Continuing the same theme as Lori's previous post, here is the list of the most frequently cited standards by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration for the last fiscal year.

1. Scaffolding (construction)

2. Fall protection (construction)

3. Hazard communication

4. Control of hazardous energy

5. Respiratory protection

6. Powered industrial trucks

7. Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment

8. Ladders (construction)

9. Machines (general requirements)

10. Electrical systems design

They say that one man's success is another man's failure.  While I personally find this kind of worldly insight a little cliché, this particular adage, if nothing else speaks volumes about how we define success.  I think we can all agree that although success can be measured in a multitude of acceptable albeit subjective ways, it doesn't necessarily have a definitively right one.  Recently, I sat down with Senior Project Manager Kulbir Bal in hopes of hearing about a compelling client story I would be able share with our blog readers.  A modest Kulbir, refusing to play favorites, instead treated me to his unique and insightful perspective on what he believes accounts for a client's success with Intelex.

It was clear from our discussion that there were two fundamental elements that would lead any client to a successful implementation of the Intelex system:  relationships and planning.  While perhaps not an epiphany to anyone reading this, Kulbir believes that these elements can be easily overlooked.  I would tend to agree.  While learning the nuts and bolts of a new system is important, Kulbir suggested that participating in training for a number of days is only, "one stop during the implementation road."  Getting full value out of the Intelex system or any other new software for that matter can only happen once concrete relationships have been formed between Project Managers/Consultants and the clients they work with.  Only once levels of trust are achieved from "getting to know clients at a personable level and putting their minds at ease," can appropriate planning and objective setting ensue.

Perhaps the most important point Kulbir drove home was the need for new clients to identify one or several individuals within their company or organization who would champion the Intelex system, assuming ownership of the software, creating excitement about it while acting as an internal coordinator.  He suggested that, "most clients are as successful as their preparation goes.  If they're ready and have all necessary processes in place and caution off some time to work with the system, success will quickly follow."  If you haven't done so already however, fear not! An Intelex Project Manager or Consultant can help you identify who these individuals could potentially be and would be more than happy to help set appropriate planning in motion.

So there you have it!  Your success with Intelex really isn't a big secret.  As Kulbir pointed out, it really boils down to intelligent planning and strong relationships.  It's a simple recipe, but one with a proven track record.

An increase in workplace fatalities, like the untimely deaths of a crane operator and construction worker in New York's lower-east side (May 2008), reinforces the desperate need for workplace safety programs.

With thousands of people needlessly dying on the job every year, one can't help but wonder what's going wrong.  According to Michael Belzer, associate research scientist with the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Michigan, one factor may be that "... in an economic downturn there's more pressure on people to get more done for less time and less money." (MSNBC 2008)

Following that logic, for a corporation to implement a Safety Management System it will cost money, but the price tag is miniscule when compared with benefits of having a healthy workforce. Ultimately, the money an organization saves as a result of fewer production days lost to sick leave, significantly reduced liability expenses, and an increase in employee satisfaction far outweighs the cost of the initial Safety Management Program.

So as I see it, the necessary steps to increase employee health and safety are three-fold. First, corporations need to take a proactive approach to protecting the welfare of their employees by investing in a Health and Safety Management Program. Secondly, the government needs to effectively enforce healthy and safety regulations. And lastly, employees need to demand safe working environments.

Alexander Gordon makes a great point in his article [The] Importance of Document Management in Compliance Strategies when he says "Compliance strategies help decrease regulatory as well as litigation risks that the enterprise faces. They help to reduce mismanagement of data, ensuring that the companies secure their information and utilize it wisely."

Gordon's full article is really useful in explaining the value of a document control system, but this particular quote stands out because it speaks to one of the core values of a well-designed document management system ? the ability to help ensure internal and external regulatory compliance.

Industry executives understand that having document control procedures in place improves workflow efficiency, which in turn saves money by eliminating the duplication of employee efforts. But what they often overlook is the value that a simple document management system can offer from a risk prevention perspective.

In 2008, there isn't an industry out there that doesn't have to meet some sort of regulations or risk being penalized. By implementing a document management system corporations can ensure compliance through corporate-wide workflow procedures and real-time status reports.

Another successful Webinar!  I just finished conducting the Take a Tour of the Back Roads Webinar and it was well received.  This webinar was free and designed to give clients insight to the many consulting tips I've gathered over the years.  Whether new or veteran clients - they learned great ways to make the Intelex system in their organization, a success!  We covered the following topics:

• - Configurable Security
• - Toolbars
• - Effective Email Notifications

• - Data Copy Function
• - Importing Tools Available...and are you using all fields?

