Along with our Middle Eastern partner Barik IT Solutions, Intelex is pleased to announce two new additions to our client roster, Majan Electricity Company and Daleel Petroleum both located in Oman, have selected Intelex Technologies to provide them with an EHS Management System.

Both companies are key players in Oman’s energy industry with Majan Electricity being a leader in electricity distribution and supply and Daleel Petroleum a top oil and gas operator. Majan Electricity selected the Intelex EHS Management System as a means of automating all of their Environmental, Health & Safety processes into one unified system, working to effectively manage and track such core business components as Audits Management, EHS Training, Incident Reporting, Permit Management, Document Control, Environmental Management and Risk Assessments. Daleel Petroleum selected Intelex’s Safety Management System as a means of automating and tracking their EHS activities across all of their operating sites. Both companies will be leveraging the web-based Intelex platform to foster real-time reporting and generating a complete 360-degree view into their EHS business processes and performances.

To learn more about how an Intelex solution can help you improve your organization's EHS performance, request a free demo here.

If there was one message prevalent in last week’s webinar, it was Ask Questions. The Intelex webinar, “Unlocking and Utilizing Your Resources: Purchasing Health & Safety Software in the New Economy” provided valuable insight into the process of purchasing EHS software. Though the presentation was initially designed with Health & Safety professionals in mind, the overall theme is relevant to all management areas. 

Presented by Dan Marcus, one of Intelex’s Executive Account Managers, the webinar first identified the must-ask questions when beginning your pursuit for a software vendor. What service types are available? What are the payment options? Dan also touched on ‘how to sell your system up the chain of command’ through writing proposals, defining a quantitative ROI, and allocating resources for implementation:

“In today’s economy there is no room for wasted money. Leveraging software will create a more efficient work environment that acts as a vehicle for cost savings. The no. 1 barrier preventing a professional from purchasing software is a lack of a purchasing strategy. To buy software in the new economy, a professional’s job is not only to understand the cost savings, but to document and prove these saving in a business proposal.”

For more information on Intelex's "Unlocking & Utilizing Your Resources" webinar, or to ask questions about purchasing software, please contact Dan Marcus at 416.599.6009 x335.

Next month, Intelex’s Bevin Lyon will be presenting, “Tracking Your Way to Optimal Supplier Performance”. The webinar will look at different methods for achieving optimal supplier performance. Register online or contact JP Nadeau for more information. 

Geek&Poke

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 recently attended two conferences that took place in the Middle East, both with a focus on addressing growing HSE challenges in the workplace. John Phyper, Intelex's EVP of Sales, Marketing and Alliances travelled to Doha Qatar first to participate in the 5th Annual HSE Forum in Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals. Taking place over 4 days, the Forum followed in the footsteps of the outstandingly successful 4th Annual HSE Meeting in 2008 and had over 150 regional and international senior level HSE professionals gathered to share their opinions and insights with their industry peers. This series of HSE Forums has proven itself to be the focal point for discussion on the best practices, innovative solutions and creative ideas on successful HSE compliance in the oil and gas industry. John also attended "Managing HSE in the Construction Industry," hosted by the Oman Society of Contractors which took place in Oman and specifically looked at recently introduced health and safety legislation as well as health and safety standards in the construction industry. Intelex's Middle Eastern partners, the Barik Group, were also in attendance at both events.

The conferences both addressed the shifting culture of safety in the workplace and the importance of implementing and maintaining a HSE Management System to have a pro-active and re-active solution to workplace safety. "There is a significant shift by companies to put in place robust systems to ensure their workers and contractors mitigate environmental damage and practice safety in the workplace," commented Phyper on the emerging industry trends.

Intelex's web-based HSE Management solutions provide a single, organization-wide platform for all safety data, policies, objectives and initiatives. Find out how an Intelex Safety Management Solution or Environmental Management Solution can help your organization save time, money and resources.

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.

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