Next Gen EHS
Menka Vansant
(BSI Group)
BSI’s Innovation Group is testing unique and creative solutions across the company’s different sectors and streams to continue enhancing our standard of excellence. We are using a variety of technology that is incorporated into the business, including drones, smart glasses, and blockchain. This presentation will give examples of our current tech business offerings in addition to our vision of where the business will innovate around EHS in the future, and what EHS problems we are tackling. We seek to continuously provide our clients additional value by making processes more efficient, accessible, and safe. BSI is beginning to conduct aerial prioritization of issues (POI) assessments to identify risks using drones. This solution allows for safe accessibility of hazardous, hard-to-reach, or large assessment sites. Consultants will digitally assess the images and load results into drone imaging software, and visually log issues, incidents, and demonstrate compliance. Regulatory bodies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are using drones for regulatory compliance checks; our new drone offering allows clients to identify potential compliance issues ahead of a government audit. Around the globe, we are piloting Immersive Assistance using smart glasses, which is a critical step in our Digital Assurance strategy. This new service, powered by wearables and smart glasses, allows for both subject matter experts to work remotely and for clients to monitor remote audit/consultancy locations. Our current EHS use cases include frequent assessment of large client sites that are expensive to travel to and are geographically far apart. Remote auditing and consulting is a new way to tackle increased travel costs, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance the availability of our subject matter experts. We are further exploring other EHS-related opportunities on BSI’s Innovation Team. For example, using blockchain for OSHA cards could be an important step in ensuring certifications are valid. This can ensure fluidity between jobs and give another level of credibility to the trainees. Being predictive is a critical part of enhancing the EHS industry, particularly since this sector deals with complex and dangerous issues, such as oil spills, explosions, and fires. By using AI and IoT sensors, we seek to consult with our clients before disaster strikes.