Creating the Right Solutions Together

New regulations, federal and state mandates, regulatory deadlines, as well as internal organization policy changes and demands are just a few of the issues that the Environmental Health and Safety professional is faced with on a daily basis. Along with these demands on the EH&S professional’s limited time, he or she is also faced with internal demands to streamline operations and cut costs. The problem is, there are only so many hours in the day. Hiring an assistant might help, but that memo telling you to cut costs by 10% just crossed your desk yesterday. Telling your family that you will only be home on weekends isn’t the answer either.

Remember, this is the digital age. The key is putting today’s technology to use. Therefore, part of the answer is sitting on your desk – your PC. Although your PC is a crucial element, the heart of the solution is finding the Environmental Management Information System (EMIS) software that will do the job. Combining your PC with the appropriate EMIS software can save you significant amounts of time, cutting costs in the process.

The critical decision that you will make is deciding on an EMIS software package that will fit your needs. An Environmental Management Information System should provide you with instant access to regulatory and environmental information, automatic notification of upcoming deadlines, and report generation assistance. In short, put the information you need a keystroke away.

The EMIS that you decide on should be flexible enough to suit your organization. Not all organizations’ requirements are the same; an "off the shelf" EMIS product will not fit all of your needs. The product should be customized to fit your specifications while satisfying the applicable regulatory requirements. The system should also be flexible enough to conform with your present hardware configuration, saving the expense of purchasing new hardware.

At a minimum, an Environmental Management Information System should include:

A "compliance" calendar module which allows you to track your facility’s compliance deadlines and dates. The calendar events should also be linked to any associated documents.

A document management module that will organize and maintain your compliance reporting documents in an easily accessible system. The system needs to be flexible enough to access databases, word processing documents, spreadsheets, photos, CADD drawings, and any other type of compliance-related document.

A method of managing your Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) is an extremely useful item. An MSDS module should give you the ability to organize and search your entire MSDS database. The MSDS module should also offer you, or anyone who needs to, the ability to view and print a digital copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet.

Security is a significant consideration. Since the purpose of an EMIS is to provide access to critical information, this information needs to be secure. The person who manages the system should be able to limit access to any area of the system.

The vendor you choose should have the capabilities of developing and customizing modules specific to your operations. The vendor should also have the regulatory knowledge and experience to assist in the implementation of the system.

As with any other software, if it is going to be used productively, it needs to be user friendly. A familiar interface such as a web browser will help new users feel comfortable with the system and, therefore, learn and use the system.

An informatively chosen and implemented Environmental Management Information System can save you time, improve your job performance, and streamline your operations.

For More Information

To find out more about EMIS software, please call David Pramanik or Michael Peck at (800) 246-9021.  

HRP's EMIS software