP is responsible for managing dangerous goods master records and carrying out checks in the area of dangerous goods transport.

Companies that transport substances and products that fall under dangerous goods regulations can use this component to create all the necessary documents - such as transport documents, dangerous goods papers or labels.

Checking transportability and compliance with international dangerous goods regulations (such as ADR, IATA or IMDG) is automated on the basis of the material master data. This ensures that all transports are carried out safely and in compliance with the law.

Waste management (EHS-WA)

This component supports companies in the legally compliant handling of operational waste. All processes can be mapped, from collection and classification to the organisation of disposal.

Necessary evidence and transport documents are created, costs are allocated according to source and internal and external reports are generated.

EHS-WA also enables the transparent tracing of disposal routes and ensures that waste is disposed of in an environmentally and legally correct manner. The allocation of costs to individual company divisions also increases cost transparency and supports business management.

Occupational medicine (EHS-HEA)

EHS-HEA can be used to plan, carry out and document occupational medical check-ups in the company. Medical questionnaires can be created and managed and examination results can be systematically recorded.

Resubmission deadlines, examination cycles and scheduling can also be mapped. This component not only serves the health of employees, but also ensures compliance with occupational health regulations such as the ArbMedVV (Ordinance on Occupational Health Care) in Germany.

The structured recording of sensitive health data is carried out in compliance with data protection regulations and supports the legally compliant organisation of occupational health care.

Occupational health and safety (EHS-IHS)

EHS-IHS maps the organisational occupational health and safety in the company. This includes the documentation of stress in the workplace, risk assessments, operating instructions and accident reports.

Incidents with or without personal injury - such as near misses - can also be recorded, analysed and evaluated. The component supports the implementation of preventative measures and the continuous improvement of safety levels.

Responsibilities, measures and deadlines can be systematically tracked. In this way, EHS-IHS not only promotes the safety of employees, but also compliance with statutory occupational health and safety requirements.

SAP EHS anchors compliance directly in the business processes. Automated checks against national and international regulations are carried out in real time. Warnings prevent violations of occupational health and safety and environmental laws.

The system documents all activities in an audit-proof manner and makes this data available for audits and enquiries from authorities. Integration with databases such as ECHA (EU) or OSHA (USA) ensures that the latest regulations are always used.

Based on the centrally maintained data, the compliance status can also be queried at any time, which guarantees a high degree of legal certainty.

The Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV) is a good example of how SAP EHS ensures compliance with complex legal requirements. This is because the processes relating to hazardous substances are multi-layered. From the creation of data to procurement, utilisation and disposal, there are a wide range of regulations that must be observed.

This is organised in SAP EHS as follows:

• Firstly, all hazardous substances are stored in the material master with relevant properties such as H and P phrases and GHS classifications. These are standardised hazard and safety information for chemicals that have been mandatory in the EU since the CLP Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008.
• The EHS data management system can then be used to create and update safety data sheets (SDS) in accordance with REACH (EU Chemicals Regulation, EC No. 1907/2006) and GefStoffV and make them available in various languages. The software automatically generates hazardous substance labels and operating instructions to fulfil the labelling obligations.
• For occupational health and safety, SAP EHS enables risk assessments and documents instructions in accordance with TRGS (Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances) 400. Storage and transport regulations (e.g. TRGS 510 and ADR) are also mapped, including warehouse compatibility checks. Integration with SAP MM, QM and PM ensures compliance along the entire supply chain.
• With standardised reports and audit tools, the system also monitors limit values (AGW, TRGS 900) and documents compliance measures so that companies can act with legal certainty.

In addition to national regulations such as the German Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV) and the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (BetrSichV), SAP EHS supports a large number of international regulations:

European regulations

• REACH Regulation (EC No. 1907/2006): for registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances
• CLP Regulation (EC No. 1272/2008): for the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures according to GHS
• EU Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC): regulates the principles of the waste hierarchy and traceability
• Seveso III Directive (2012/18/EU): for the handling of hazardous substances and the prevention of major accidents
• EU Emissions Trading Directive (2003/87/EC): Important for companies with CO₂-relevant emissions in the energy sector or industry

International regulations and standards

• OSHA regulations (USA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration): for occupational safety and health guidelines, particularly for production sites in the USA
• SARA Title III (Superfund Amendments and Reauthorisation Act - USA): for reporting obligations for hazardous substances and their storage
• Globally Harmonised System (GHS): uniform classification and labelling of chemicals worldwide - basis for many national systems

ISO standards

SAP EHS also supports processes requiring documentation and evidence for audits and certifications in accordance with the following standards:

• ISO 14001 (environmental management)
• ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management)
• ISO 50001 (energy management)

The technical integration and implementation of SAP Environment, Health and Safety requires systematic customisation of the SAP system in order to activate EHS-specific functions and link them to existing modules. Accordingly, a precise requirements analysis should always be carried out in advance.

The EHS basic module is then installed and licenced in the SAP landscape. This is followed by the basic configuration. This includes the definition of organisational structures, such as the assignment of plants, warehouses and clients to EHS-relevant processes.

Another important step is setting up substance data management, in which hazardous substance data (e.g. chemical properties and GHS labelling) is stored in the SAP material master.

External compliance databases (e.g. IUCLID) can be connected via interfaces to enable automatic updates. The SAP EHS Editor, which uses templates and rule-based text modules, is configured to create safety data sheets (SDS).

Technical integration with other SAP modules takes place via interfaces and customising. In particular, SAP EHS must be linked to the following components:

• MM (material master): for storing hazardous substance attributes in material master data
• SD (Sales and Distribution): for checking dangerous goods transports
• QM (quality management): for the traceability of incidents
• PP (Production): for the creation of safety-relevant work instructions
• PM (plant management): for the integration of inspection data

Companies can contact a certified SAP partner at any time for implementation support.

All important EHS functions have been transferred from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA.

However, the difference to predecessor systems such as ECC 6.0 is that there are no longer any separate EHS transactions under SAP S/4HANA. Instead, the EHS processes have been fully integrated into standard processes such as materials management, sales and production.

Certain EHS functions are integrated as standard in the Public Cloud Edition of SAP S/4HANA, in particular

• Hazardous substance management: Management of hazardous substances, including GHS labelling
• Basic compliance checks: Support for compliance with regulations such as REACH and CLP

However, the range of functions is limited compared to the on-premise version. A private cloud or hybrid solution may therefore be necessary for more complex requirements.

Alternatively, third-party solutions can be used to realise extended EHS functions.

With EHS, SAP customers can cover their environmental, health and safety processes holistically, manage relevant data centrally and fulfil compliance requirements securely. This minimises risks, reduces costs and supports sustainability goals.

The benefits of SAP EHS can be summarised as follows:

• Centralised management of EHS data
• Automated compliance checks in real time
• Audit-proof documentation of all activities
• Rapid creation of legally required reports
• Reduction of environmental risks and industrial accidents
• Sophisticated integration with other SAP modules
• Support for international standards and regulations
• Facilitation of internal and external audits
• Standardised workflows for EHS processes
• Modular expandability depending on company requirements
• Reduction of fines and rework through early warnings
• Transparency in hazardous substance and waste management
• Improvement of risk management and safety culture
• Utilisation of current regulatory data sources
• Efficient processes thanks to the elimination of manual activities
• Support for sustainability strategies