[00:00:32]
Dale, can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to your role at KPA?
Of course. So, my path to KPA is a little bit unique because prior to working for KPA, I was actually a safety manager for a company that used the iScout software, now being called KPA EHS. So I was involved in an oil and gas company.
And back in about 2012, I was working for that company and a position came up for a safety coordinator in my area that I had some interest in. I didn’t have any safety experience, but I had some training and leadership background and that was a good fit. So I was provided the opportunity to jump into that role and learn everything I could about employee safety.
So spent quite a bit of time in that environment and in that role. And about the same time that I moved into that position, as a company, we were looking for and kind of struggling with a platform to help us manage our own safety program internally. So we were fighting the same challenges that a lot of our groups are in terms of dealing with paper reports or trying to track those down or keep up with training history on an Excel document, or just lots of, kind of manual processes in place to really help keep our team safe and it was really inefficient.
Anyway, as I’m learning the safety role, our team is also kind of exploring what else is out there in terms of ways to help manage that program. And so, you know, at the time, 2012, 2013, there weren’t a ton of software options. So essentially that leadership team within that company started to kind of develop our own program and develop a software that eventually turned into iScout, which is now like I said, KPA EHS. So that program we started using as just our internal safety program, helping us manage reports and keep track of training. And then as that continued to grow, as that software continued to add new features or we started using more and more of it within the company, you know, of course, other groups in our industry took notice and saw what we were doing because, you know, we were in a service environment. So we were working for other companies kind of like in a construction environment where you have a contractor working for a GC and we’ve got to sit down and talk to them and prove to them how we’re managing our programs and things like that.
So just word started getting out about that software that was being used. So as that continued to grow, it eventually grew and, and created some additional growth opportunities outside of that company. But I stayed with that oil field services company for about eight years. And, uh, the vast majority of time was in that safety manager role.
I was a very heavy user of the KPA EHS software at the time. And eventually even became our company’s primary program administrator for that platform. So through some different acquisitions and things like that, that company grew to be over 5,000 employees in the United States and Canada. And they are still a very current and one of our largest current customers of the software. So had a chance to really kind of spend quite a bit of time using the software and be in that safety manager role. And then about two years ago, or so I moved over from that oil field company to work directly with the iScout team, just to help other companies get started using that software because, you know, I was passionate about it. I believe in the software and just saw the impact that it made for us and wanted to share that with other groups.
[00:04:05]
Oh, that’s so cool. So, you know, the software inside and out like the back of your hand. Going from a safety manager role to working on the safety software side of things, because you have such a unique perspective in the world of safety, would you mind sharing with us some of the insights that this perspective has given you.
Yeah, of course. And yeah, I certainly do know quite a bit about the software, but I’ll be honest with you too. Even after all this time, I still learn new things about it almost every day. There are so many layers to it and so much to it that I don’t think, I don’t think even our development team knows exactly what all you can do with it.
But yeah, of course. I mean, that is a different perspective there that I have because I have that experience. And I think probably the biggest thing, I think that experience brings me in the role I’m in now is I just know and have an understanding of why it’s so important for companies to manage and keep track of their safety program.
So, you know, as a company, KPA provides software that is a tool for companies to use, to keep up with their program, see reports and have metrics provided to them and keep up with training and all those things. And that’s great. But as a team internally, we need to know why that’s such a big deal. Like why is that important to a company?
And that’s, I think a perspective that I bring that is unique.
[00:05:24]
Absolutely. So with all of that insight and perspective that you have. What are some of the common misconceptions safety managers have about EHS software and the entire compliance landscape that you’ve seen in your time.
So I think, you know, a couple of things there, one is that it has to be difficult.
Like it’s gotta- we’ve got to have some big, massive, you know, a super complex program put in place to help keep up with this because you know, there’s a lot of things that are part of it. And that’s one big thing is that it doesn’t have to be really big and robust and complex. It needs to be powerful enough and, and give you the tools that you need, but software to help you manage your safety program.
Can be easy to use and that’s the point as well. I think another big thing I hear from a lot of groups that I work with is that one of the big difference-makers for KPA EHS and iScout in the past has been just where we got our start, is because we were safety professionals in an industry that had a need.
We were not software developers that just saw, Hey, let’s just go write a new program and build a new website. And hopefully, there’s a need there. Like it was born out of specific things that we needed from a safety team. And so that level of background and that level of experience is a big differentiator for us too because you know, that that team is, you know, our team is really designed and, and has a goal of making it easy and keeping it easy to use, but also being powerful enough that the teams have the information they need there.
So it’s that background that we come from that I think separates us.
[00:07:03]
Yeah. I would agree, definitely having that background is totally key to what makes your experience specifically and the entire software, such a cutting edge above the rest. And that’s a good reminder that things don’t have to be hard to be good.
