ehs software benchmark: chemical management and hazardous ... · ehs software benchmark: chemical...

EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical

Management And Hazardous Waste

O c t o b e r 2 0 1 7

W W W . V E R D A N T I X . C O M

EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management

This report contains an extract of the Verdantix analysis of the chemical and hazardous waste management

functionality of twenty EHS software applications. The majority of EHS decision-makers prefer the idea of

purchasing a single, integrated software application to cover all EHS workflows. But factors such as unique

industry-specific requirements, limited usage scenarios for software or constrained budgets may push them to

make purchase decisions based primarily on specific ‘must have’ functional requirements. Based on 13

assessment criteria, the Verdantix benchmark of chemical and hazardous waste management functionality finds

that Sphera stands out in the market with a score of 87% of the total potential score in this area. VelocityEHS is

the joint market leader on chemical management functionality with a strong mobile offering. Enablon, ERA

Environmental and Enviance also have solid offerings. Due to the small number of vendors with strong chemical

and hazardous waste functionality customers should buy from specialists.

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management ................................................................. 3

Four Factors Persuade Buyers To Focus Vendor Selection On Specific Functionality

Assessment Criteria For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management Software

Few EHS Software Vendors Offer Strong Functionality For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management

Customers Seeking Software For Chemical and Hazardous Waste Management Must Pick Specialists

TA B L E O F F I G U R E S

Figure 1. Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Functionality Scores .................................................................. 3

Figure 2. Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Percentage Of Potential ............................................................ 4

O R G A N I Z A T I O N S M E N T I O N E D

Abbott Laboratories, Actio, AECOM, Arcadis, Arkema, Brambles, CH2M, Chemtura, Cority, Dakota Software,

EcoIntense, EMD Millipore, Emirates, Enablon, Enhesa, , Enviance, ERA, EtQ, FedEx Express, Gensuite, Huco

Consulting, Intelex, Johnson & Johnson, MANA Products, RegScan, SAP, Sasol, Solenis, Sphera, Sterigenics, TE

Connectivity, Truman Medical Centers, UCOR, United Airlines, US Department of Defense, VelocityEHS, Verisk3E.

E HS S OFTWARE BE NCHMA RK: CHE MICAL MANAG E ME NT AND HAZARDOUS WAS TE

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EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical and Hazardous Waste

Management

This report contains an extract of the Verdantix analysis of the chemicals and hazardous waste features and

functionality of twenty EHS software applications. This analysis was originally produced in the Verdantix Green

Quadrant EHS Software 2017 report.

Four Factors Persuade Buyers To Focus Vendor Selection On Specific

Functionality

Survey data indicate that the majority of EHS decision-makers aim to invest in a single, integrated EHS software

platform that covers all EHS processes. However, software buyers also buy EHS software with a focus on specific

functionality because they have :

• Unique needs that must be met by the software irrespective of broader functionality.

Running an airline such as Emirates or United Airlines poses unique operational and customer service

risks that do not impact other industries. That is why specialist solutions such as EtQ’s Aviation Safety

Management System gain traction with carriers. In the realm of chemicals and hazardous waste, Sphera

provides hazardous material management functionality to meet the unique needs of the US Department

of Defense.

• Limited usage scenarios that make an EHS platform less relevant.

Under the aegis of the UCOR joint venture, CH2M and AECOM jointly run a remediation project for a

former atomic bomb-making factory (see Verdantix EHS Risk Management Lessons From UCOR’s

‘Manhattan Project’ Site Remediation). The project has very specific EHS management requirements such

as hazardous waste removal, industrial hygiene, and occupational health management. But these usage

scenarios don’t extend to the full range of that for instance an oil and gas firm such as Total would need.

As a result, using just a few modules from an EHS software platform, in this case the Cority software,

meets the requirements .

• Constrained budgets that align with point solutions not platforms.

The average deal size for a three-year, private cloud EHS software platform for an enterprise customer is

approximately $300,000. Upgrades, integration with other IT systems, support from a services partner

such as Arcadis or Huco Consulting, and mobile app licences may increase the overall spend. Given that

78% of 382 EHS decision-makers surveyed by Verdantix state that the ‘EHS operational budget is

insufficient to fund technology investments’, it should come as no surprise that many EHS decision-

makers prioritize a subset of functionality over a full platform rollout.

• Plans to implement EHS modules phase by phase over several years.

Few customers go down the route of a ‘big bang’ implementation of EHS software due to the costs and

risks involved (see Verdantix Worst Practices For EH&S Software Projects). Armed with a three-year or

four-year plan to implement 10 to 20 modules, customers pick their priority EHS processes for

technology support in phase one of the project. As a result, purchase decisions are driven by the quality

of functionality for a subset of issues. For instance a buyer may shortlist Dakota Software and Enviance

due to the robustness of their air emissions calculation engine – even if in two years’ time their focus will

be on occupational health.



