The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:

Steps for Successful Implementation

WHITEPAPER

The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in

EHS: Steps for Successful Implementation

SAFETY & COMPLIANCE SOFTWARE | WWW.SAFETYAMP.COM CONTACT US AT [email protected]

www.safetyamp.com
 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

Introduction
If your business uses spreadsheets for incident interconnected nature of government laws, legal
reporting, audit data management, and compliance forces, economic situations, and technology. For
reporting, you should know that the studies show this reason, we see the EHS software market quickly
significant errors in 90% of all spreadsheets. Do we scaling to $1.8 billion in 2023 and growing further at
need to say that small Environmental, Health, and 12.50% CAGR to reach 3.27 billion by 2028.
Safety (EHS) related errors can incur immense costs?
SafetyAmp, the leading mobile safety platform with a
A single mathematical mistake or omission may mission to revolutionize EHS management, is at the
significantly change the outcome of a computation. forefront of this digital transformation. We make the
Regulator penalties for these mistakes may easily digitalization of your EHS department convenient and
amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. To make affordable. Our technology has helped businesses
matters worse, making judgments with inaccurate generate a 597% ROI by cutting costs and time spent
or insufficient information increases the likelihood of on managing Incidents at the workplace, reducing
missing a critical threat that may have prevented an legal and compliance costs, generating business
accident. insights, optimizing audit workflow, simplifying EHS-
related tasks, and managing training & certification.
Spreadsheets and hand-written records have no place
in modern EHS management, which is experiencing This whitepaper presents a thorough roadmap
a radical shift in today’s era of fast technology designed for today’s changing organizational
innovation. Incorporating digital technologies has demands as it sets out on a journey through the
emerged as a key factor in boosting the efficacy, crucial digital transformation process in EHS. By
precision, and productivity of EHS procedures. highlighting SafetyAmp’s central function, we shed
light on improving EHS operations and ushering in a
EHS digitalization has quickly become the need of paradigm change toward excellence and resilience.
the hour for modern enterprises as a result of their
proven ability to improve a company’s interaction with
the environment and safety culture and operations,
boosting the bottom line, public image, and
operational efficiency.

Organizations across a wide range of sectors

have been persuaded to adopt EHS solutions as a
need for running their businesses because of the

Understanding Digital Transformation in EHS

When we say digital transformation, we don’t just Digital transformation in environmental health and
mean ditching the pen-and-paper approach and safety encompasses many tools, such as data
computerizing all your operations. We also mean management technologies, IoT-powered smart
adapting modern technology that helps streamline devices, smart sensors, automation of manual
processes, optimize operations, and supplement your processes, machine learning processes, etc.
business model.

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 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

For example, frontline workers can use SafetyAmp equipment, increasing risks at the workplace. They can
to report an incident at a facility miles away from assign roles to certain workers who can be trained to
the company office. The platform will instantly notify operate it cautiously using SafetyAmp’s training and
the top management, informing them about it. This certification management feature.
enables quick reactionary responses, resource
allocation, and impact minimization. The main reason behind adopting these digital
technologies is to streamline and standardize labor-
Another example can be using SafetyAmp to foster intensive manual procedures and free up your time
a safer workplace by using incident and injury data and resources to focus on harnessing better results.
to customize training programs. Say EHS managers
identify employees struggling in operating certain

