Tag Archives: EHS

Data Does not Speak for Itself: You Have to Speak for It

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Letting the data speak for itself can result in unrecognizable insights for many in your organization. Data needs to be interpreted to make sense.

The data will speak for itself. This is a phrase that is commonly thrown around in data analytics circles.

Often the people who say the data will speak for itself are the ones who are closest to the data, and for them, this might be true. EHS analysts, business analysts and other disciplines that focus on data collection, cleaning, preparation and analysis are closest to the data.

However, for employees of departments whose focus is not data analysis, the data can look like it is speaking Italian instead of English. This means that “letting the data speak for itself” can result in unrecognizable insights for many in your organization.

The practice of environmental, health and safety (EHS) is experiencing growing pains when it comes to analysis … Read more...

Workers Memorial Day 2021: Mourn the Dead, Fight for the Living

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Every year on April 28, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) commemorate Workers Memorial Day. Also known as the International Day of Mourning, this is the day we remember and honor the men and women who have lost their lives on the job. Many of these devastating losses were preventable if standards had been followed, appropriate controls existed and if safety and health programs were a priority.

In 2021, the DOL also observes OSHA’s 50th anniversary. Before the 1971 enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the creation of OSHA, many U.S. workers lacked basic protections from workplace hazards. Since then, OSHA and its many partners have helped transform U.S. workplaces and have reduced injuries, illnesses and fatalities significantly.

“Workers Memorial Day reminds us of the sacrifices many workers make to earn their wages and provide for themselves and … Read more...

IWD2021: Thérèse Schölvinck: #ChoosetoChallenge Starts by Challenging Yourself

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The theme for IWD2021 is: “A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.”  IWD2021 is asking: How will you help forge a gender-equal world? The answer is by celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness against bias and taking action for equality.

Through our annual IWD blog series, we want to introduce you to a group of women – our employees, customers and partners – who personify the achievements of women in tech and in EHSQ.

Find out why the word “why” – typically a challenge-type word – is so important to Thérèse.

What is your name, title and company?

Thérèse Schölvinck, Director – PD People – HR Business Partners, European Patent Office

I studied Industrial Design Engineering at the Technical University in Delft, The Netherlands. Istarted to work at the European Patent Office as a Patent Examiner in 1991. In addition to my core job, I was … 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...

Our Upcoming Expert Connect Session: The Evolving Role of the EHS Professional—Planning for Crisis

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Expert Connect EHS Professional

In the words of award-winning psychologist Albert Bandura: “Learning is bidirectional. We learn from the environment, and the environment learns and is modified thanks to our actions.”  With that in mind, we created our Expert Connect series to provide attendees with an exciting experience based on the exchange of ideas, experiences and industry knowledge.


Introducing Our Upcoming Session: The Evolving Role of the EHS Professional—Planning for Crisis


We’re excited to announce our fourth session, The Evolving Role of the EHS Professional—Planning for Crisis, which will be taking place on Wednesday, November 18th!

This session is designed to examine the role of EHS professionals in minimizing disruptions to supply chains and operations—all during post-pandemic times. By attending, you will learn:

  1. The key metrics that have the greatest impact to your sustainability programs and brand.  
  2. How our Intelex solution provides a sustainability performance indicator dashboard to
… Read more...

How to Enhance RFP Preparedness to Ensure a Smoother Journey to Completion: A Quick and Easy Approach

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“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” is as timeless and universal as it gets.

While preparation does take work – at least upfront – it usually makes the rest of the journey smoother and shorter. In sum, it can lead to a more successful outcome, which is the objective of all business plans.


RFP Preparedness for ESHQ Software Procurement Projects: The Essentials


With budget season only a short distance away, procurement projects for the following year are also ready to start. As expected, software solution projects in ESHQ follow the same approach. Once you’ve figured out the basics—the budget, business and technical requirements and timelines—you can get right into the industry or sector-specific requirements.


With EHSQ software procurement projects having specific considerations, it’s important to know exactly what your organization requires to meet your ESHQ goals. The next logical step is to determine the real capabilities and … Read more...

Labor Day Through the Years – Don’t Allow the Pandemic of 2020 to Derail your EHS Efforts

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The first Monday in September is dedicated to Labor Day, which honors the dedication and sacrifice made by today’s workers, as well as the sacrifices of the workers who came before us.

Looking at a timeline of the 150 years leading up to now, one thing becomes apparent: the Labor Day celebrations we enjoy today, filled with picnics and family time, are the result of the blood, sweat and tears of millions of workers throughout the last century and a half and beyond.

From mining disasters that claimed hundreds of lives, to construction work that triggered an epidemic of silicosis among workers on a bridge project, to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, workers have paid the price of lax workplace safety and health practices with their lives.

I’m not an EHS professional. I’m a journalist and content director. But over the years, especially as I was growing up, worker safety … Read more...

RFPs Help You Compare Apples to Apples in Your Search for Solutions

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Top companies embrace change as an opportunity to transform their business and beat the competition. They actively research, procure, deploy and manage new hardware, software and services to lower costs and increase revenues. Creating a request for proposal (RFP) often is an early step in finding solutions to your organization’s pain points.

RFPs standardize project specifics such as goal(s), scope, timeline and budget for potential vendors, and ensure you are comparing apples to apples. RFPs are a common best-practice for procurement by private and public companies and governments. In fact, the average public sector organization runs 18 RFPs a year.

“Major changes to your business require an expenditure of resources, including what can be a significant investment in time and money. The return on your investment should be EHSQ software that spans the gaps across functions and can connect with other systems at your organization that are part of production, … Read more...

Celebrating Safe + Sound Week by Recognizing Companies that Lead EHS

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Safe + Sound Week, Aug. 10-16, was created as a nationwide event to recognize the successes of businesses that have adopted programs to improve workplace safety and health. Implementing a safety and health program can improve businesses’ safety and health performance, save money, and improve competitiveness.

Each August, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Safety Council, Intelex and other participants and sponsors invite you to share your safety successes as part of Safe + Sound Week. We know that successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, while improving business sustainability.

I’ve been writing about safe companies for 25 years. Here’s what they all have in common: They are organizations that have created world-class cultures that make EHS a corporate value. Notice I didn’t say “safety culture?” They have world-class organizational cultures and EHS is integrated into … Read more...

How a Robust EHS Solution can Help you Address COVID-19 Related Challenges in your Organization

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With the profusion of COVID-19 related information readily available, it’s critical to focus on the things you can control and to create an action-based plan of attack. While creating long-term plans is important, there are actions that should be taken today.

It makes sense to start with identifying the resources and tools that you need to successfully protect employees. Once you’ve established buy-in from leadership, develop a dedicated task force (if possible) that combines EHS, quality, production, human resources and other internal shareholders who can help develop a return-to-work strategy. Once that task force has been created, the next step is to identify the tools required to address this.

Gaining Insights from Organizations Who Launched Employee Benefit-Focused COVID-19 Response Programs

Since the outbreak of this pandemic, there have been some companies that have introduced some innovative solutions to manage issues they have faced related to COVID-19. These success stories have … Read more...