Assessment Criteria For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management

Software

Whilst the vision for most VPs of EHS is to implement a single, integrated platform, doing so is often a difficult

plan to execute due to an IT landscape littered with legacy apps, budget restrictions and competing business

priorities. As a result, many EHS software purchase decisions are driven by specific functionality needs even if

the ultimate aim is to deploy multiple apps on one platform. To help EHS decision-makers seeking software for

chemical and hazardous waste management, Verdantix:

• Defined seven assessment criteria for chemical management.

To assess the capabilities that EHS software applications have to support chemical management

processes we identified seven criteria: SDS management, hazmat materials database, hazard

communications and labelling, chemical storage area database, chemical inventory analysis and

reporting, chemical spill management, and chemical compliance reporting.

• Established six assessment criteria for hazardous waste management.

To assess the capabilities that EHS software applications offer for hazardous waste management we

identified six criteria: regulatory coverage, hazardous waste permit and reporting management, Toxics

Release Inventory (TRI) compliance, hazardous waste inventory management, disposal management,

hazardous waste labels and manifests.

• Benchmarked the features and functionality of 20 EHS software vendors.

Based on the 13 assessment criteria we benchmarked the functionality provided by the 20 most

prominent providers of EHS software in the market. This benchmarking required the vendors to complete

an assessment questionnaire, disclose examples of customers using the software for chemical and

hazardous waste management and run a live product demo. We scored each of the 13 assessment

criteria on a 0 to 3 scale, which is then aggregated based on the weighting of each of these criteria to

provide an overall score on a 0 to 3 scale for each of the two functionality areas (see Figure 1).

• Normalized vendor scores relative to the highest possible score.

In the Green Quadrant model, chemical management functionality was weighted at 4% of product

capabilities and hazardous waste management also at 4%. Given the weighting of the criteria, the

maximum potential score a vendor can achieve for chemical and hazardous waste functionality is

0.24/3.00, which is 8% of 3.00. To illustrate each vendor’s performance relative to the maximum potential

score we normalized each vendor’s score to produce a percentage, which represents each vendor’s score

relative to the maximum potential (see Figure 2).

Few EHS Software Vendors Offer Strong Functionality For Chemical And

Hazardous Waste Management

To help EHS decision-makers identify software with comprehensive and robust functionality for chemical and

hazardous waste management we applied 13 assessment criteria to 20 EHS software applications. The Verdantix

analysis of the chemical and hazardous waste functionality finds that:

• Sphera stands out from the pack by achieving 87% of the total potential score.

Sphera’s chemical and hazardous waste management functionality achieves 87% of the maximum

potential score, making it the broadest and deepest software for these two processes. This reflects

market leading scores of 2.6/3.0 for both chemical and hazardous waste management.




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Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Functionality Scores

F IGU RE 1

Source: Verdantix

Chemical

Management

% Of Maximum

Score

Hazardous

Waste

% Of Maximum

Score Total Score

Sphera 2.63 88% 2.57 86% 87%

VelocityEHS 2.63 88% 1.71 57% 72%

Enablon 1.75 58% 2.43 81% 70%

ERA 2.00 67% 2.14 71% 69%

Enviance 2.25 75% 1.86 62% 68%

Gensuite 1.88 63% 1.86 62% 62%

EcoIntense 2.13 71% 1.57 52% 62%

Intelex 1.25 42% 2.00 67% 54%

SAP 1.88 63% 1.29 43% 53%

Dakota 1.38 46% 1.71 57% 51%

ProcessMAP 1.38 46% 1.57 52% 49%

Cority 1.00 33% 1.71 57% 45%

EMEX 1.00 33% 1.57 52% 43%

UL EHSS 0.88 29% 1.57 52% 41%

SAI Global 1.13 38% 1.00 33% 35%

DNV GL 1.25 42% 0.57 19% 30%

IsoMetrix 0.63 21% 0.71 24% 22%

EtQ 0.75 25% 0.43 14% 20%

Airsweb 0.63 21% 0.14 5% 13%

Mitratech 0.00 0% 0.43 14% 7%

6

Source: Verdantix

Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Percentage Of Potential

F IGU RE 2

7%

13%

20%

22%

30%

35%

41%

43%

45%

49%

51%

53%

54%

62%

62%

68%

69%

70%

72%

87%

Mitratech

Airsweb

EtQ

IsoMetrix

DNV GL

SAI Global

UL EHSS

EMEX

Cority

ProcessMAP

Dakota

SAP

Intelex

EcoIntense

Gensuite

Enviance

ERA

Enablon

VelocityEHS

Sphera

Sphera’s managed regulatory content covers over 15,000 translated phrases in 46 languages, 7,500 rules

for automating hazard assessments and the software offers more than 100 templates for legal

requirements in 50 countries. Customers using either chemical or hazardous waste management

functionality from Sphera include Abbott Laboratories, EMD Millipore, Johnson & Johnson, MANA

Products and Truman Medical Centers.