• - Benefits of the Reporting Suite
• - How iForms can help
• - Configuration Services Available

• - Making Accessing Documents Even Easier
• - Making the best use of Training Work Groups and Grace Period

Followed by an open Question and Answer period where many good questions came up.

During my first visit to Dallas I recall noticing a bumper sticker with the slogan "Don't Mess with Texas". I remember being amused and wondering what that was all about. It happens to be the name of the anti-highway litter campaign organized by the Texas Department of Transportation.  Over the years, the lone star state has championed several similar initiatives and is recognized as a national leader in environmental sustainability.

This week, the City of Dallas further boosted the state's reputation by achieving ISO 14001:2004 certification for its Environmental Management System.  EPA administrator Stephen Johnson commended the city for its commitment to reducing the impact of its activities on the environment. The city's EMS covers all 11 municipal departments and 13,000 employees. It is the widest implementation of an EMS in the country.  The city of Dallas was one of the first cities to purchase Intelex Environmental Management System software back in 2004 and is among a growing number of Intelex municipal clients.

Five new free training reports and two new training scorecards are available to be downloaded from Intelex-Exchange by Intelex clients using the Training Management System.

Enjoy! These new reports and scorecards should make your jobs a little easier.

REPORTS
Training Hours & Costs by Course: Gives the total duration of hours and cost spent on each course based on the location and categorized by pass and fail.

Course Lists: Lists all the courses that have been assigned to the workgroup, and is grouped on the basis of the workgroups.  It also shows the priority of the course assigned as well as the location at which the courses are assigned to the workgroup.

Training Hours This Year vs. Last Year: Sums up the total number of hours on training for each course and compares the number of hours for this year versus last.

Cost of Training by Course: Shows the total cost associated with each course for a given location, and is grouped by months for the current year.

Grades Distribution: Shows the grades distribution among the employees taking the training, and the number of employees who passed the course.

SCORECARDS
Training Cost This Year Vs. Last Year: Displays a bar graph showing the total cost spent on each location for training this year and last year.

Training Cost by Course Shows the amount spent on each training course that is being offered. Grouped by the month for the current year.

Please contact your Intelex Client Relations Account Manager or the Intelex Help Desk at help.desk@intelex.com, if you experience difficulty downloading these reports and scorecards.

Good news for organizations that need to track Department of Transportation [DOT] driver compliance. Intelex has designed a module to automate the entire DOT process.

The new DOT Compliance Management Module enables organizations to:

• Implement organization-wide DOT  management procedures
• Manage all DOT related data using a secure web-based interface
• Automate the renewal reminder process
• Send escalating email notifications to designated administrators
• Create instant real-time driver compliance reports
• Process and archive all relevant DOT documentation

To learn more about this product, contact an Intelex Account Manager.

NRG Energy, one of North America's most successful power generation companies, has raised the bar regarding an environmentally kinder approach to power generation.

In an effort to reduce their environmental footprint, NRG has implemented econrg, a progressive initiative tasked with the mandate of introducing environmentally friendlier business practices.

As described on the NRG website, their goal is to "meet the challenges of climate change, clean air and the protection of our natural resources." To help achieve this goal, NRG chose Intelex's web-based Environmental Management System to collect, track and report all environmental-related data, procedures and policies.

In addition to the implementation of Intelex's management software, NRG has also begun retrofitting existing power plants with technology to reduce emissions. "We are engaging in activities that protect and preserve the environment while encouraging changes in the daily lives of our employees."

Through programs like Control Climate Change (3C), an initiative comprised of 50 global business leaders including NRG Energy, corporations world-wide are making a sincere effort to reduce carbon emissions and address global warming.

I recently picked up the April 2008 issue of Industry Week and read Brad Kenney's article "Whatever Happened to Quality?" In the past I've written posts about an increase in awareness regarding the importance of quality control, but what my previous posts didn't focus on and Mr. Kenney's article does, is the growing realization that quality management isn't just about manufacturing anymore.

In 2008, quality control has evolved to the point where it embraces an all-encompassing approach to process improvement. That is to say that it accounts not just for manufacturing, but also for services rendered, customer support, employee satisfaction, human resources development, senior leadership decisions,  etc.  As Kenney describes it, the evolved approach to quality goes "beyond the shop floor and into the front office."

As I see it, the new quality control is a complete quality management system. It's comprised of document control workflow, training management processes, supplier performance tracking procedures, corporate-wide quality policies, and internal & external communications tracking to name just a few components.

Check out Kenney's complete article at http://www.industryweek.com.