Sometimes the simplest- it’s the Occam’s razor, right? Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution.
That’s exactly right. I mean, we think we’ve got a platform that’s powerful enough and it’s a great tool, but it’s really easy to use.
[00:07:34]
That is the best of both worlds.
Dale, how can EHS software make a safety manager’s life easier? How did it make your life easy?
So I think the biggest thing for me was that it helped me get out of the office and, you know, unbury me from that big stack of paperwork I was always dealing with, to be out in the field, visiting with our teams, working on job sites, where I could have the biggest impact on that, on that team out there.
You know, one specific example, I remember this very clearly because you know, one of the biggest responsibilities I had as a safety coordinator and as a safety manager, was to be out in the field doing these regular audits of job sites that our teams were working on. So we had crews spread out all over the place and, you know, they’re working in some dangerous environments.
And so, you know, a big part of what we were tasked with was to make sure that they’re doing a good job in keeping up with things that they’re supposed to be doing and operating in a safe way. So part of that is to be visible, to be out there, to be side-by-side with our teams that are working and conduct, some inspections and some audits on our locations.
And so, you know, a big part of that was, you know, a very manual process. I’d spend part of my day traveling and visiting these job sites, taking pictures of things that needed to be corrected or addressed visiting with employees to make sure they’re doing what they need to be doing in a safe manner.
And you’re taking manual notes of my findings. All of that kind of stuff was done manually out in the field. And then after that, I’d have to get back to my office or get to a place where I could get on my laptop and take all that information and manually load it into like a word template and upload photos and type out my notes.
And then eventually put all that together in a report and email that out to our management team. So they could review that and see what all is going on. But I might be on a job site at eight o’clock in the morning conducting that audit, but it might be six o’clock that night before I get a chance to send that out to anybody to know what’s happening out there.
And that’s a lot of wasted time and it’s a very inefficient process. So one of the very first things that we started doing, once we started rolling out this iScout program within our company was creating that form and that report to use as an audit or inspection form for us in the field.
So that way we could conduct those audits right from my phone or right from a tablet right there in the field, take the pictures we needed, upload everything. And then I could complete those audits on site, send out my findings immediately. And then the team could take action on them right away, as opposed to waiting eight to 10 hours later to, you know, resolve some issue that needed to be taken care of.
So that was probably the biggest impact it had on me at least initially was just the efficiency of the way I could do my job was so much higher now because I could do it all right from my phone that I’ve got with me all the time anyway.
[00:10:32]
Yeah. It sounds like more efficient for the company in terms of getting the information into the system.
But also my God, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM is a long day. I mean, that’s just ridiculous. So being able to shorten your work day, that’s also really good.
Right. Well, and too, like, you know, if I didn’t have to spend half as much time on paperwork and doing these things on my computer, then that’s more time that I spent out in the field, you know, working with my teams, making sure they’re doing a good job and connecting with them. And that’s really what I wanted my role to be about.
[00:11:06]
Absolutely. And that’s how you build that safety culture is to really be in there with the team, as opposed to just working on the computer. So, what advice do you have for safety managers who are looking to their EHS technology to help them work smarter, not harder?
So, you know, certainly trying to track a safety program or really any business information manually is so challenging because it does just like we talked about, it takes you away from working side-by-side with your teams. So like I said, I viewed my role as a safety manager in a way that, you know, my, my job should be more about connecting with my employees and connecting with the teams that are working out in the field, teaching them the value of working safely, doing their jobs in a safe manner, doing them the right way the first time.
And so. That’s where, where that really came into play for me was to be able to allow me to do that more, rather than being stuck in my office, looking through paperwork or, you know, manually updating Excel files or things like that. And so our software, or really any software that is designed really to give you the tools that you need to do that in a more efficient way.
And so, uh, certainly would encourage anybody to, you know, that’s struggling with keeping up with their program or, or getting drowned in paperwork or needing just a helping hand there to check out you know, any type of software. Of course, I’m gonna, you know, certainly push KPA EHS, but really, I mean, there’s a ton of stuff out there. But like anything is, you know, is probably better than trying to keep up with that manually.
And so it could be much more efficient and you can use the tools that are available, like your phone that you’ve got with you all the time to keep up with that, as opposed to keeping up with that paper trail of reports or things like that.
[00:12:51]
Yeah, I would agree. I think that for folks who are feeling like they’re just totally swamped, there are solutions out there that are going to put all those tools right at your fingertips so that you don’t have to be working so hard and spending so much time on something that could be much, much simpler.
That’s right. And of course, KPA EHS is the best route to go with that.
[00:13:11]
I would agree. I think we’re biased. Well, thank you, Dale, so much for your time. I really appreciate it.
Absolutely. Thank you, Sage. It was great. Appreciate it.
