Specialist barrier resin manufacturer to implement RiskLedger to increase operational effectiveness and efficiency
Operational risk management specialist EnvironmentIQ has announced that Nippon Gohsei (UK) is deploying RiskLedger, its integrated environment, health and safety (EHS) risk management software platform.
Nippon Gohsei (UK), an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified company, manufactures Soarnol, a barrier resin typically used in innovative food-packaging technology that shuts out oxygen preventing decomposition and the growth of mould, while maintaining transparency.
Soarnol provides excellent protective characteristics for food, and being mainly composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, has no toxic gases when burned.
Nippon Gohsei (UK) manufacturing takes place in Hull.
Historically, an incident reporting system has been used to record incidents, near misses and accidents, and meet regulatory reporting needs.
In early 2005 Steve Brook took over the role of health, safety and environmental manager for the Hull site.
With a background in operations, Brook was keen that Nippon Gohsei (UK) not only exceeded its regulatory obligations but also proactively used EHS data as a means of improving operational processes and reducing risk.
He initiated a project to look for an integrated management system to replace the existing system.
"While we could record the basic data, I was not able to get the right level of information without a great deal of manual effort".
"I needed to be confident that all incidents, accidents and near misses were investigated, and that any actions were followed through in a timely manner".
"Also the existing system had a poor user interface which meant employees preferred to report incidents manually".
"This could delay the information which could prove critical in the timely investigation of an incident".
From an IT perspective Chris Morfitt, business systems development manager, was looking for a system which would be maintainable by the business users and would help reduce the number of spreadsheets and databases currently being used.
After a competitive review of the market, Nippon Gohsei(UK) selected RiskLedger.
"The integrated nature of RiskLedger was a major factor in our decision" said Morfitt.
"It's not just about stand alone reporting; it's about having a consolidated system for managing incidents and events alongside the business".
RiskLedger has a comprehensive event management layer which allows actions to be assigned automatically to individuals or roles in the event of a near-miss, incident or accident.
"As a web-based system it will run on our intranet, encouraging people to report incidents and near-misses immediately.
"Furthermore, authorised users can adjust the configuration themselves, for example when plant-modifications take place.
"Being self-maintainable puts the business in control and lowers the burden on IT resources".
The benefits Nippon Gohsei (UK) expect to achieve from RiskLedger are wide ranging.
Daily operations meetings will run much more smoothly as all information will be to hand; multiple databases and spreadsheets will be consolidated; Steve Brook will have immediate access to safety competency of employees wishing to enter hazardous areas.
Most of all RiskLedger will be a key component in the operational risk reduction programme.
"We are committed to improving not just safety, but also quality and environmental issues.
"Action tracking, escalation and resolution is an essential part of the process" said Bob Rose, managing director of Nippon Gohsei (UK).
"From a management perspective one of the most important reasons we selected RiskLedger was the ability to assign actions to individuals, who then accept ownership through to resolution.
"I can see immediately the implications of an incident, the status of any action and escalate if necessary".
EnvironmentIQ is a supplier of risk management software focused on environment, health and safety management.
The company's flagship product, RiskLedger, provides an integrated platform for controlling risk assessments, managing all types of incidents and alerting and reporting across the enterprise.
It is a highly configurable, modular system which can be tailored to track any type of incident including injuries, hazardous substance exposure and asset damage.
RiskLedger enables continuous improvement across all aspects of environment, health and safety management to ensure compliance, improve productivity and underpin a positive health and safety culture.
