Author Archives: Farhana Ahmad

About Farhana Ahmad

Farhana Ahmad is a Content Marketing Manager at Intelex Technologies. With over 15 years of experience in key industries, she is a customer-focused professional specializing in delivering best-in-class Marketing and Content strategies and programs. Her degree in Environmental Science complements her marketing know-how, allowing her to incorporate her academic knowledge to the real-world applicability of the EHSQ space in general and Intelex in particular.

The Texas Blackout is a Powerful Reminder that Systems Can Be Fragile

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Texas Blackout Energy

To describe the blackout that occurred in Texas recently as tragic would be an understatement. It had serious consequences on the well-being of individuals, took a heavy toll on the state’s energy infrastructure and will end up costing taxpayer’s billions to repair. However, what is truly heartbreaking is that the suffering continues for many.

To date, the weather conditions that caused the blackout have resulted in:


According to the Independent, the estimated cost of damages is close to the $50 billion mark. While it appears that the situation couldn’t get worse, ERCOT – the Electric Reliability Council of Texas – now says the Texas … Read more...

Towards a Greener Future: How Denmark’s Energy Island Project Leads the Way for Organizations to Develop Sound Sustainable Practices

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Denmark's Energy Island

Denmark’s “energy island” will mark the first of its kind. Funded by both the government as well as the private sector, this project is designed to supply electricity for three million households in Denmark and may also extend its reach to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany. There are even plans to use green hydrogen for shipping and transportation.

The island will be located 50 miles off the eastern coast, its total size will be anywhere from 120,000 to 360,000 square meters and it will house 200 offshore wind turbines. From a cost perspective, it will be the largest construction project the country has undertaken, with an estimated total cost of $34 billion (€28 billion).

Under Denmark’s Climate Act, the country has committed to an ambitious 70% reduction in 1990 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and to becoming CO2 neutral by 2050. On top of that, leaders recently … Read more...

EHSQ Professionals Are Using Technology to Teach New Tricks to Old Tasks

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As a Gen Xer, I’ve seen the evolution of consumer products through the years. When looking at consumer audio devices, the transition from records to CDs to the audio streaming apps used today has been nothing less than astonishing. While I’ve grown accustomed to playing the game of catch up every few years, I suspect that the pace of this will accelerate even more in the coming years. 

The same is true at work. Access to new and improved technology allows me to work from home, stream video conferencing calls, view dashboards that track business performance, use my phone to instant message coworkers and much more. As an EHSQ professional, what technology do you use at work that have enhanced how you perform your job tasks?

For example, are you utilizing:

PPS and sensors to keep remote workers and their managers connected and notify teams of the potential exposure to … Read more...

CapEx versus OpEx: What’s the Best Way to Fund Your Software Purchase?

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Software Purchase CapEx vs. OpEx

The sheer number of EHSQ software solutions in the market can make the software buying journey very complex. In addition, getting buy-in from internal stakeholders can be equally as challenging. With the introduction of cloud-based or software as a service (SaaS) options, where the licensing component is considered an operational expense, comes an additional consideration: whether to view the expense as a capital expenditure (CapEx) or an operating expenditure (OpEx).

Purchasing EHSQ software–and this is true of most large procurement projects– requires a lot of research and preliminary work to ensure that you are making the best long-term decision. Not only can the process be long and arduous, there are also many factors to consider and many scenarios to examine. In fact, when it comes to deciding which software solutions to select, technology and technological capability are merely one aspect of the final decision. As such, one of the most important … Read more...

OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Directive: Full Inspections Only in Cases of Elevated Injury and Illness Experience

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Updated OSHA Inspection Program

With the end-goal of utilizing limited enforcement resources to target workplaces with elevated injury and illness incidents, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced updates to its site-specific targeting program. The Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Directive takes the place of Site-Specific Targeting 2016, and focuses on non-construction organizations with a minimum of 20 employees.

The changes to the inspection program are as follows:

  1. The creation of a new targeting category for establishments indicating consistent injury and illness rate increases over the three-year data collection period, and
  2. Permits records-only inspections to be carried out when a compliance officer discovers that an organization was included in the program due to error. In these instances, a complete inspection will only be carried out when it has been determined that the reported number of injury and illnesses have increased.

With this in mind, it is important for organizations to focus on developing a … Read more...

