It's audit time again. Tensions are high as managers prepare for another necessary but grueling EHS audit. Responsibilities are assigned to employees at the site and throughout the organization, and all energies are focused on the big week.

There is a collective sigh of relief when the audit is completed, but the real work has just begun.

Corrective action is now of paramount importance. That means more planning and more tasks delegated so that corrections can be executed by staff and selected contractors. Some involve simple repairs or replacements. Others may require extensive capital investment. So the finance people get drawn into the process as resources are allocated to cover expenses. It also may be necessary to involve operations, to review certain procedures and processes, and ensure compliance.

But: with all the focus on correcting the errors of the past, who is looking ahead to prevent tomorrow's disaster?

What's on the horizon?

Catching and correcting existing issues is certainly important, but an organization's reputation as a socially responsible company increasingly depends on predicting and proactively addressing compliance issues before they become infractions, or worse. Just one accident can negate years of hard work and shake the confidence of an entire organization.

Advanced technology for looking ahead

Moving toward total compliance requires an enterprise-wide paradigm shift toward proactive, pre-emptive compliance management. It means analyzing the road ahead and taking clear, precise actions. It means sharing oversight and responsibility for compliance at all levels of the organization. It means making sure sites fully understand corporate expectations for sustainability and safety, and prioritize their activities accordingly. It means an unobstructed view of current gaps and emerging situations that could be problematic in the future. Advanced EHS software can highlight these gaps quickly and specifically for each site, and distribute needed support tools throughout the business to achieve your sustainability goals.

Recent technology advances that enable forward-looking practices offer dynamic opportunities to efficiently comply with EHS regulations. With the right solution, it is even possible to exceed those requirements, establishing the organization as a leader among green companies.

Everyone in the boardroom and on the plant floor can know exactly what is needed to achieve compliance excellence. Here's a simple formula for making that happen:

• Know what to look for.
• Know what to do with what is found.
• Know when the requirements have changed.
• Keep distractions to a minimum.

To more completely achieve compliance goals, real-time reporting tools quickly distribute detailed, forward-looking data throughout the enterprise. Because data can be extracted with relative ease, it can be acquired as often as needed to keep compliance programs on track. Site staff also can become more productive, free to focus on the actions and changes needed to ensure proactive, preventive compliance.

A laser focus on the right requirements

A key to effective and proactive compliance is to know which requirements pertain to each site, and focusing only on those requirements. This has become increasingly complex, with managers plowing through tens of thousands of regulations, standards and practices issued by a multitude of organizations.

Another level of complexity may be added by requirements that arise when site permits are issued. Sometimes it is more time-consuming managing these requirements than keeping up with known regulations, so any opportunity to capture and organize this information can help sites manage more efficiently and effectively.

Advanced EHS software can drive significant productivity improvements with clear, concise regulatory profiles for each site. These reports accurately capture and filter site-specific requirements in an easy-to-use format. Site staff can quickly focus on only those requirements that impact them, minimizing the need for research, analysis and interpretation. Additional tools provide site-specific citation lists, which can identify preventable issues that jeopardize your integrity as a green company.

Change and more change

Constantly changing EHS regulations can wreak havoc on even the most proactive, forward-looking compliance program. What is needed to keep focused is an expedient way to capture meaningful changes as they happen, and understand how they affect individual sites.

An optimal approach is to combine traditional change tracking services, which provide periodic updates and broad-based reports along with the site-specific compliance profiles. The profiles track and communicate substantive and specific regulatory changes based on each site's unique requirements. To speed analysis, only those changes that directly affect site operations are included in the profile. Also, all the information on regulatory change is pushed to sites in real time, not weeks or months later. Site staff is immediately aware of changes as soon as they are published, thus improving their ability to ensure ongoing compliance.

Focus on compliance, not technology

With the growing need to focus on proactive compliance, most managers would agree that IT is the last thing they want site professionals putting their attention on. But in-house, self-hosted software creates recurring IT responsibilities that can easily distract site staff from their primary responsibility. Beyond the initial implementation, sites must still contend with technical issues and outdated applications, which means they're not 100-percent focused on aggressive, proactive compliance.

When evaluating EHS compliance solutions, consider the mechanism by which focused, time-sensitive information is delivered to all stakeholders in the organization. Convenience, speed and reliability are essential, and it must be as dynamic and easy to use as the information it provides.

One popular solution in recent years is EHS software via the Internet. Widely used in many industries, software as a service (SaaS) can simultaneously deliver information to many locations, with minimal effort and cost. It also can be more scalable and cost-effective than fixed seat licensing because it allows the end user to add users as needed, and only pay for services used.

Implementing a SaaS solution requires no massive software installation or IT rollout that can disrupt the business. Because the software is hosted by the provider, the provider assumes full responsibility for maintaining and updating the software, and completing back-ups, customer support, firewall protection and other technical services.

SaaS is a real-time solution, which means everyone in the organization is using the most current software release, knows the latest changes in requirements, and can access the company's most up-to-date site compliance information. With this degree of transparency, staff can better understand and integrate sustainability initiatives into their day-to-day operations.

Optimizing EHS compliance through technology

EHS software can strengthen and accelerate compliance despite the growing complexity of that effort. Using forward-looking analysis tools, companies can proactively meet and exceed compliance and sustainability goals. Detailed reports clarify regulatory priorities for individual sites and pinpoint compliance gaps to minimize accidents. Enhanced tracking options provide a verifiable approach to compliance management throughout the organization.

The net result is enterprise-wide oversight and opportunities to drive compliance responsibility to the point of control. SaaS technology can then be used to distribute timely and meaningful information with less effort and expense. By prioritizing and aligning proactive site activities, the entire organization participates in enhancing the company's reputation as a responsible leader in EHS compliance. PE