Glossary and abbreviations

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OHSAS 18 001: Specification regarding the 14 001 standard used to assess and certify workplace health and safety management systems.
Operational entity (EMS definition): Organizational and geographic entity forming a level of administration and consolidation within a division.
Organic material: The soil’s organic matter is comprised of living organisms, plant and animal waste and the products of decomposition. Generally, it only accounts for between 0.5 and 10% of the soil’s mass. Organic matter disappears under the effects of erosion, clearing and natural oxidation. It is, nonetheless, an important component in a soil’s fertility and plays a vital role in the ecosystem’s stability. In this respect, it plays a leading environmental role (soil conservation, protection of water resources and carbon trap).
Produced from biodegradable waste, compost provides a source of organic matter for impoverished soil. By developing recovery for land use, Veolia Environmental Services is helping restore soil fertility while complying with strict quality and safety criteria.
Organic or compostable waste: Plant or animal residue that can be broken down by microorganisms for which it is a source of food. It includes: plant matter, compostable kitchen waste and waste collected from school and company cafeterias, and fouled paper and board under certain conditions. This waste is used to produce compost.
Organic soil improver: A stable, dry product with a high agronomic value, organic soil improver is produced from composting organic waste (food waste, green waste, wastewater treatment sludge). Rich in humus, it is used on agricultural land to improve the properties of soil:
- Physical: stabilization, aeration and combating erosion;
- Chemical: fertilization and enrichment in trace elements;
- Biological: improve plant resistance and the soil’s biological activity.
Outsourced management: Method for operating public services or services of a general interest, normally the responsibility of public authorities and of benefit to the local inhabitants who, in most cases, pay the service provider directly for the service. The service provider is responsible for the operation of the service and, when applicable, certain investments. Services operated in this way by Veolia Environnement mainly include household and non-hazardous waste collection, treatment and disposal; water distribution and wastewater treatment; energy production and distribution (heating and hot water); and public passenger transportation.
Outsourcing: Contracting to a single external operator all non-core activities previously handled internally (water, energy, transportation, environmental protection, etc.). Some outsourcing contracts include the transfer of the company’s employees involved in the outsourced services to the subsidiary created by the new service provider.
Ozone: Ozone is a gas that irritates the respiratory tract. At low altitude, it also contributes to the greenhouse effect. At high altitude, it protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation.