HAZARDOUS AREAS & SAFETY
COMPLIANCE IS AN INVESTMENT, NOT A COST
Berend Booms, Head of EAM Insights, IFS Ultimo, explains why HSE is a business imperative, and shows how Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software plays an important role
ealth, safety and management (HSE) is more than a regulatory checkbox. It’s a business-critical investment. Too often, it’s undervalued, perceived as a necessary burden rather than a strategic enabler. HSE management should go beyond a “let’s make sure no one gets hurt” mentality. It must be integrated into the maintenance strategies of physical industrial assets, to assure compliance, mitigate risks, and unlock operational efficiencies.
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When it comes to compliance, the cost of failing is far greater than the cost of doing it right. Harmful incidents involving employees, regulatory fines, reputational damage, downtime, environmental incidents, and legal liabilities all hit the bottom line. Non- compliance isn’t just about penalties; it’s about lost productivity, halted operations, and eroded trust from stakeholders. It’s an area where enterprise asset management (EAM) software plays an important role. An EAM solution that boasts HSE functionalities and actively integrates them into the asset and maintenance management processes offers tremendous value. Safety protocols are not only met but exceeded.
There’s a fundamental shift happening. Companies are realising that investing in HSE is driving positive business results. A proactive safety culture enhances uptime, availability, and reliability – the three pillars of operational excellence.
By planning for the entire lifecycle of industrial assets, organisations gain a holistic approach to performance. HSE plays a crucial role in maximising the lifespan of equipment, optimising workflows, and ensuring a safer working environment, all of which directly contribute to improved productivity and profitability.
One of the biggest inefficiencies in industrial settings is fragmentation of data across different systems. Many organisations
12 MARCH 2025 | PROCESS & CONTROL
operate multiple point solutions for compliance, maintenance, and operations. This can lead to inefficiencies, miscommunication, and increased risk. A centralised EAM solution replaces disparate systems, fostering better collaboration between maintenance, operations, and HSE teams. This ensures that safety is not an afterthought but a fully integrated component of every single step in an asset's lifecycle, from acquisition to disposal. Businesses need to leverage a single source of truth for insights into the asset lifecycle - which is where EAM reigns supreme.
Maintenance management at Recticel
Recticel focuses on the production of polyurethane solutions, with applications in mattresses, insulation and the automotive industry. The company operates across the world. Dieter Bervoet, International Maintenance Manager at Recticel, said: “We have four main branches in Belgium, England, France and Finland and the corresponding cultures vary somewhat. This means that the subject of maintenance is viewed differently in each branch.”
The company implemented Cloud-based EAM software from IFS Ultimo in 2022 to benefit the maintenance team, but also other departments such as production, quality and safety.
Uniformity in its operations now means that Recticel sites can be compared and can learn from one another. For example, why one site can work more quickly than another or what can be done to prevent Health & Safety emergencies. By recording all the information on maintenance, production and quality in one central location, the company can also have better conversations with auditors.
The fact that production and maintenance employees work in one, central system means they are speaking the same language and there is a level of understanding about potential pain points.
HSE is a data goldmine. The insights gained from HSE-related data can drive smarter decisions, refine safety strategies, and enhance predictive maintenance. By leveraging EAM platforms, companies can harness real-time data from their assets to identify trends, detect early warning signs, and make proactive interventions. Investing in high-quality data collection and analysis is an investment in the longevity and efficiency of operations. The better the data, the better the outcomes, for both safety and business performance.
Teams want to collaborate. With the safety of workers paramount, being able to interconnect technologies, gives health and safety considerations a seat at the head of the table. It creates a mutual understanding of the impact of regulations on operations and maintenance, and vice versa. For true operational excellence, businesses must recognise that HSE doesn’t operate in isolation. It's an integral part of a theory IFS Ultimo has developed, called the 'Circle of Collaboration', in which maintenance, operations and safety teams are fully aligned.
The bottom line is that HSE is not just about meeting regulations, it’s about driving value. By integrating safety into industrial asset management, businesses not only protect their workforce but also safeguard their financial future. Compliance is an investment, not a cost. And when done right, it pays dividends in uptime, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
IFS Ultimo
www.ultimo.com
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