The Need for Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is a need of the hour in every control system to manage revisions and approve
industry, whether in manufacturing, supply chain, workflows.
healthcare, or EHS. In fact, experts project the
global expenditures over digital adoption to soar to A single source of truth can enable all these processes
an unprecedented $3.4 trillion by 2026. With the without much extra human effort, spreadsheets, or
changing landscape of EHS compliance and new data entry mistakes. The central data repository greatly
standards of EHS excellence, digital transformation reduces the time and energy spent on administrative
becomes an EHS necessity for better resource tasks by streamlining approval and compliance
management, more efficiency and production, lower processes.
costs, safer working conditions for employees, and
enhanced resilience. A HIGHER DEGREE OF ACCURACY
Accurate and timely execution of compliance
Many causes, including the fact that 95% of business requirements found during audits depends on a
executives consider digital transformation crucial, continuous data-gathering procedure. The use of
have contributed to the rise of EHS digitalization. Let’s digital technology makes real-time data collection a
break this down and look at each benefit that digital breeze.
transformation of your EHS department can offer:
Real-time data is vital to monitor accidents, near-
SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH FOR IMPROVED misses, and compliance with regulations during
COMPLIANCE
maintenance and shutdown periods. The resulting
When EHS departments implement end-to-end data is more solid and accurate, reducing the
technology platforms with their EHS systems, it serves possibility of human error and data redundancy.
as a single, unified source of reliable data. As a result, Therefore, the company may confidently store,
everyone from compliance officers to operations monitor, and act upon data to ensure compliance with
managers can monitor data, check its accuracy, get all applicable regulations.
necessary permissions electronically, immediately
access relevant information, and realize strategic BETTER WORKPLACE SAFETY
sustainability benefits. EHS workflow digitization can lead to increased
employee safety at the workplace. How? Because it
SafetyAmp features document control that provides will increase the availability of technological tools for
simplified access to all your data sheets and standard detecting and monitoring safety concerns in real time
operating procedures. EHS teams get a user-friendly and improving communication in potentially dangerous

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 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

situations. Tagout (LOTO) procedures to regulate hazardous

energy.
For example, SafetyAmp enables employees to
report an incident on the platform with our incident Organizations may improve their EHS performance,
management feature. They can upload photos or other spot patterns, make data-driven choices, and push for
documents to give more incident details. more favorable results when they gather and analyze
EHS data using digital technologies.
Upper management can also track safety-related
activity and set reminders to carry out specific actions, When this information is supplemented with robust
such as using PPE. In case of an emergency, they may visualization tools, company executives may be better
receive notification to intervene. able to pinpoint the locations of potentially dangerous
energy sources and determine which ones need
This way, integrating digital platforms in EHS systems lockout/tagout procedures. As a result, workers can
can lessen the likelihood of injuries and reportable conduct maintenance and service with less risk of
accidents, improving employee well-being and releasing potentially hazardous energy.
boosting productivity.
SafetyAmp’s powerful analytics and dashboard
INCREASED EFFICIENCY IN OPERATIONS feature delivers real-time business intelligence to
Organizations may improve and streamline EHS uncover potential hazards and adopt predictive safety
operations through EHS digitalization by automating strategies. Our visual dashboards simplify data and
activities, including incident reporting, action convert it into digestible information with easy-to-read
management, safety audits, safe work permits,and risk bar/line/pie charts, data tables, metric indicators, and
assessment. more.

INCREASED EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

SafetyAmp lets your EHS team put automation in place
for the above processes and more. We empower When employees are involved in every stage of
EHS professionals to spend less time on routine an EHS program’s development, it becomes more
administrative duties, collaboration, and paperwork effective at identifying the existence and reasons for
and more time on high-value strategic initiatives. workplace hazards, gains employee support, and is
more likely to be maintained over time.
For example, your EHS manager can remotely
schedule audits for any facility, creating configurable Organizations may benefit from EHS’s digital
forms for inspections, observations, compliance, and transformation by increasing employee participation
more. The mobile-friendly platform allows auditing in safety programs in many ways. Let’s take a look at
officers to take down notes and document information a few ways in which SafetyAmp can assist Employee
from any mobile device, such as a smartphone or a engagement:
tablet. Once the audits are done, they can quickly
dispatch them and share the results with the EHS Do you need your employees to complete certain
team. compliance-related tasks before they start/end their
shifts?
ENHANCED DATA MANAGEMENT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Simply create a checklist of action items and automatic
(OSHA) reports that 120 deaths and 50,000 injuries reminders. Send your employees an automated
may be avoided annually using proper Lockout / notification when they miss a task or have not checked

