The Challenge
When researching and implementing Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) software solutions, it can be difficult, if not overwhelming, to sort through the various options necessary to identify which tool is right for your company. Regardless of organizational size and structure, there are universal elements that all companies need to be able to address with their technology tools. The key is finding the right platform that can streamline and standardize the way operations are performed, while still having the ability to flex to accommodate any specific requirements that arise for uninhibited growth potential.
For a decade, the EHS-Dashboard™ team has worked with companies to help their EHS teams improve processes, prepare for audits, and manage air emissions and permitting requirements. With so much experience directly assisting companies of all sizes in their day-to-day work, our team understands exactly what challenges EHS teams need their software tools to tackle—and how the right tool could not just expand the scope of their EHS Programs but allow them to be fully integrated with an organization’s overall strategic goals. Tools that do this effectively by:
The Solution
To answer this need, Higher Elevation created the EHS-Dashboard™, a comprehensive, customizable platform that assists companies with managing targeted EHS concerns and how they play a role in overall organizational alignment. Relying on their experience, they have developed a single software solution that can answer each of these client-identified challenges, and more.
The EHS-Dashboard™ was designed to integrate and unify, rather than necessarily replace, existing systems and processes that currently work at an organization. However, it can also be utilized as an incredibly powerful, easy-to-use, and endlessly versatile alternative to potentially outdated systems. Having a centralized hub for everything related to EHS allows EHS teams to think bigger, act more strategically, and scale to whatever challenges they face.
Improved Organizational Proficiencies
The cloud based EHS-Dashboard™ enables companies to collect and organize data in one central database. Instead of inputting information into, and then consolidating, multiple spreadsheets, data can be uploaded directly by vendors or from the factory floor. This improves accuracy by eliminating transcription errors; reducing latency as employees input data directly, rather than waiting until they get around to it; and enabling standardization by controlling the formatting of the data. The standardized data also promotes consistent reporting across production lines and facilities.
In addition to replacing spreadsheets, the EHS-Dashboard™can assist EHS teams with staying on track with regulatory compliance. By utilizing the regulatory compliance matrix feature, and activating the automated alert system, teams can stay on top of tasks as deadlines are approaching. Users can also add internal requirements to the matrix to keep track of specific tasks prescribed by their organization.
In conjunction with the EHS-Dashboard™ calendar, these tools can help to keep organizations on the same page about deadlines and needs across multiple sites and throughout the company structure. Such transparent knowledge enables employees to stay ahead of tasks, eliminate deadline surprises, and frees up time for higher value work.
Simplified Auditing
By design, the EHS-Dashboard™ creates an audit trail that allows for the automation and tracking of tasks and data in the system. For example, sustainability data, such as chemical usage quantities, and electricity, water, and gas usage, can be collected and stored in the EHS-Dashboard™, and also made available to outside companies, as needed, for certification or review. The ability to quickly demonstrate compliance with items such as air permits to an interested party gives a company immediate credibility in their handling of EHS obligations.
Additionally, through regular and automated data tracking, comprehensive environmental reports are easily generated, and data can be presented and used in a variety of formats. Similarly, when plant inspections are due, team members can be automatically notified to upload their results on the spot. They can even attach photos to the record to provide additional context.
The EHS-Dashboard™ team ensures that the tool is able to capture and report applicable information in a manner that reflects real world usage. For example, the methodology used by the system for calculations is consistent with how state and federal regulators expect to see data processed. Users no longer have to worry about formulas and can have confidence that regulators will not find problems within calculations that lead to negative repercussions. This takes the stressful guesswork out of the process.
Streamlined Processes
The EHS-Dashboard™ enables users to move away from paper inspections and forms for things like safety showers, powered industrial trucks (PITs), and hazardous waste areas. Instead, forms and associated QR codes can be created and affixed directly to the item needing to be reviewed, and team members can use a mobile device to scan the codes to complete the assigned task. The instantly uploaded data can then be used to trigger automated alerts that escalate emergency issues to the proper response team or be catalogued for long-term strategic planning. Access to on-the-spot incident reporting and work orders leads to faster and more robust response activities by EHS teams. The EHS-Dashboard™ allows third party vendors to have guest accounts that can be utilized for on-site work. For example, a vendor can be assigned a hazardous waste inspection, which upon completion, notifies the EHS Manager that the task is done, along with the results.
