Intelex is pleased to announce that Virgin Atlantic Airways (VAA) has gone live with their Intelex Safety Management System organization-wide. VAA, one of the world's leading long haul airlines, employs over 9,000 people and has flown over 65 million passengers in its recently celebrated 25 years of existence. VAA first approached Intelex in search of a solution to unify their multiple incident reporting processes into a single streamlined application that could be accessible to all staff across the entire company. After an analysis of the functionality of the Intelex system to meet their requirements, the Intelex platform was selected as it allowed VAA to utilize proven Intelex modules as well as the versatile Intelex iForm® tool to create their own customized Incident Reporting Management and Analysis System (IRMA).

With the new 100% web-based system launched, all VAA employees can now access Intelex's system from any location. VAA is now actively monitoring and tracking all non conformances, maintaining auditor's checklists, proactively assessing risks, analyzing incidents and tracking, managing and reporting on safety meetings and employee training. By implementing an integrated Intelex solution, VAA was able to significantly increase the integrity and usability of the data they were capturing, all through a very simple and user-friendly interface. Congrats to everyone on both the VAA and Intelex teams who worked on this project to make it such a success!

Intelex Technologies is pleased to announce the FBI’s Aviation Section as one of our newest clients. The Aviation Section will be implementing both the Intelex Safety and Quality Management Systems which were selected for their high level of configurability, range of functionality, ease of use and implementation, as well as their capability to securely track and report confidential and sensitive data.  The Intelex systems will be implemented across all locations and will be accessible to employees bureau-wide.

In search of a solution that would foster the collection of all safety metrics from multiple locations into one central and easy-to-access platform, the FBI’s Aviation Section also required the capability to generate a 360-degree view of all safety-related incidents across the entire organization, permitting internal audits, increasing transparency into processes, and identifying problematic areas. Intelex’s web-based Safety Management System allowed for this functionality, giving each location the ability to independently log incidents which can then be tracked and reported on organization-wide. A flexible system with the ability to customize components (configurability) was another essential priority which Intelex’s custom iForm® application was able to address. Using the iForm® application the section was able to create an FBI specific hazard reporting iForm® to track all non-conformances related to flight operations, and from which problem reports can be generated from.

Intelex Executive Account Manager Bryden Waggott worked with the FBI - Aviation Section to identify the key requirements needed in their management systems and create an implementation plan that focused on safety in the first phase and quality in the second. “The main goal of the FBI – Aviation Section is to consolidate all aspects of safety, including incident reports, hazards reports, and training management into one central place,” said Waggott, “By implementing the Intelex system, the section will be able to significantly reduce the amount of time, effort, and resources that was previously required to produce safety-related reports and metrics. These are elements that will be critical to internal and external audit preparedness as well as gaining an overall visibility into areas for improvement. In Phase I, the primary focus will be on implementing Intelex’s safety management system while Phase II will address the capture and management of the metrics associated with the division’s quality management system.”

EHS Today Magazine’s 2009 National Safety Survey was recently conducted with nearly 1000 industry professionals taking part and providing some qualified insight on the topics of EHS programs, work environments, targeted injuries/illnesses, management support, job duties, OSHA performance and more. The results of the survey are discussed in a recent article entitled “National Safety Survey: Can We Still Afford To Be Safe?” penned by Laura Walter which was featured on EHS Today’s website. Walter outlines some of the trends that surfaced from the respondent’s answers and provides us with a look at the various views that were expressed on some of today’s popular EHS industry topics.

It is no surprise that an area receiving a particular amount of focus was the current economy and how it has reflected upon EHS programs and budgets. When respondents were asked about this topic, as Walter writes, “EHS professionals reported lower morale among employees, reduced or eliminated incentive programs, reduced travel opportunities, reduced training, layoffs, facility closures and fewer new equipment purchases. One respondent even claimed he had just lost his job and was preparing to file for unemployment.” EHS budget fluctuations were also reported with 10 percent of respondents indicating their budget was decreased more than 10 percent in 2009, 13 percent indicated a decrease of 1 to 10 percent, 47 percent reported their budget had remained the same, 11 percent reported an increase of 1 to 10 percent and a happy 4 percent reported a budget increase of more that 10 percent in 2009. Although some felt cuts to budgets to be threatening to their safety, several respondents indicated that their organizations had utilized layoffs as a means of eliminating inexperienced employees who commonly took risks and shortcuts which as a result improved their safety performance.

