A Comprehensive Suite of EH&S Software Applications for Oil & Gas Companies

Overview

As productivity increases in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries globally, there is increased examination into environmental health and safety practices, especially in chemical safety.  Companies must remain at the forefront of chemical and safety management, as local, state, federal and international regulatory agencies respond to private and public mandates. Management and employees must know the risks associated with chemicals, exactly what chemicals are being used and where, and the steps to prevent contamination and exposure. Companies must utilize flexible tools that can adapt to varying conditions in the workplace and the environment. HSE technologies can assist in the deployment of safety information and tracking of chemicals and chemical waste in a simple, efficient and cost-effective manner.  

Waste Management Case Study:  Petroleum Producer, Houston, Texas USA

The Challenge

An industry leading company in oil production and exportation needed to properly manage the disposal of waste from multiple facilities within the organization and did not have the tools in place to do so. The client was concerned for waste disposal particularly, due to the strict regulatory requirements for the industry and the enormous costs of disposal and potential regulatory fines. Safety and compliance processes were conducted manually, in an inconsistent process with scheduling delays, paper forms as well as corrective actions and monitoring issues that did not meet industry standards.

The company had been fined repeatedly for non-compliance and other paperwork deficiencies.   Additionally, an internal audit found that disposal costs could be reduced dramatically if data tools were properly applied for waste storage, consolidation and timely disposal.

The client had not previously utilized any sort of streamlined waste management system and wanted to find a solution to automate waste disposal collection, storage consolidation and disposal.  The client also wanted to find solutions for compliance with environmental regulations, reduce legal and financial liability, reduce capital and operational expenditures, and reduce reputation risk.

The Solution

Chemical Safety Software was tasked with implementing a software solution to streamline sustainable waste management practices, through all of the client’s facilities and offices.
The solution provided by Chemical Safety was the implementation of processes centered around our comprehensive chemical management software, Environmental Management Systems (EMS). The EMS Waste Management technology module effectively managed all phases of hazardous waste handling in compliance with local guidelines for generation, pickup, consolidation, storage, treatment, manifesting, and disposal.  This included the generation of compliant labels, storage compatibility monitoring as well as automated notification for timely and compliant and consistent disposal. Through the EMS waste module, the client could combine the EMS inventory model to support the complete lifecycle of chemicals.  Those handling waste in the company were automatically notified via email of new waste pickup requests, and they could generate pickup request sheets within EMS.  

The Result

Implementation of the solution was done rapidly with minimal disruption and wide acceptance within the organization. Information data errors were virtually eliminated and labor time reduced.  Waste disposal cost reduction was realized in the first year of the new operation process and regulatory inspections yielded no notices of violation or fines.