Listen to the podcast!

Listen to the podcast!

But, as Crosman explains, “a lot of us work in our own little bubbles or our own little words, and we forget that there’s a bigger system or a bigger picture at play.” The problem is that action items sometimes don’t translate well between departments or even co-workers. So what can companies do to fix that problem? Crosman has some ideas. You’ll just need to tune in to find out what some of his expert recommendations are.

Part of the discussion centers around challenges and pitfalls when trying to implement an incident management system. Why is it that some implementation projects stall and struggle to get across the finish line and others don’t? Sure, getting buy-in from management helps, but how do you make that case? Good question! You’ll have to check out the podcast to find out how organizations can be successful in getting these projects back on track when issues do occur.

Yes, we said audits. Boyer is passionate about Environmental Health & Safety audits, and you will be too after listening to her insights. They discuss everything from selecting an internal auditor to the importance of identifying gaps before an agency auditor can find them. So does that mean Boyer prefers an in-house auditing team vs. an external one? Well, you’ll just have to tune in to get her take on that matter.

As Chris explains, there are verbal clues that safety professionals can listen for to help them know just what type of learner they’re dealing with. What are they? You’ll have to tune in to find that out that and learn much more about accelerating the adoption of a safety culture.

“I think it's fun when we find something that the customers don't really know about,” Payer said. “We kind of surprise them. So we can do a little bit of behind-the-scenes work on their configurations and systems, and it's kind of like your lab tests when you go to the doctor.”

Here’s to your system’s health!

Compliance “is really something that doesn't end. Many companies want the regulatory content they need to help stay in compliance, but they neglect to consider the ongoing challenge of keeping up with regulations. In North America alone, Sphera tracks about 60,000 regulatory changes per year, but companies need to know and be able to track which of those regulations are pertinent to them. Moreover, monitoring changes to regulations alone is insufficient; companines must also account for changes to their operations, changes to their workforce.

In this episode we discuss how companies are effectively using tools and technology to be notified of regulatory changes as they’re published and examine the components that contribute to the success of sustained, rigorous compliance programs.

A standardized approach to incident management and a robust technology suite to underpin it puts a company on the path to success. However, measuring this success relative to the progress made by others in the space is also crucial to making sure a company’s safety processes continue to evolve. This is where risk benchmarking comes in. Sphera's annual benchmarking studies are based on a multi-customer dataset to produce actionable metrics and indicators to help drive excellence in safety by examining and evaluating companies on 80-plus metrics to measure adoption and usage, reporting culture, process discipline, risk sensitivity and learning mindedness.

The landscape for refrigerant regulations has changed dramatically with the rollout of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s expanded regulations for documentation, recordkeeping and reporting. In the wake of these changes, facility managers and owners must revisit their methods and procedures for refrigerant-related work, including appliance disposals and refrigerant disposals, which adds a new layer of recordkeeping that companies must now manage. Organizations must be able to prove that their refrigerants are being handled in the right way.

In this episode, you’ll also learn about common misconceptions about refrigerant compliance management and get recommendations on establishing a robust refrigerant compliance program.

Simply put, refrigerant compliance has become a lot more complicated. Robust software solutions and a change in organizational behavior are now, more than ever, key components of a successful refrigerant compliance management program.

Listen to the podcast.

We examine some of the challenges facing companies dealing with implementing safety wearables in the workforce, including managing the sheer amount of data generated. We also take a look at the evolution of wearables and discuss how they can improve safety and wellness in the workplace. Augmented and virtual reality, real-time communication and exoskeletons are just some of the emerging technologies that are really changing the game for safety.

The future presents a fascinating intersection of data-driven predictive risk management and the integration of the Internet of Things and other devices. As Hosman explains, the secret to success for employing wearables for workplace safety lies in getting wide-scale user adoption and a establishing a strong safety culture. We invite you to learn more about how the dawn of EHS 4.0. is making the workplace a safer place to be.

In this series, Sphera’s experts in the areas of Environmental Performance, Operational Risk and Product Stewardship will offer thought-provoking and insightful discussions on key Integrated Risk Management topics that have major implications for large and small companies around the world.

SpheraNow is designed to give environmental leaders, risk managers, health and safety professionals, quality managers and corporate stakeholders the information they need to help keep their workforces safe, their products sustainable and their operations productive.

These episodes will address the most relevant topics affecting all major industries, including Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Life Sciences and many more.

You can find the latest episode on iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like us to address, please visit sphera.com and click the Contact Us button. We hope you enjoy the SpheraNow podcast series. Let’s get started; we have a lot to talk about.