In one area of the survey, respondents were asked to rate President Obama’s approach so far to occupational health and safety. The responses to this particular question yielded a variety of opinions on the subject. With 16 percent rating Obama’s performance as good, 26 percent felt it was average, 13 percent rated it as fair, 15 percent felt is performance was poor and 27 percent indicated it was just too soon to tell. Another question dealt with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the main federal agency charged with the enforcement of safety and health legislation in the US), asking what occupational safety and health challenge would you most like to see OSHA address during the Obama administration? This question also yielded a mixed bag of opinions with respondents expressing that OSHA focus on a range of issues such as ergonomics, workplace aggression, updating antiquated standards, the nomination of an OSHA administrator and spending more energy investigating the circumstances of violations before issuing out fines. Overall the 2009 National Safety Survey is a valuable tool for gaining insight into the current EHS landscape from the perspective of those who work directly within it. Surveys such as this one are important as they help to further understand the current trends and help to project where the industry is headed.

As 2009 progresses into its second half some are beginning to see a beam of light developing at the end of the tunnel for the economic climate of the corporate world. With budgets tightened and staffs lightened, doing more with less has become a practice that many organizations have been adapting to lately, but when the economy does begin to generate some speed again will things resume back to normal? James Mallon, VP of Humantech, Inc., the US’s largest workplace ergonomics consulting firm and author of a recent article featured in EHS Magazine entitled “Good Ergonomics is Good Economics,” thinks that it will likely not be back business as usual. In his article Mallon sheds some light on the topic of EHS programs in the midst of the changes the declining economy has had on many organizations and the overall importance they have to a business’s success.

Mallon suggests that there is a new reality within the corporate world in that all programs and investments that an organization takes on will be scrutinized much more than in the past as to their impact on the business and their return on investment. He believes EHS programs are a critical element to an organization’s success and as is the case now with any program to be considered for implementation, we must be able to demonstrate the value they have to the organization. There are definitely some challenges that EHS professionals are facing as we begin to crawl out from the recession. Some of the obstacles that Mallon identifies include the state of most EHS programs having gone into maintenance mode, been stalled or even suspended, workplace equipment having not received improvements or upgrades as needed in 2009, and the reduction of work force resulting in a greater percentage of aging employees due to both the role seniority plays in cutbacks and retirement delays.

So when the economy recovers and production begins to increase again will organizations be able to pick up right where they left off? And to what effect will the recent changes they have made have on the rate of EHS incidents and the costs associated with them?  Mallon suggests that along with these challenges comes an opportunity to bring health and safety into focus and create programs that attract top caliber workers keeping them healthy and productive throughout their career. According to Mallon, ergonomics is key to accomplishing this. In what he coins “The Punishing Workplace,” employees are being demanded to exert more power than the human muscles and joints can give resulting in injuries and a reduced rate of productivity. The number one cause of workplace injuries, according to the most recent Workplace Safety Index produced by Liberty Mutual, was overexertion (lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, etc.) accounting for 25.7 percent of worker’s compensation costs to US businesses. As Mallon states, “The link between injury and illness rates and company performances is strong. Quality suffers when worker efforts are great; productivity suffers when a worker’s body positions are awkward and employee engagement suffers when pain is in the workplace.” With this in mind it becomes evident that ergonomics does hold a particularly important place within the development and maintenance of an effective EHS program. By designing tasks, tools and the workplace to support human capabilities, employees will be able to achieve top performance and reduce injuries and the costs associated with them. As Mallon cleverly titled his article, “Good Ergonomics IS Good Economics.” 

Safety Management Systems such as the one offered by Intelex Technologies provide a web-based platform to manage your entire organization’s  health and safety program from top to bottom that is efficient, effective and easy to use and implement.

As we progress through the current downturn in our economy companies are finding ways to cope with such effects as declining revenues, reduced workforces and tight-to-non-existent credit. With organizations facing new challenges in order to remain afloat and sustainable, many areas of operation have begun to experience some effects. One such area that is critical to an organization’s success but has begun to receive some neglect in this economic crisis is that of workplace safety. This is the topic of a recent article featured in EHS Today magazine entitled “The Effects of the Economy on Workplace Safety” written by Frank Pennachio. In it, Pennachio takes a look at some of the issues that are arising around workplace safety in the recession and how cost-cutting measures taken by some organizations can end up costing more in the end than ever anticipated.

