Even today, the Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) business function is sometimes viewed as more of a “necessary evil” that drains the bottom line than as a value-add to the business. But this view has undergone a transformation in recent years, especially in the asset intensive, higher risk industries like oil and gas, chemicals, mining, metals, and utilities.
High profile industrial accidents such as the Deepwater Horizon environmental disaster, and the recent criminal indictment of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship on three felony charges for willful disregard of workplace safety, have been a major factor in shifting how EHS is viewed from the board room on down. Now more than ever, continuous improvement of EHS performance is considered as foundational to running a sustainable business. It's not just about compliance and cutting costs anymore...safeguarding license to operate and brand, mitigating business risk, and driving operational excellence all part of the EHS equation.
The good news is that EHS awareness has been raised considerably at the executive level. The not so good news is that there are some significant barriers when it comes to execution, with the prevalence of antiquated and inadequate EHS IT systems being a major cause. According to research recently conducted by LNS Research, only 32% of the organizations surveyed have implemented software systems to help manage EHS performance. Indeed, EHS is one of the last business functions to implement process standardization, automation, and visibility – all dependent on adequate IT support.
In its research, LNS examined the drivers and trends in the EHS software landscape, and identified best practice approaches that characterize leaders. You can learn more about the research by joining LNS Research and Environmental Leader on December 3 at 2:00 pm EST for a free webcast, "Capturing the Business Value of EHS Software," which will give a deeper dive around the top drivers, objectives, and challenges affecting companies today with their EHS management programs, and how organizations are rising to the challenge by incorporating EHS initiatives into the larger spheres of sustainability and operational excellence.
This educational webinar promises to provide “state of the art” information on trends in the EHS space, and how you can take action to more effectively execute your company’s EHS management system. It’s well worth attending, given that the long-term sustainable growth of your business may well depend on it!
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