When Being Thankful is the Reward Itself

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“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” – Margaret J. Wheatley

I’ll be honest, I dreaded writing this blog. (How’s that for an opening statement!?)

I dreaded it because let’s face it, 2020 has been a struggle for all of us. It’s hard to think about being grateful during a pandemic that has taken the lives of 1.41 million people worldwide, sickened nearly 60 million people and upended the way we work, go to school and socialize. Millions of people are out of work, small and large businesses are impacted, hospitals and healthcare providers are overwhelmed.

But something happened last week that made me realize that I actually have much for which to be grateful. This past year has helped me, and my “community” here at Intelex, discover what we care about.

Our Employee Appreciation Day was last week. We received … Read more...

Lessons Learned the Hard Way: OSHA’s Most Common COVID-19 Citations

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OSHA Violations and Solutions

Although there is no federal standard related to COVID in the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been conducting COVID-19-related inspections and has frequently cited for violating certain standards, primarily the Respiratory Protection Standard and the Personal Protection Equipment standard.

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it has issued 232 citations arising from inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $3,148,452.

In an article posted to the Fisher Phillips Workplace Safety and Health Blog, attorney Nicholas S. Hulse warns that a guidance recently issued by the agency “makes it clear that the most commonly cited standards related to COVID-19 involve respiratory protection and personal protective equipment (PPE). Based on the data provided by OSHA, it is evident that many employers are issuing respirators to employees without the required medical evaluation and without establishing and implementing … Read more...

How to Drive Business Transformation through Heightened Collaboration

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Collaboration Drives Business Results

One of the qualities of critical thinkers, particularly in the business space, is to apply creative thinking either to solve business problems or identify opportunities. This ability to “reject standardized formats for problem solving” can be of great benefit, particularly during unpredictable times.

To say that 2020 brought about serious challenges to business leaders would be an understatement. From developing business continuity plans to doing a complete overhaul of their business model, these individuals have had to channel their ability to respond quickly, be agile, be resourceful and be confident in their decisions.

With over 85% of executives attributing the lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures, many leaders have looked at people-focused approaches to solve current challenges.

This brings us to the objective of this blog: to examine how some leaders used collaboration as an engine to maintain productivity, drive employee engagement and boost employee morale.… Read more...

Meeting Management or Meeting Madness? (ie., I Don’t Want to Zoom and Take Me Off Your Teams)

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Meeting Management Best Practices
Why meeting management needs to be top-of-mind for managers and employees.

I’ve been a remote worker for nearly 3 years. When I first started, I was one of only four team members who was remote. I frequently was excluded from meetings. Not because my input wasn’t wanted or needed, but because people would forget to dial me/us in. To say it was frustrating is an understatement; infuriating might be closer to the truth.

I now refer to that time as “the good old days.”

Fast-forward to 2020 and everyone at my company works remotely. Microsoft Teams and Zoom have become ubiquitous. Those 5-minute “chats” beside someone’s desk or at the coffee machine have turned into 30-minute meetings. We’ve scheduled multiple full-day meetings via Zoom and I have one word for those: Brutal.

I know I’m not alone in feeling like I’m spending much more time meeting and much less time … Read more...

EHSQ Management Just Got Smarter: Intelex Acquires Compliance Automation Innovator ehsAI

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Intelex acquires ehsAI
Artificial intelligence and machine learning enable ehsAI’s automation technology, propelling Intelex’s leadership in compliance management to the next level and beyond.

Intelex Technologies, ULC, a leading global provider of SaaS-based Environmental, Health, Safety and Quality (EHSQ) management software, announced it has acquired ehsAI, a next wave compliance automation technology provider. ehsAI uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help organizations greatly reduce the costs and risks of permitting and compliance management.

“We are thrilled to have ehsAI join Intelex,” said Justin McElhattan, president of Intelex. “ehsAI augments our compliance management solutions and existing regulatory content partnerships. We look forward to innovating in collaboration with ehsAI to solve real customer pains with applied intelligence and advanced analytics. Whether it be compliance for environmental, health, safety, or quality compliance requirements, the possibilities are limitless.”

With this strategic acquisition of an innovator in the emerging AI regulatory content solution market, Intelex … Read more...

