A survey of 2,000 individuals who work in varied roles across a range of UK sectors has found 68% of respondents feel their business/organisation would likely not comply with on-the-spot Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspections. 

This is because they feel the business/organisation they work for doesn’t have the data to prove that its fixed and movable assets are managed and maintained to the required regulatory standards.

The results of the survey can be found in a new publication released last week (17 May) from enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions specialist BPD Zenith – The Critical Compliance Gap Report 2024. 

This new research into the hidden risks of half-measured asset data management systems has found that nearly a fifth (17%) of those surveyed admitted their business/organisation had faced enforcement action from the HSE in the past because their assets had failed to meet compliance standards. Of this figure, more than 10% had been handed a fine.

The survey responses also revealed that 50% of the individuals who took part said their business/organisation’s movable or fixed asset data is not detailed, nor updated nor recorded accurately enough to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974. The same applied to other health and safety regulations that were specific to their sector.

Elsewhere, 86% of respondents acknowledged that improvements to their business/organisation’s asset management systems and processes are required to improve data quality, completeness and consistency.

As BPD Zenith notes, asset management systems are operational processes and tools that help manage the performance and maintenance of fixed or moveable assets. They can include everything from production and manufacturing machinery to equipment found in buildings such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, elevators, and security doors, and any vehicles used in day-to-day operations.  

THE RESULTS FROM THIS SURVEY HAVE BEEN SURPRISING IN PART. HOWEVER, WHAT THEY DO IDENTIFY IS THAT 80% OF THESE COMPANIES PROBABLY AREN’T WHERE THEY NEED TO BE IN THEIR ASSET MANAGEMENT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY

Interestingly, 42% of the individuals surveyed confirmed that their business/organisation continues to use paper-based methods in part or in full to record, update and store maintenance data. More than half use Excel spreadsheets rather than digital asset management solutions, the survey also found.

Turning to what improvements should be prioritised to their business/organisation’s asset management strategies, 68% of respondents recognised the need to enhanced data quality, while 50% highlighted improved analytics and 46% identified a need for better systems integration with their existing EAM solutions. 

The research findings also identified that there was a greater demand from organisations for improved field-based, mobile data capturing and utilisation solutions.

When it came to identifying the biggest challenge to keep asset management and maintenance data updated, just under half of respondents (47%) cited recording data in the field, not being able to record data at the point of work, a lack of intuitive forms, and not having technical data and maintenance manuals at the point of use.

THE PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE CAN BE HUGELY DETRIMENTAL TO BUSINESSES, NOT JUST FINANCIALLY BUT REPUTATIONALLY TOO

After that, 18% cited access to real-time inventory levels while 11% cited struggling to plan, schedule and dispatch work to multiple crafts and contractors. 

Roger Walker, Group Head of Innovation at BPD Zenith, said: ‘The results from this survey have been surprising in part. However, what they do identify is that 80% of these companies probably aren’t where they need to be in their asset management digital transformation journey.

What they need to identify, though, is why? Do they have the right asset management strategy, processes and tools in place? If not, is this due to a lack of resources, either through investment in the right equipment, or software, or people? Or it may be a case that data collection and analytics are not sufficiently high on their list of priorities.’

On the issue of HSE inspections, he said the regulator’s checks were important for helping to pinpoint where a business/organisation’s processes may be weaker as well as to help implement measures that can strengthening them. ‘The penalties for non-compliance can be hugely detrimental to businesses, not just financially but reputationally too,’ he said. 

Walker explained that BPD Zenith works with organisations in industries as diverse as oil and gas, transport and logistics, defence and security, and the life sciences. 

‘Over recent years we have seen a growing demand for mobile solutions to support asset management among those organisations with large, complex and field-based estates,’ he said. 

‘As well as a growing need for solutions to capture data, there is also an increasing demand for tools that support the teams maintaining these assets, whether that’s in the form of planning and scheduling tools for work order management, or intuitive solutions while they are on the job.;

Of the 2,000 individuals who completed the online survey, 500 work in the utilities and renewables sector, including telecoms and broadband. The remaining 1,500 respondents work in defence, transport, pharmaceutical and healthcare. 

The individuals held a wide range of roles in their organisations, including heads of asset management, inventory and asset managers, office managers, senior maintenance engineers and site and facilities managers.  

The Critical Compliance Gap Report 2024 is available to download here. 

Source: IOSH Magazine

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