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 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

it off the platform. They run facilities with refrigeration equipment, which
results in high energy bills. The growing expenditures
Want to ensure proper training of your employees to at these massive facilities result from inefficient
ensure they’re equipped with enough knowledge to systems and rising energy bills, with the bulk of usage
accomplish their role in your organization? going toward refrigeration, lighting, and battery
charging.
You may add training courses, whether in-person or
online, to a new or existing employee’s schedule, and With our system’s help, the customer could keep tabs
you can track their training record and compliance on the operations of their entire facility, allowing them
status from any location. to spot any equipment with unusually high energy
usage in real time.
IMPROVED SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE
This crucial data and the training capabilities of our
Organizations may benefit greatly from digitizing their
platform to prepare front-line workers for better energy
EHS processes to enhance their sustainability efforts.
management became a potent ally in decreasing
A major US-based food and beverage distributor
energy incidents and total consumption. Since its
wanted to adopt energy management software to help
introduction in early 2022, our client’s yearly energy
them save money in the face of escalating electricity
consumption dropped by 15% while output increased
bills without sacrificing output.
by 5%.

Common Challenges Associated with Digital Transformation

Despite the growing global expenditures for digital Therefore, before we get to the implementation
transformation of processes in various industries, strategy, let’s discuss the challenges often faced in
Forbes reports that 84% of efforts fail due to the digitalizing EHS operations.
challenges in proper implementation. The United
States wastes almost $30 billion annually on wrong LACK OF AWARENESS
software solutions.
One of the major reasons that the EHS field lagged
behind other industries in its use of digital tools,
The top three obstacles that businesses have to
such as financial services and marketing, is the lack
conquer during digital transformation include
of awareness. What we mean by lack of awareness
> A lack of change management skills (37%),
is that sometimes businesses misunderstand or
> An inability to develop a scalable solution (36%),
don’t know about the issue they’re attempting to fix.
> The failure to meet data security requirements (41%).
This lack of awareness leaves holes in their newly
adopted solutions related to their system, people, or
On the flip side, when companies with a clear digital
technology.
transformation plan invest in digital adoption, they
garner 1.6 times increased revenue and new income
This also results in poor establishment of digital
streams.
technologies. They are unconnected and often
deployed in silos. When investing in your EHS
While EHS digitalization has immense potential for
department’s digitalization, you want to connect all
EHS management, businesses must approach it with
the processes and unify the data. Only then can digital
a strong strategy for successful implementation. A
transformation result in maximum efficiency and
strong strategy is defined by acknowledging common
productivity.
challenges and possible solutions to overcome them.

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 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

DATA SOURCES & THEIR RELIABILITY traditional processes. For this reason, training and
redeployment of talent resources have become an
There has been a long-standing emphasis in EHS
important part of digital implementation.
management on tracking the frequency and severity
of incidents. Regardless, incident data is confined and
Failing to demonstrate the business case
limited when placed in a larger organizational context.
Even if the return on investment for safety is high
Most of the time, there is no automation in this data
(four to six times the initial outlay), the business case
collection, and organizations depend on manual input
for investing in a safety platform may be challenging
in a digital platform. Therefore, in many cases, the
to construct. Why? Because it’s difficult to quantify
digital footprints of the causes that led to incidents are
the positive effects of digital initiatives, choices,
invisible.
or procedures that contribute to safe and healthy
workplaces.
While there are exceptional cases in which data
relating to causative elements may be detected, the
Without a clear definition of “what success looks like”
accuracy and reliability of incident causation models
in EHS, winning support for digitization projects from
remain a constant source of debate in the field.
the executives and securing investment is challenging.
Therefore, using a story-telling method can be useful
SMALL DATASETS for developing a business case for EHS software.
EHS databases are still relatively small despite
the increasing digitalization of conventional EHS One must remember that every great story has an
operations, such as inspections and incident reporting. issue that needs resolution. With storytelling, you can
Big data at the level of an organization is very unlikely captivate the audience (executives), inspire action
to be generated by safety efforts alone. (approve invention), and shift perspectives (in favor of
digitalization).
EHS systems and experts expand the number of end-
users and sensors contributing data to provide higher- To compose a compelling story, you should clearly
value insights. Instead, EHS leaders must understand explain the issue at hand, show how digitalization
that to get greater quality data to mitigate EHS risks, proposes a solution, define what results the executives
they must leverage intuitive user interfaces. can expect.