L2L: How To Have a Productive Dialogue with Senior Leadership

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Leaders Productive Dialog
In this episode, our Health & Safety leaders discuss how to create a productive dialogue around health and safety with senior leadership.

Health and Safety is changing. It is now more complex and dynamic than ever. In addition to traditional concerns over safety, today’s professionals must deal with everything from individual mental wellbeing to global environmental citizenship. It is anything but simple.

In episode 8, we hear that while one of the greatest challenges faced by Health & Safety leaders is how to communicate with senior corporate leadership in a meaningful, productive way, it also is one of the most productive things an HSE professional can learn to do.

Paul Darby, Global Head of Health & Safety – DHL Global Forwarding, counseled, “If you have an overall business strategy, don’t have a safety strategy that looks completely different.” Make sure your safety strategy lines up with the business strategy, he … Read more...

Do You Know How Cold-Chain Requirements for the COVID-19 Vaccine Can Impact its Time to Launch?

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COVID-19 Vaccine cold supply chain
The Good News: The Vaccines Work


News of promising results in COVID-19 vaccine research has brought a glimmer of hope to people around the world. Within the space of two weeks, both Pfizer and Moderna have announced that early results of their front-runner vaccines show an effectiveness rate of about 95%. The news catalyzed an upsurge in the stock market and spurred governments around the world to begin planning for delivering the vaccines to the most vulnerable populations.


The Bad News: Delivering the Vaccine Will Be Challenging


While the world’s attention has been on the vaccine as a way out of the COVID-19 crisis, distributing the vaccine globally will require one of the largest logistical operations in modern history. The most significant barrier to large-scale distribution is the requirement of a seamless cold-chain. Pfizer’s vaccine needs to be stored at an ultra-cold -75C, while Moderna’s vaccine requires storage at … Read more...

How to Sell Your Software Solutions to the C-Suite

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Sell Software to Chief Officers

EHSQ practitioners know the value they bring to an organization. Keeping workers safe, protecting the environment, and meeting customer requirements are elements at which every business wants to excel, so anything we can do to help achieve that should be met with open arms by leadership, right?

Well, not always.


When the Value of EHSQ Software Doesn’t Sell Itself


If there’s anything EHSQ practitioners know as much about as their own value, it’s the feeling of rejection when pitching digital solutions for compliance and EHSQ software to leadership. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the benefits of EHSQ should practically sell themselves, it’s not always easy to convince leadership that software is what the organization needs. Even fact-based arguments focusing on benefits like decreasing recall risk, giving leadership access to data, maintaining compliance, and improving audit preparation are not enough to loosen the purse strings for your … Read more...

How to Make Your Mark as an Influential Leader in the EHS Space

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What Makes a Great EHS Leader

While being a good leader takes work, being a great leader comes naturally to some, but for others, it takes a combination of dedication and insight. This applies to leaders across the board – the fields of environment, health and safety (EHS) are no exception.

So then the next question becomes: What makes a great leader?

Initially, EHS leaders were hired for their technical expertise. Now, they are being perceived as a part of the larger operational team, which can include human resources, finance, operations, quality and more.

As the role of the EHS leader has evolved, both in terms of breadth and depth, the role has become one that has greater influence and impact on the business. For this reason, companies look at the strength of these leaders, not only to help the business meet its EHS objectives, but also help it meet business objectives by engaging … Read more...

Why are Only 30% of In-house IT Projects Successful?

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EHSQ Software IT Projects

According to Peter Drucker, the renowned business author and educator: “Wherever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” That’s not to say that courage alone is the answer—extensive research, forecasting and scenario planning all play a role in making business decisions. In fact, when it comes to purchasing software, especially EHSQ software, there is much to consider and much at stake.


The Buy vs. Build Debate in the Post-Pandemic Landscape


In the software development world, the buy vs. build debate is still strong. With rising costs of doing business, mounting customer expectations and disruptions to operations, leaders are faced with the decision of whether they should build software in-house or buy it externally. Interestingly, businesses based in the U.S. spend nearly $300 billion per year on in-house solutions. Within these, however, only 30% of in-house IT projects are successful.


So Why are So
… Read more...