Presented at EUEC 2015: Feb 16-28, San Diego, CA.
G3.1 A Technology-Driven, Systems Approach to Managing EHS Programs
Joseph Tell, Managing Partner, Tellevate
EHS managers face an increasingly complex landscape of risks, requirements & regulations & often
have limited resources available to effectively manage their responsibilities. A formal EHS management
system approach can help the organization to: identify & reduce risks; improve compliance with EHS
requirements & regulations; encourage stakeholder engagement; & support the overall sustainability
of the organization. Leveraging technology can help the organization to improve the management &
communication of EHS information. This presentation will include the benefits of a management system
approach, implementation strategies & challenges, a demonstration of compliance tools to improve
EHS program management, & a demonstration of an environmental management system (EMS)
implemented by an electric utility by leveraging technology. Nick Steinke is a Principal at Tellevate &
is Tellevate’s Compliance Services Manager. He provides EHS management & compliance program
support, including multi-media compliance auditing services. Mr. Steinke holds a B.S. in Manufacturing
Engineering from Boston University, is a registered Environmental Professional Engineer (PE), a Certified
Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA), & a Certified Sustainable Facility Professional (SFP).
G3.2 Improving Performance by Leveraging Audit Information Technology
Evan Fitzgerald, Principal, Kestrel Management Services;
Leveraging information technology to collect, report and manage inspection and audit data can
significantly improve a utility’s EHS performance. This presentation will discuss the use of an inspection
and auditing information technology tool, dynaQ™, by a utility construction contractor. dynaQ™
focuses on in-the-field data collection using mobile devices and provides reports in real time, allowing
issues to be dealt with and managed in a collective way with greater transparency. dynaQ™ has
customized reporting and corrective action tracking capabilities that can help an organization
improve EHS performance. The utility construction contractor uses dynaQ™ to conduct inspections,
manage data, and report on that data for approximately 6,000 inspections per year. Within 18 months
of piloting the use of dynaQ™, the utility construction contractor reduced incidents by approximately
80%. Use of the dynaQ™ has helped to improve consistency and accountability in an efficient and
transparent manner. dynaQ™ has also been used successfully to conduct safety inspections within
the utility industry and environmental audits in numerous industries. Mr. Evan Fitzgerald is a Principal
at Kestrel Management Services. He assists clients with a wide variety of information technology
applications, creating custom databases, audit programs, metrics reporting, asset inventories, etc.
which often include utilizing the dynaQ™ core engine as a starting point for add-on development.
G3.3 Managing Risk with an Environmental Audit Program
Nick Steinke, Principal, Tellevate
Establishing a formal Environmental Audit Program is integral to the implementation of an electric
utility’s Environmental Management System (EMS). Formal environmental compliance audits that
include root cause analysis help an electric utility to evaluate both environmental compliance and
the effectiveness of the EMS in order to improve environmental performance and identify opportunities
for program management improvement. With the appropriate tools, formal established procedures
and qualified personnel, audits serve as comprehensive and systematic reviews of environmental
performance used to improve compliance with environmental laws and minimize future environmental
damage and cleanup costs. This presentation will include: the benefits of an environmental audit
program, including the use of periodic external audits; program development strategies; a discussion
of leveraging technology to streamline audit planning, completion, reporting, and subsequent data
analysis; and a review of an environmental audit program at an electric utility. The presentation will also
include a discussion of defining the scope of the audit using a risk-based approach and developing
the audit protocol to ensure that audits are conducted in a consistent and comprehensive manner.
G3.4 Automating EHS Processes with Software
John Easton, Director, Product Management, Medgate, Inc.
This presentation will detail the journey of how a large electrical utility automated their key EHS processes
through implementation of an enterprise EHS software solution. The presentation will highlight key
parts of the journey, including software selection, business process review, configuration, training, &
reporting. Benefits of automation of EHS processes, as well as tips & tricks learned throughout the
journey will be discussed.
G3.5 Top 5 Signs to Replace Spreadsheets
John Niemoller, President, Perillon Software; James Jensen
Most companies still rely on paper & spreadsheet-based EH&S reporting systems, which are both timeconsuming
& often inaccurate forms of reporting. In fact, 88 percent of spreadsheets contain an
anomaly. With the high cost of managing data & creating inaccurate reports in an environment of
increasingly onerous regulatory pressure, companies can’t afford to stick with these archaic methods.
This session will discuss the barriers keeping companies from upgrading their current EH&S system as
well as how to overcome those issues. It will also discuss how new trends like the Internet of Things
(IoT) & mobile devices are enabling the technophobic to get over the hurdle of implementing a new
automated EH&S reporting system. Key Takeaways: Strong understanding of how new tech trends can
help simplify EH&S reporting, ease of use of new off the shelf EH&S data collection & reporting systems,
key insight into how to dramatically increase user adoption outside of EH&S & why new mobile devices
will be the primary user interface of the future.
G3.6 Saas Augments Excel for Emission Calculations
David Gloski, President, xOverTime Inc.; Don Ahearn
Today a majority of emission calculations are performed using Microsoft Excel. Even for companies with
EMIS systems data collection and calculations are often done in spreadsheets with the results imported
to the EMIS, or the EMIS produces results that are exported to Excel for internal or regulatory reporting.