NON-DIGITAL BACKGROUNDS THE TRUST DEFICIT

As a field, EHS draws from several other areas. Several major issues might arise from the analysis
Therefore, EHS professionals come from a wide range of large amounts of data and the implementation of
of educational and occupational backgrounds but various digital technologies, such as privacy breaches,
not from fields that depend heavily on digital, data, or discrimination, security threats, and quality issues.
statistical methods like banking or IT. For this reason, Especially in low-trust organizations, these dangers
it is no surprise that 47% of businesses report that might slow down projects. While many businesses now
lacking digital skills is the biggest challenge to their place a high value on metrics and data analytics, only
digital transformation initiatives. 23% of organizations in research evaluate the level of
development of their digital trust practices.
Personnel from non-digital backgrounds can find
it difficult to support and put faith in implementing One must realize that the reputational, regulatory, and
digitization. The professionals and staff not only doubt financial costs associated with even a single violation
the technology and its capabilities but also their of digital trust may be enormous. Businesses lose their
abilities to navigate technical changes that impact customers and see a massive dip in their revenue.

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 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

How to Successfully Implement Digitalization in EHS

Successful problem-solving in the face of the It’s not enough to consider just the functions of the
above-mentioned typical obstacles has become platform you choose; you must also think about the
a prerequisite for implementing EHS technology people who will be utilizing it. Will it be available
or digital solutions. As EHS professionals work to to others outside EHS, such as site managers and
maximize the positive effects of digital technologies frontline workers? Ensure that your chosen system
while minimizing the negatives, they need a well- allows its users to learn and adapt quickly.
defined implementation plan.
SafetyAmp offers a highly configurable, user-friendly
To assist in digitalizing your organization’s EHS interface with a role-based dashboard for everyone
procedures, we’ve outlined a six-step process that can in your organization, from frontline workers to the
become the foundation of your digital implementation. boardroom full of directors. Your EHS team can even
configure apps within the platform to capture specific
STEP 1: STRATEGIZE AND IDENTIFY GOALS data, integrate your operation-specific workflow,
generate reports for any of your EHS activities, and set
It would be best to start the implementation
custom automation to minimize efforts and increase
process with an overall picture and the digitalization
EHS efficiency.
strategy before diving into the details of individual
technologies. You don’t want to buy into new
Choosing the right technology partner is crucial
technologies just because everyone else is. You must
to achieving your digital transformation goals. The
know what problems you’ll use the technology to solve
procedure may be simplified significantly with the
and how to measure success.
assistance of a professional with industry knowledge
and a solid implementation and support program. We
Only 52% of respondents in a Verdantix survey
make our digitalization experts available around the
adopted a strategy for EHS digitalization. This means
clock to help your organization implement, adapt,
that almost half of EHS executives at organizations
and train your EHS team to use SafetyAmp at its full
were either developing a plan or were without one.
potential.
To implement a new digital solution in your EHS
system, you must first outline the steps to assess your STEP 3: MANAGEMENT CHANGE AND INTEGRATION
organization’s requirements. You must pinpoint what It takes time and effort to undergo a digital
your organization wishes to achieve by setting specific transformation. Often, it calls for abandoning the “old
goals. Only then you’ll be able to figure out if the way” of doing things in favor of a fresh approach.
market even has any technology to offer to help you If you want your digital transformation initiatives to
reach your goals or solve certain issues. pay off in the long run, you’ll need to make these
adjustments and keep them up.
STEP 2: FIND CUSTOMIZED SOLUTION DESIGN
The next stage is to identify the most suitable Successful digital transformation occurs in
technology for your business. The success of your organizations with well-developed change
digital transformation initiatives depends on the management strategies. Ultimately, digital
technology you use. To begin a successful digital transformation is as much about people and their
transformation, it is important to choose a system that values as it is about new technologies. Managers,
is suitable for your circumstances in terms of your supervisors, and frontline workers at all levels are as
budget, your requirements, and your preferences. essential to any organization’s change management
efforts as is the leadership perspective.

