In times of rapid change, companies can find themselves vulnerable to accidents and incidents. The energy industry is experiencing massive disruption, and the consequence of this disruption is often risks to safety and productivity. To manage the effects of energy industry disruption, organizations have to take a proactive approach to the improvement and optimization of their organization.
Industry Disruption in the Energy Sector
The energy industry is quickly changing. Regulation, changes in the workforce, changing energy demand and production, and shifting consumer expectations — all of it has an impact. As companies race to adjust to these changes, risks can also escalate.
When change occurs, and demand declines, businesses find it even more important to manage their productivity and asset maintenance. To remain profitable, businesses have to focus on optimizing their processes and their operations, and improving the amount of value that they’re able to retain.
Unfortunately, during times of change, it’s also possible for things like safety to fall by the wayside. It’s possible for businesses to over-optimize and to lose sight of what is most important.
The Impact of Disruption on Safety
It’s not enough for organizations to be content with “acceptable” safety performance. Companies should strive for zero injuries. While there are always some risk factors involved, businesses should seek to completely eliminate injuries and deaths. In so doing, they can reduce injuries and deaths as much as possible.
Not only does an increase in safety improve productivity and reduce costs, but it also influences morale. When companies constantly strive for an ideal, they can at least be content that they are doing what they can to assure the safety of their employees.
The Changing Workforce
It’s not just demand that’s changing, it’s also the workforce itself. And any shift in workforce means that processes may need to be adjusted.
Today, energy industry companies are finding themselves working harder to retain new employees, and that means that there can be generational gaps in knowledge. The workforce is shrinking: people are retiring and new employees are not being introduced.
With a smaller workforce size, companies are going to need to leverage their human resources and their technology, and will need to automate and improve their processes. At the same time, entirely new organizations are being developed in different energy industry spaces, and the market is shifting to value different skill sets.
The Impact of Company Culture on Safety
Company culture plays an extraordinary role in safety. Company culture is what tells employees what the company values, and ensures that the company hires employees who match that culture. When the company values safety, the employees will value safety. And when the employees value safety, there will be fewer incidents. But because employees may not be retained, and new employees may be difficult to acquire, company culture can also shift.
According to the DuPont Bradley Curve, there is a direct relationship between culture and safety performance. In an environment where safety is understood to be the responsibility of everyone, there’s a reduction in injury rates. Employees are more aware of safety in general, and they’re more likely to react positively to safety requirements. This highlights the need for stronger company culture overall.
Properly Equipping an Organization With Technology
How can a company manage its safety while still optimizing and reducing its administrative burden? It sounds like a paradox, but the answer is simple: Technology. Safety management software and other related technologies are making it easier than ever for companies to reduce the potential for accidents on their work sites. And they can reduce these incidents without increasing their costs.
53% of companies in the United States have already implemented connected industrial workforce measures. Through better technology, technicians and operators are able to maximize their own skill sets, reduce and eliminate risks, and ensure better productivity and uptime. This is a major shift within the market, and a successful one.
The energy workforce is actively shifting, and companies need solutions that are capable of supporting these varied processes. Through better software and technology, companies are able to reduce non-productive time, while still being able to protect their employees.
Safety software offers a number of benefits:
- Reduces time to make decisions. With real-time decision-making support, companies can make safety and productivity-related decisions faster.
- Reduces rework and added travel. Employees are able to get the job done fast and right due to the additional information they have.
- Capitalizes on tech already in use. Mobile devices or tablets are with most workers throughout the day.
- Ensures safety. Safety software gives visibility to management and a voice to frontline workers, so they can raise concerns.
Safety solutions empower employees and managers. Managers are given the real-time information and insights they need to make actionable decisions about safety, while employees have an amplified voice and improved communication so that they can protect themselves and their colleagues.
As the energy industry continues to change, it becomes even more important for companies to take action. Anvl makes it possible for companies to improve their operations using tech that’s likely already in the field.