As Pennachio first mentions, layoffs due to the recession are resulting in more work to be done by less people while placing thoughts of "Am I next?" running through the backs of many employees minds. This concern for job security in itself can have an impact on workplace safety resulting in a lack of employee focus and attention to detail, a likely cause to an increase of workplace injuries. When incidents do occur the concern for job security can cause employees to be reluctant in reporting safety infractions as they fear they will be viewed as "troublemakers" and thus will be a more likely candidate to be let go. As organizations pinch pennies to save money wherever possible workplace safety can be easily overlooked by employers as the time and costs associated with it can be a significant hit to the budget. Another area of concern that has arisen is the maintenance and upgrading of aging machinery and equipment. Where in the past companies could acquire funds more easily to purchase or update aging equipment, currently they are forced to extend the life via quick fix methods such as re-tooling parts to save money resulting in a higher chance of breakdowns and mishaps. Some companies have even been forced to move to smaller facilities that may not be as "safety friendly" as their previous space was.

With revenues and workforces shrinking, implementing and practicing workplace safety procedures becomes crucial to the success of a company as the need to have employees on the job and working at full capacity is greater now than ever. If safety incidents do occur the effects can be significantly damaging when weighed against the costs of preventative measures. As Pennachio quotes Warren K. Brown, president of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), "A company’s reputation is at risk should a disaster or incident occur. Employers face a damaged reputation and brand when employees are injured, especially if the incidents are preventable." Companies must make clear to their employees that they hold their safety as a priority and lead by example. As the temptation to divert resources from workplace safety initiatives grows stronger as budgets shrink, executives must keep in mind that investing in a safe working environment has a direct effect on their company's bottom line. Web-based Safety Management Systems like the one offered by Intelex are a smart investment and provide a comprehensive easy to use solution to managing an entire organization’s safety program from top to bottom.

Industry safety standards and regulations are constantly under review and analysis in an effort to continually improve upon them. The chemical sector is no exception, as governments worldwide are working to put the whole area of accident prevention in hazardous industries under greater regulatory control, the chemical sector is specifically increasing its emphasis on process safety. In a recent article from ICIS.com author Sean Milmo takes a look at some of the issues revolving around this movement.

Entitled "Chemical firms grapple with new approach to process safety data," Mr. Milmo's article first addresses the considerable pressure mounting towards the chemical industry to increase the scale of safety data reporting as a recent series of major accidents within the industry have resulted in a significant number of injuries and fatalities. These incidents have prompted both regulatory authorities and the general public to expect the chemical industry to step up preventative measures for these types of catastrophes.

So what is being done? In both Europe and North America regulatory bodies are taking steps to improve the safety reporting landscape and implement a process safety approach. As Mr. Milmo notes, "The European Commission is reviewing the 13-year-old Seveso II directive on the control of major accident hazards with the objective of making more effective obligatory safety management systems in plants, including those covering process safety. In the US, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been urged, particularly by the country's Chemical Safety Board (CSB) that investigates chemical accidents, to enforce existing legislation on process safety more effectively." Although both sides of the Atlantic are proactively seeking a common platform for chemical sector safety standards, there is still dispute from each party as to what process safety data should be monitored. The problematic issue has been the huge variety of data that can be categorized as being indicators. There are two types of indicators, lagging and lead, lagging indicators provide information on incidents after they have happened and lead indicators help to measure the effectiveness of procedures, operating disciplines and protections that work to prevent incidents, there are also near misses which are not serious but could lead to severe incidents. The choice between these indicators is causing much confusion among experts, as what some would classify as a lead indicator others would categorize as lagging.

Although there have been some disputes along the way, much progress has been made by both US and European organizations to establish a uniform model for the application of indicators. As Mr. Milmo explains, "A consensus has now emerged that the choice of lead indicators should be left to individual companies or even sites within companies because different lead indicators are required for different products and processes." Also, in late 2007, the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) in the US consulted with a variety of chemical and petroleum associations, regulatory bodies, trade unions and academics to create a list of process safety metrics which has gained support from North and South America as well as a few European countries. With the main priority to gain a consensus towards the metrics, the CCPS is leaving room for adjustments and continued improvements to their list. Although not perfect yet, the effort towards creating a global reporting culture is growing, which ultimately will create safer and more regulated conditions for all those working within the chemical sector across the globe.

Free Hazards & Risk Assessment content is now available on the Intelex-Exchange! View instructions on how to upload them directly into your Intelex System.

