EHS experts rely on data to drive workplace safety, compliance, and risk management – and plenty of business intelligence tools to help make sense of that data. But, picking the right tool can feel overwhelming and there are many things to consider. A common question is whether or not the BI tools built-into the EHS platform are enough, or if an entirely new business intelligence platform is required.
This blog highlights the critical capabilities that EHS professionals should look for within their BI toolkit and includes real EHS examples of how
Critical Capabilities of EHS Business Intelligence (BI) Tools
1. Connectivity & Interoperability:
Data is everywhere, and not everyone is blessed with a single location for any and all data within their EHS ecosystem. As such, one of the most integral capabilities to look for in any BI solution is the ability to pull data from other sources – and push the resulting analysis elsewhere.
What’s more – this opens the door to analysis that might not have been previously considered, presenting the ability to connect with IoT sensors in the field, or with regulatory bodies like OSHA, EPA, and ISO to assist with compliance tracking.
Strong API architecture can be a great indicator of these capabilities, and a huge help for under resourced IT professionals who maintain organizations’ data architecture.
2. Customizable Dashboards & Reporting:
In the same way that the requirements of a BI tool will vary from organization to organization, different users within an organization will require different things from each other. The ability to present data in dashboards, depending on user type, location, job role, department, and more, is absolutely integral to EHS professionals.
Data literacy has long been a concern for EHS leaders, and the ability to ensure data reports are sent to the right people, without bogging them down with unnecessary details, can be hugely significant. Tailored views ensure that EHS professionals get relevant insights without information overload.
3. User-Friendly Data Visualization:
Removing irrelevant data through customizable dashboards and reports isn’t the only way to help data-literate teammates get to grips with a new tool. Simple, intuitive interfaces and user experience helps to ensure EHS teams can easily interpret and act on data. Many tools will present the ability to perform incredibly complex analysis – but it means nothing if users cannot understand the data that is being presented.
The criteria for understanding how user-friendly the BI tools or systems are comes in several forms. Firstly – how much help is given to those building within the tool itself? Is training available? Are there indicators to assist with data quality concerns? How easy is it for an administrator to ensure users will find their dashboards and reports intuitive and easy to understand?
Additionally – what functionality is available for users to interrogate the data presented to them? Does the BI platform enable them to drill-down into the data with filters and Natural Language Processing search? These capabilities will all be helpful in increasing the engagement your organization has with data, and in turn, your organizations’ data literacy.
CorityOne includes a number of native BI tools and collaborations with partners. Click to learn more.
4. Advanced Analytics & Predictive Insights:
For many EHS professionals, the key driver behind investing in BI is to help move their organization from being reactive to events, incidents, and other issues – to being a proactive team that can use their data to get ahead and prevent these events from happening in the first place.
BI tools that offer trend analysis or utilize AI to help identify trends that the user may not have picked up on can present huge value for EHS professionals. The criteria does not have to be incredibly advanced or complex – many BI tools simply make use of the data that is already available to the user and shortens the time to discovery.
A great example of this that EHS professionals can look for when assessing BI tools or platforms is root cause analysis. Identifying links between common root causes and other factors (location, user role, employee vs contractor) can help highlight quick and simple fixes. For example, if the most common user type in incidents where the root cause was lack of PPE – actioning special attention for supervisors in that area to apply better PPE should have a direct impact (something that can be directly measured and assessed over time).
5. Accessibility Across Device Types:
The final critical criteria is the ability for any and all users to access the data and analysis they need. If the organization utilizes field teams that require on-the-go access to reports, alerts, and other aspects of BI that some tools do not offer, this should be a serious consideration.
This ties into the previous aspect of interconnectivity – as many larger EHS providers will offer built-in BI tools that can send data to any device type, be it desktop or mobile – and will be ideal for some field agents who require offline capabilities.
Final Thoughts
The most important features of BI tools and platforms will depend on the organization and how EHS professionals are using it. However, the above is a good starting point for anyone looking to assess how BI should be introduced to their organization, be it through built-in features of their EHS platform, or additional software purchases.