Reliance on Excel creates risk because there is no version control, no supporting database, and the
company has little governance on compliance data and data going into key decisions. On the flip
side, staff often experiences losing control and understanding of how the numbers calculated once a
complex EMIS system is implemented. Technology is now available to augment spreadsheet solutions
with database capabilities and secure data sharing so that companies get the data governance
they need while staff keeps control of the calculations. xOverTime is cloud technology designed to
augment the use of spreadsheets within the enterprise. Emission calculations rolling up through the
enterprise from facility staff, through the business unit environmental group, and to the corporate
sustainability people is a terrific use. Everyone can use their proven spreadsheets yet the process is
supported with a SaaS database for better data governance and sharing. xOverTime adds structure
to the otherwise unstructured environmental data found in the spreadsheets. In the more structured
format, the data can feed other enterprise systems and business intelligence tools. Data owners can
keep their spreadsheets for complete control of their calculations.
G4.1 EHS Risk Management & Compliance for Operational Excellence
Denise Wecker-Seipke, EHS Technical Manager, BSI; Carl Mead
Simply monitoring risk is no longer adequate. Increased regulations and management responsibility
require adequate attention to identifying and effectively managing risk across many domains. Visibility
of those risks throughout an organization enables appropriate allocation of resources to focus on
key areas that ensure the business is protected and opportunities best exploited. Companies must
now take and document all reasonable proactive measures to reduce risk and create a sustainable
and safe operation. Effective planning and assessment demand a methodical, consistent, and
needs-based identification of activities and hazards. Reassessing the program’s efficacy at regular
intervals is key for any management system and ensures proper inputs which help deliver expected
outputs. However, without a consistent method to track and revisit identified hazards, it is likely some
risks will be overlooked and under-rated. Establishing consistent, best practice-based processes for
managing safety and compliance can align stakeholders, increase operational visibility, and reduce
risk across all business functions. Integrating incident management, proactive EHS risk assessment, the
transfer of information that imbeds corporate knowledge, and performance monitoring with reporting
functionality and operational controls enables reliable and safe operations, thereby empowering
stakeholders to anticipate and avoid incidents that could harm people, assets, reputation, and the
environment.
G4.2 Apps & Best Practices to Manage Compliance
Sameer Vyas, Partner, Huco Consulting; Meredith Foggin & Ronald Huijsman
Huco will present common compliance issues faced by EHS departments and how an enterprise
compliance application can help avoid them. Specific compliance issues will be discussed (e.g.
lack of understanding around permits & regs, keeping up with change, poor recordkeeping, missed
deadlines, training complexity, NOVs, etc.) and mitigation strategies demonstrated. The audience will
walk away with a general understanding of what a compliance system (or task management module
of an EMIS) is, and a list of best practices they can start using even without a system.
G4.3 A Brief Summary on Regulatory Change Management – Environmental Health & Safety
Ed Sattar, CEO, 360factors
Understanding Regulatory Change Management. Top Pain Points & Non Compliance Trends. Steps to
Environmental Health & Safety Complianc. Who is Affected. Regulatory Applicability. Identify Steps to
Regulatory Compliance & Change Management
G4.4 High Speed, High Resolution Methane Mapping
Michael Gaura, Marketing Manager, LI-COR Biosciences; George Burba
To identify methane emissions, a roof-, hood- or bumper- mounted open-path fast-response mapping
station from LI-COR may be setup on a moving vehicle. The vehicle can be driven around or across
the territory of interest, with the open-path GPS-equipped gas system providing a nearly instantaneous
response to changing concentration of CH4, CO2, H2O, pressure, temperature, and 3-D winds
describing a transport of gasses and heat. As a result, the open-path in-situ station will allow maps
to be created with a spatial resolution of better than 28 centimeters (with data collection rate of 40
times per second, or 40 Hz) and better than 1 meter (at 10 Hz sampling rate) when driving 25 mph, and
even better resolution at lower driving speeds. Potential leaks or open vents can be identified, utilizing
a vehicle that travels near the source, without a need to be directly above, below or next to the
source. Standard “road” vehicles can be used, instead of dedicated off-road devices when properly
equipped with these analytical devices and supporting hardware. Applications and benefits: Highresolution
mapping of CH4 concentrations and mass flows; Can compare to other mapping methods
from the same measurement area; Can be driven around the area of interest and on city streets;
Open-path reduces maintenance requirements with no sample conditioning system required; Low
power station can utilize the vehicle battery; Vehicle can travel at different speeds.
G4.5 Risk Management & Fire Prevention by Creating & Maintaining an Always-On Reduced-Oxygen (Hypoxic) Environment
Cory Bryars, Program Manager, ZeroBurn
The presentation will highlight the benefits & technical aspects of hypoxic fire prevention & allow for
Q&A. ZeroBurn Prevents Fires. By lowering ambient air oxygen levels from 21% to 14-15% with inert
nitrogen, ZeroBurn creates an always-on atmosphere in a controlled space where fire will not start,
eliminating the risk of fire, smoke, & collateral damage. There are no storage tanks, as we use the air
that we breathe to produce the nitrogen. Cable Spreading Rooms, Turbine Accessory Rooms, Utility
Vaults, & Silos are applications in a typical Utility or Industrial facility. ZeroBurn scales into any size
facility, & the larger the installation the lower the per square foot cost of the ZeroBurn system. ZeroBurn
is a USA company & all components are made in the USA. Our system is certified in the US & Canada
to ANSI/UL 61010 by ETL/Intertek, an OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, &
our system bears the ETL Listed Mark. ZeroBurn protects assets, business reputation & greatly reduces
the risk of downtime, business interruption, lost revenue & damage caused by fire & an activated
suppression system. No Fires – No Consequences.