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 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

As a leader, you must understand that while some people or department first to see how things go. If
workers will be thrilled by the prospect of improved the pilot goes well, you may consider expanding the
productivity, others may be more cautious. Opposition solution to the rest of your workforce.
to change is a typical human response. While this
may seem difficult to overcome, there are practical In addition to a successful pilot, you’ll also need to
measures you may take to succeed such as keeping ensure that end users of a digital solution have the
employees in the know of digital transformation plans, resources they need to use it. You’re already ahead
understanding the end user pain points in the current of the game if you’ve decided on SafetyAmp as your
system and finding a technological solution to address reliable safety management platform. This is because
them, mapping out the current workflow to optimize of the system’s user-friendliness, which makes it much
your new technology to streamline them. simpler to implement across the board.

STEP 4: IMPLEMENTATION Training requirements can vary depending on the

individual learning needs of the end user. Someone
Implementation refers to the steps taken to make a
who uses the system daily will need a considerably
proposed change or new plan a reality. In the context
deeper understanding of the platform than someone
of EHS digital transformation, implementation often
who utilizes the system on an infrequent basis.
entails installing and integrating a new piece of
software into an organization’s existing infrastructure
SafetyAmp’s training and certification management
and EHS systems.
feature helps you stay on top of your training
programs. With SCORM support and access to a library
Depending on the system’s complexity, the number of
of 200+ courses from partner training providers, it
users, and the degree of customization, the installation
facilitates the development and delivery of customized
process might range from a few weeks to a couple
online training programs. You may use it to track your
of months or more. The general belief is that more
users’ training for the new technology and remind
complex customization will increase project duration
them of forthcoming training sessions with automatic
and cost. That’s why it’s also important to go with a
reminders and alerts.
system that can be adjusted to fit your needs without
requiring a lot of specialized programming.
STEP 6: MONITOR, EVALUATE, AND OPTIMIZATION:
We designed SafetyAmp specifically to meet the The effectiveness of any technological deployment
needs of various organizations, regardless of their depends solely on the ability of your EHS department
industry and size. Instead of forcing your business to reap benefits from it.
processes onto our platform, we can make it fit your
needs. Since digitizing EHS is a continuous process,
organizations should regularly assess their EHS results
STEP 5: PILOT TECHNOLOGIES AND USER TRAINING and take corrective action as needed. Any technology
AND ADOPTION adoption must have solid onboarding, communication,
and metric monitoring.
Thoroughly piloting the technology under
consideration is crucial for successful implementation.
SafetyAmp’s advanced analytics allow your EHS
For instance, it sounds like a good plan to provide
team to see key performance indicators and metrics
each employee with a tablet since they are gaining
derived from company-wide safety and quality data.
popularity. However, it might only improve productivity
We provide real-time analytics to make your reporting
if your business can integrate into existing procedures.
more reliable, prevent workplace accidents, and
maintain long-term compliance.
Try out your new tech solutions with one group of
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 The Roadmap to Digital Transformation in EHS:
Steps for Successful Implementation

Conclusion: Empowering EHS Excellence through Digital

Transformation with SafetyAmp
Technology is revolutionizing EHS programs worldwide, making businesses safer and more productive.
Organizational leaders need to take the initiative to bring in digital transformation in their own organization if
they value the well-being of their employees, want to improve their compliance approach and create a positive
impact on the environment.

Organizational success in digital transformation may be ensured with careful technology selection, thorough
planning, skillful change management, program piloting, and end-user training. A well-executed EHS technology
project will achieve the goals and expectations set out by EHS key players and stakeholders, enhance the
efficacy of the EHS program company wide, improve the efficiency of EHS risk management, incorporate larger
business processes, and increase responsive participation and widespread adoption within the enterprise.

When navigating the path to EHS digital transformation, we at SafetyAmp are ready to walk along with you.
When you work with us, we’ll help you mobilize your entire safety program on our configurable platform. Explore
the potential of SafetyAmp by requesting a demo and connect with a SafetyAMP expert to understand how we
can aid your digital transition.

Our industry leading mobile safety platform helps today’s

workforces accelerate their EHS strategy, exceed their targets, and
deliver dollars - not injuries. Enter the future of safety reporting -
all within a budget suitable for organizations of any size.

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