• VelocityEHS achieves a 72% score and is the joint leader on chemical management.

For chemical management, VelocityEHS tied with Sphera on the highest score of 2.6/3.0, reflecting the

established capabilities of the MSDSonline core business. VelocityEHS offers an eBinder Mobile App

which provides access to chemical inventory and hazard information on any mobile device. The software

vendor also offers a Chemical Inventory Scanner App, a virtual representation of the workplace’s chemical

footprint, and a Plan1 First Responder Share Service which would help in situations like the Arkema

chemical plant fire in Texas. Customers using VelocityEHS functionality for chemical or hazardous waste

management include Brambles, Chemtura, FedEx Express, Solenis and TE Connectivity.


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• Enablon ERA and Enviance also have solid offerings.

Making up the five highest scores for chemical and hazardous waste management functionality are

Enablon with 70%, ERA with 69% and Enviance with 68%. Enablon scored 2.4/3.0 for hazardous waste

management, which is the second highest score in the benchmark after Sphera. The waste management

module is integrated with regulatory compliance management functionality and fed with content from

Enhesa, RegScan and Verisk3E. Enviance scores 2.3/3.0 for chemical management, which is the second

highest score after Sphera and VelocityEHS. Built on functionality from the acquisition of Actio in June

2016, the Enviance SDS Vault provides a wide range of cloud-based chemical data management, analysis

and reporting capabilities.

• Five vendors deliver on at least 50% of the total potential capability.

Gensuite (62% of the total potential score), EcoIntense (62%), Intelex (54%), SAP (53%) and Dakota

Software (51%) also offer strong solutions for chemical and hazardous waste management. Gensuite has

comparable functionality across both processes, scoring 1.9/3.0 for both. EcoIntense has a particularly

capable offering for chemical management (2.1/3.0). Intelex has significantly more capability for

hazardous waste management (2.0/3.0) than for chemical management (1.3/3.0). ). Dakota Software’s

capabilities are evenly matched with scores of 1.4/3.0 for chemical and 1.7/3.0 for hazardous waste

management.

Customers Seeking Software For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management

Must Pick Specialists

Based on the Green Quadrant benchmark, Sphera has the broadest and deepest software for chemical and

hazardous waste management. VelocityEHS is also a strong performer whilst Enablon, ERA and Enviance offer

impressive capabilities for one of either chemical management or hazardous waste. This benchmark

demonstrates that customers should:

• Only shortlist vendors with demonstrated depth in functionality for chemical and hazardous waste

management.

Unlike EHS functionality used by firms in all industries, such as for incident reporting, safety observations

and audits, only a handful of industries require dedicated software for chemical management and

hazardous waste. Buyers who require these solutions should only shortlist vendors with proven

capabilities and a commitment to invest in enhancements. Configuring an EHS workflow engine that

doesn’t have the functionality to manage chemical content or embedded regulatory intelligence will

prove a costly failure.

• Conduct very detailed assessments of product capability with complex scenarios.

In the recent Verdantix survey of 382 EHS decision-makers, 89% said the ability to configure EHS software

is either an important or very important purchase driver – the highest ranked influence on buying

software. However, configuring workflows does not deliver chemical and hazardous waste management

compliance. For instance, it is not possible to configure a Safety Data Sheet, scan a bar code on a

chemical container or generate a compliance report for REACH reporting. Before committing to invest in

EHS software, buyers should drill down as deep as possible into workflow, content and regulatory

intelligence to ensure that they do not buy software which needs custom development for chemical and

hazardous waste usage scenarios.

• Explore the quality of integration between workflow, regulatory intelligence and SDS libraries.

Chemical management is a process that touches multiple business functions such as procurement,

production, logistics, safety and warehousing. As a result it is supported by multiple IT systems such as



chemical compliance databases containing SDSs, ERP bills of material, and workflow in EHS software.

Throw in hand-held devices for physical inventory checks and you have a perfect storm of technology,

regulatory content, dispersed data, mobile devices and workflow software. Customers need to ensure the

technology they deploy will successfully orchestrate the information flow across multiple business

functions, locations and transport units. Buyers should ask to see a digital end-to-end process from

supplier data collection to manufacturing, storage, logistics and customer disclosures.

• Test mobile capabilities for both inventory lookup and physical asset scans.

Firms often find that 5% to 15% of chemical inventory data held in central log books or databases is

inaccurate when they conduct a physical audit of chemicals on site. As a result, firms such as Sasol and

Sterigenics aim to optimize chemical management by providing facilities managers with mobile apps that

enable them to query central databases and scan labels with handheld devices. Firms seeking chemical

and hazardous waste management solutions should look beyond just the workflow software and assess

the ability of the entire digital system to support corporate compliance officers, truck drivers, and plant

and production managers.



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