Electricity, steel, refinery products, crude oil, coal, cement, natural gas and fertilizers are considered as the core industrial sectors. Their production index and output are the economic indicators used worldwide to ascertain the state of a nation state economy.

All of the above-mentioned industries lie within the moderate to extreme risk category – what’s more is that all of these are setup in a large to very large-scale complex model, which allows better resource utilization and also mitigates the said risks.

The modern digital transformation playbook would place these sectors into high priority targets for introduction, use and deployment of digital platforms that allow better management, vigilance and above all data collection for decision making.

However, when we observe more closely, a significant lack of digital edge with which these industries operate will come to notice. The electricity as well as oil and gas are the natural candidates to leverage digital platforms. The others come below them under the digital pecking order.

The outstanding and emphatic demand of a digital playbook which enables transformation for these industries is centred around these key elements:

1. Safety and workforce risks
2. Environmental concerns and carbon footprint
3. Productivity and efficiency

These three elements are co-dependent and interdependent and their ecosystem, if struck by an emergency, incident or accident can have catastrophic consequences.

Digital safeguards that places high confidence in data reporting, collection, authentication prior to work allocation and operational risk management can become the safety net for our core industrial sector.

The foremost action prior to pushing into digital expanse is getting people onboard. Whether it is the senior management or the right software vendor, the responsibilities multiply as we move forward. Hence, a drawn-out analysis with a show of organizational strengths and lagging indicators would be useful.

The second things would be the digital vendor who would allow your organization to leverage this advantage – present its plan for you. A competent vendor can work together with your technical team and provide a glimpse of things to come – in form of a prototype. While market reputation remains key, vendor’s focus on flexibility and adaptation can be more useful.

This can allow the system to be more on the lines ‘you and your workforce’ are happy to start working on – from day one. User adaptation and actual software use in OHS and EHS aspects is often seen as a hindrance, if the building logic doesn’t match the ways, means and habits your organization functions within.

Slightly paradoxical but true is the next step.

Evaluate and cut the flab – in terms of organizational decision-making clusters by introducing intuitive features within your operational risk and EHS management software. Pre-built templates, checklists, contact sharing, information display and dashboards are all interfaces which engage human senses and allow us to process large amounts of information in short time.

The other benefit which is emerging as a constant theme to all our conversations, environmental monitoring and emissions. EHS management software has the flexibility to tap into multiple data inputs and harness them into insights – which can help you plan your next steps towards greener industrial practices.

Make people a big part of your digital playbook in EHS transformation as they are the eyes and ears that help follow effective safeguards that allows core industries to function.