How Digital Transformation Is Propelling Operational Excellence in Oil and Gas

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Digital Transformation Oil and Gas

Digital transformation plays an impactful role in shaping practices and processes in most industries, including oil and gas. From accurately forecasting the number of incidents to automating administrative tasks related to those incidents and process hazard analyses, the digitization of the oil and gas industry has contributed to worker safety, streamlined EHSQ and compliance processes and nurtured improved safety cultures.

While the oil and gas industry has not been at the forefront of innovation historically, it has, however, retained its position as a leading player in the economy as it continues to be the largest source of energy (in the U.S., it is the #1 source). As the source material for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, it is also used to make products including propane, asphalt and petro-chemical feedstocks as well as heavy and light fuel oil. On top of that, it is also used in producing many consumer products … Read more...

Key 2020 Trends in Health & Safety in the UK

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UK Health and Safety Statistics

Fact: This year has presented more than its fair share of challenges globally, particularly in the area of health and safety (H & S). On top of the fact that COVID-19 has claimed over 65,000 lives in United Kingdom to date, health officials and employers also had to address an increase in the number of work-related illnesses related to stress, anxiety and depression.

2020 will go down in history as a year unlike any other. Governments had to scramble to find solutions to a fast-growing pandemic; pharmaceutical giants had to dramatically ramp up efforts to develop and release a vaccine across the globe; and organizations had to pivot when it comes to their day-to-day operations as well as to their business continuity planning efforts.


Year-Over-Year H & S Trends in Great Britain


Despite the changes that businesses had to make to adapt to changes in the economic landscape, worker health … Read more...

Help Lessen the 30,000+ Flu-Related Fatalities per Year by Getting a Flu Shot this Winter

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Why you should get a flu shot in 2020

Getting a flu shot is even more critical this year as the spread of COVID-19 can complicate diagnoses, put additional pressure on health systems and lessen the quality of care provided by medical professionals.

If facing challenges makes you stronger, then 2020 has been quite the teacher. Not only are we still in the process of addressing a pandemic that has claimed over 1.5 million lives globally, but, while all of this is happening, you can’t lose sight of the fact that you still have to protect yourself from common winter illnesses. In fact, health experts recommend taking even more precautions and preventative measures this year.

So what falls high on the list of these priorities? Getting your annual flu shot.


How the Flu Takes a Toll on Health Every Year


As it currently stands, about 30,000 to 60,000 Americans and 2,500 to 3,500 Canadians die due to complications … Read more...

How Zebra’s Rugged Mobile Devices Can Drive Worker Connectivity, Optimize Workflows and Enhance Operations in EHSQ

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Zebra's Rugged Devices and EHSQ

When staying connected can mean the difference between making life-and death decisions in real-time or in near-real-time, EHS leaders can rest assured that they can turn to rugged devices as the solution.

Do your employees need to stay connected to their Intelex platform and applications when they are working in high-risk environments where a standard device can be damaged easily? If so, we’ve got some great news for you!


Enter Rugged Devices by Zebra Technologies


Zebra Technologies, a pioneer in the rugged technology market, is making strides by addressing the connectivity issues that many business leaders currently face with their field workers. They produce intrinsically safe rugged mobile computers, which, due to their reinforced outer casings coupled with their robust built-in software intelligence, can withstand extreme conditions and can operate with minimum disruption. Examples of their mobile computers include: handheld, wearable and vehicle-mounted computers, tablets, mobility DNA apps and handheld … Read more...

Do You Know the Most Popular Gift Items to Make the Safety Professional’s Holiday Wish List?

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Holiday Gifts for Safety Professionals

When it comes to satisfying the safety-minded individual, holiday gift buying is more about practicality than material things. After all, there’s something to be said about prioritizing health and safety above everything else.

Even though it’s that most wonderful time of the year, shopping for near and dear ones can, at times, be most stressful. But what about shopping for safety professionals? Is that any different?

The answer to that is a resounding yes!

An article by EHSToday highlights the fact that safety professionals put an emphasis on understanding risks and hazards, not just following procedures. With a laser-focus on preventing workplace and safety hazards as well as managing the number of incidents, wouldn’t it seem logical that they would appreciate gifts that helped keep their teams (as well as themselves) safe on a day-to-day basis?

You bet it would!

Here are some popular gift items for safety professionals … Read more...