SCORECARDS
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Upcoming Reviews This Year by Month and Location
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Hazards & Risks Metric Scorecard
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DASHBOARD
Hazards & Risks

REPORTS
Hazards & Risks Activities List
Hazards & Risks This Year by Location
Hazards & Risks by Department
Overdue Hazards & Risks by Person Responsible
Upcoming Reviews in the Next 30 Days
Activities and Related Potential Barriers
Hazards & Risks Reviews by Activity

Workplace accidents and fatalities are a common occurrence, but many safety incidents could have been avoided through improved training management, accurate data reporting, internal audits, and generating a culture of safety within an organization.

The American Society of Safety Engineers has published a great, unbiased article titled "Technically Safe: Gaining 360◦ Visibility with Technology" by Peter Thiveos. The article addresses the key components of a successful safety management program, business rules and practical solutions, the value of designating a safety champion, and the benefits of using technology to improve an organization's safety performance.

Mr. Thiveos speaks to the need for a comprehensive system that addresses multiple facets including; training and certification management, incident and observation management, records and document management, risk assessment, monitoring and audit management, and corrective action management. "While all these systems have inherent benefits independently, collectively they provide unparalleled functionality and improvements in managing, compiling and reporting on an organization's overall safety status and SH&E governance," Peter Thiveos.

Intelex clients' Metso Minerals and Ferro Corporation are excellent examples of corporations that have actively generated a culture of safety consciousness across their organizations. One of the contributing factors to Metso Minerals' success was their safety champion Chris Adkins. Mr. Adkins spear headed the implementation of the Intelex Safety Management System and communicated Metso Minerals' safety program across the company. "With the Safety Management System now operational Metso Supervisors and managers can manage safety documents, report employee incidents and draw upon continuously updated best practice guidelines from Metso operations worldwide ... Part of my role is to create standard practices that are equal in every region. With verifiable results I can help protect and maximize the potential of Metso’s greatest resource, our employees." Chris Adkins – Global Health & Safety Specialist.

Ferro Corporation's Systems and Development Manager Art Plow is also their safety champion. In a recent case study, Art described Intelex as "an integral part of Ferro's world-wide Safe From Within Program and as a critical piece of our [Ferro's] larger effort to send all of our 6,500 employees home safely to their families at the end of the day, in some 17 time zones around the world." By using Intelex Safety Management Software to track all safety-related data and documentation in real-time, Ferro has been able to accurately measure their success in terms of improving their safety performance organization-wide.

Although safety management systems require an initial investment, the return-on-invest is quickly recovered through improved operating efficiency and a reduction in environment, health, and safety incidents. This sentiment is echoed by Peter Thiveos in the aforementioned article, "In light of today's nation and global economic condition, organizations need to understand that technology innovation and automation is one of the best ways to identify additional cost savings in their operations. Companies should always spend on effective technology-and, in the author's opinion, they should spend more in a downturned economy."

Learn more about how the Intelex's Safety Management Software can help your organization improve its safety performance.

Intelex Technologies has released its latest software innovation, the Intelex OpenPass API, a revolutionary application programming interface that will enable its users to sync and report data between multiple business management systems.

The Intelex OpenPass API functions as a conduit for seamlessly feeding data between multiple software programs. This means that Intelex’s environment, quality, and health & safety, and business management Software can now share data with pre-existing business software applications; thereby, saving time and resources while maintaining a degree of accuracy that’s difficult to achieve when data is transmitted manually.

The City of Calgary and St. Gobain are the first Intelex clients to take advantage of the OpenPass API.  The City of Calgary used our OpenPass API to import employee and location data from their pre-existing HR system into their Intelex System. They also used the OpenPass API to export employee injury data (i.e., incident number with date and time stamp) from Intelex’s Master Incidents Module into their HR program.

St. Gobain used the OpenPass API to import training courses, employee lists, and employee workgroup data from Lotus Notes into the Intelex System and Training Management Module. By using the OpenPass API St. Gobain was able to quickly populate their new Intelex System with historical data that will be a key factor in reporting accuracy and trending.

If you think that your organization could use the Intelex OpenPass API to import, export, and sync data between a pre-existing management program and your Intelex System, send an email to client.relations@intelex.com or call 416.599.6009 for more details.

It is often a challenge to keep employees constantly aware and engaged when it comes to safety.  An occasional dose of shock can go a long way in reinforcing the message. This can come in the form of graphic or emotional videos such as the ones listed below.

WARNING: These clips have allegedly made otherwise "tough guys" break into sobbing fits at the prospect of a serious accident.

Off site accident (prevent-it.ca)
Ladder fall (prevent-it.ca)
Jackhammer accident (prevent-it.ca)
Kitchen fire (prevent-it.ca)