Improved Risk Management
For most EHS professionals, managing risk is critical to their operations. They need to be able to quickly identify and communicate the root cause of risk. The EHS-Dashboard™ provides a platform for easy comparisons across production lines, teams, and sites, enabling all locations to be evaluated using the same metrics for success. This gives management the ability to accurately visualize what is going on at each location in real time, and to understand the differences in risk across their entire organizational network. Trend lines, the severity of risks, and the success of mitigation efforts become easy to identify and track through the transparency of the system. This allows teams to create a prioritization of issues to focus on, along with the ability to share best practices across the company for quicker improvement moving forward.
Maximized Efficiencies in Strategic Planning
The EHS-Dashboard™ gives access to an enterprise-wide vision of all the places EHS touches within an organization. With this overarching view, it becomes possible to create a broader scope of initiatives. Leaders can see how the different aspects of EHS impact each other, and how they can influence corporate strategic goals. Now, with this more holistic view, leaders can wisely choose those initiatives that have the greatest impact on their company’s strategy and bottom line. For example, departments can move from focusing on fixing leaks to areas of broader impact, like determining how to optimize the wastewater treatment system so that when production lines are added, a new treatment system doesn’t need to be built. These wider programs can save companies millions of dollars and can help them meet sustainability goals over time. Often, a limiting factor to software implementation is employee resistance to adoption, especially if the tool requires significant training or demands extra work to accommodate the tool. The The EHS-Dashboard™ was designed to be intuitive and to make data entry for line employees easier, not harder. When team members discover how easy it is to pull reports, make risk assessments, escalate issues, and document inspections, their apprehension about learning a new system dissipates.
The Results
Many EHS-Dashboard™ clients have reported that the The EHS-Dashboard™ has helped to drive an organizational culture shift around how their companies view EHS programs and initiatives. Now teams, not just one individual, are responsible for managing and maximizing the reach of EHS systems. When everyone on the team can see the data and easily understand how process changes impact results, they get excited about making meaningful improvements and thinking bigger, which has been shown to lead to a feeling of empowerment and even career growth.
Clients Have Stated:
“Everything I was working on was based in Excel, so having an all-in-one tool helped to pull things together. I can have members of my team, vendors, consultants, and tenants input their data directly into the system. It saves me a lot of time and improves accuracy.”
“It paid for itself in one audit—it made the audit process so much easier.”
“The EHS-Dashboard™ gave us more time in our day. The EHS-Dashboard™ team helped us streamlines our processes and makes my job and seeing what’s going on across all my facilities much easier.”
“EHS is so much more than audits and inspections. It touches on everything, and the Dashboard makes it easier for me to provide management with relevant, timely reports.”
Why EHS-Dashboard™?
The EHS-Dashboard™ works to help you start tracking your data all in one place. As you become more familiar with the product, we work with you to adapt the software to your specific processes and requirements. The system can scale with your growth, and it’s easy to add new facilities and new staff from across the globe. The software is continuously updated with new regulatory requirements and ties into GRI initiatives. Clients can also create their own forms and custom reports! Because of its intuitiveness, we’ve been able to see high adoption rates and subsequent measurable team successes.
The EHS-Dashboard™ is committed to helping clients achieve their goals, which is why we have an The EHS-Dashboard™ support team that is staffed by people who are also EHS experts. We want to understand what you are trying to do from an EHS perspective and then we’ll get to work to help you achieve your goals and get the results you want.
Quick to onboard, easy-to-use, and incredibly powerful, the EHS-Dashboard™ simplifies data entry, enables an organization-wide view of EHS efforts, and frees up time for your company to innovate and grow.