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.”

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.