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2024

Benchmarking EHS Maturity and

Future-Readiness

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Table of Contents
02

Table of
Contents
03 07 08
EHS Readiness at a Introduction Executive Summary
Glance

16 20 22
The EHS Ecosystem The Importance of The Benefits of a
Interconnectivity Unified Approach

24 28 35
Leading EHS Key EHS Priorities EHS Readiness
Challenges

42 48
EHS Methodology
Recommendations
 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness at a Glance
03

EHS Readiness at a Glance

The Global EHS Readiness Index (GERI) benchmarks the overall EHS program maturity of organizations by assessing ten (10)
EHS capability factors for EHS readiness. The study also highlights the critical gaps and vulnerabilities holding EHS programs
from moving forward with preparedness.

ASSESSING MATURITY
Many EHS programs are not in a state of readiness.

STATE OF READINESS

"Today’s EHS programs need to shift

Only 3% from a siloed approach to a holistic
of EHS programs are in a state of
of EHS programs are in a approach when driving EHS capability
readiness
state or preparedness.
of readiness or and readiness.”
preparedness.

DESPITE HIGH COMPLIANCE MATURITY OVERALL, WORKPLACES ARE

LARGELY STILL EXPOSED TO UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF RISK

VULNERABLE TO RISK HIGH COMPLIANCE CAPABILITY LOW EHS ADOPTION

76% #1 out of 10 #9 out of 10

of EHS programs are classified as compliance capability is the top adoption and engagement is one of
immature (8.7%) or operational ranking factor overall when it the lowest ranking factors when it
(67.1%) when it comes to EHS comes to compliance maturity and comes to maturity and capability.
maturity and carry an unacceptably capability.
high level of risk exposure.

Copyright HSI. All rights reserved.

 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness at a Glance
04

UNCOVERING THE GAP

Closing the gap in connectivity is the single biggest challenge and opportunity for EHS programs.

LARGEST GAP

“Poor connectivity emergeĢ as having

47% an impact on the success of every
ofofEHS
EHSprograms
leaders cite
are lack
in a of connectivity other EHS factor and is directly linked
caused
state by disconnected
of readiness or solutions as
their leading challenge. to low states of overall maturity.”
preparedness.

BUSINESS LEADERS NEED TO ACT WITH URGENCY TO CLOSE THE

CONNECTIVITY GAPS OR RISK FALLING FURTHER BEHIND

HIGHEST EXPOSURE HIGHEST EHS MATURITY

End-to-end integration Integrated data capturing

of companies identified have low of organizations have full of those who are using single
levels of connectivity, and are end-to-end integration. Of these, source technology to manage EHS
exposed to riskɍ making them 90% rank among the most mature activity, rank the highest overall on
less mature in terms of EHS. organizations overall. the EHS maturity curve.

UNTANGLING THE COMPLEXITY

EHS leaders are facing significant headwinds caused by operational complexity within their EHS ecosystem.

SOURCE OF COMPLEXITY

70% “Technology complexity has

ofofEHS
EHSprograms
leaders remain
are in afocused on
become the underlying bottleneck
purchasing
state multiple
of readiness or point solutions
despite ...
preparedness. when it comes to progressing EHS
capability growth and adapting to
67% having gaps in adoption and
engagement new ways of work.”
62% citing multiple systems as a
major challenge.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness at a Glance
05

INCREASING COMPLEXITY OF EHS PROGRAMS IS CAUSING

BROADER IMPACTS

DATA COMPLEXITY KNOWLEDGE GAPS SECURITY AND ADMINISTRATIVE

PRIVACY RISK BURDEN

say they are not confident report workforce skills gaps of organizations report say reducing admin burden
with the quality and and low awareness as the gaps in their security and of EHS is one of the most
quantity of data being biggest challenges holding privacy capabilities from an critical outcomes expected
captured. their EHS program back. EHS perspective. from implementing a new
technology platform.

MANAGING COMPLACENCY

EHS leaders and business leaders have varying levels of complacency when it comes to their EHS programs.

TECH MATURITY
"EHS confidence breeds progression,

75% howeverɍ underlying complacency

within EHS programs and executive
ofsay
EHStheir
programs
most significant
are in a challenges lie
within
state of technology
readiness orand skills-based levels is causing EHS programs to not
issues preventing them from moving
preparedness.
their EHS programs forward. proceed with certainty.”

HOWEVER, MORE PRIORITY SHOULD BE PLACED ON REMOVING

FRICTION AND CLOSING THE GAPS

SECURING EXECUTIVE NEED TO MODERNIZE CLOSING THE GAP

SUPPORT

say achieving executive support for view it as very to extremely claim to have already adopted a
technology modernization is their important to have a single unified unified EHS platform.
top concern. technology platform.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness at a Glance
06

BECOMING FUTURE-READY

EHS programs need to progressively mature their EHS programs at pace with tech
modernization at its core.

SINGLE SOURCE SIMPLICITY

84%
“Building a single connected EHS
ecosystem with unified data, control
ofofEHS
EHSprograms
programsare
have
in anot yet adopted a
and action will keep EHS programs
single
state of source unified
readiness or EHS platform.
preparedness. adapting at pace.”

MODERNIZATION OF EHS PROGRAMS WITH UNIFIED TECHNOLOGY

WILL BE KEY TO DRIVING SIMPLICITY

FOCUS ON DE-RISKING DATA UNIFICATION DIGITAL ADOPTION

say reducing incidents and injuries of respondents with integrated say they haven’t adopted any EHS
is the #1 expectation from EHS data capturing and reporting technology at all, preferring
technology investment. emerge as being the most mature spreadsheets, paper and email to
in terms of total EHS posture. manage EHS programs.

Copyright HSI. All rights reserved.

 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Introduction
07

Introduction

1,013 Organizations Organizations with Global regions

EHS decision from over employee size
makers were 19+
interviewed
industries
and surveyed
globally
contributed 41% 59% 37% 29% 26% 7%
1,000+ <1,000 North ANZ UK Other
America

This report is designed to provide EHS leaders with insights that can help them identify gaps in their
EHS activities and optimize their EHS outcomes.

In late 2023, Focus Network and HSI conducted a survey of over 1,000 EHS leaders, across the globe, to
assess EHS readiness and to provide recommendations for improving EHS outcomes. The survey also
addresses major EHS initiatives, challenges and technology buying intentions. Throughout the report,
the term EHS (Environmental, Health & Safety) is used. It represents a category that is also termed
health and safety, safety and compliance, and other acronyms including EHSQ, OHS, WHS, HSE and
HESQɌ

The report details the findings from the survey. In addition to determining EHS maturity based on
survey responses, the report also identifies EHS best practices and offers guidance on how EHS
leaders can optimize EHS outcomes.

The report provides a series of mean maturity scores for the components of the EHS function, and for
key industries and geographies. EHS component data èĢ used to identify the largest gaps between
EHS maturity and EHS readiness, offer insights into aspects of EHS which are most developed andɍ
the steps that can be taken to create a future-ready EHS function.

The data leadĢ us to a central conclusion, which becomes a focus of the report – how a centralized,
interconnected EHS platform underpins EHS initiatives which aim to increase EHS maturity and add
greater business value.

The report structure includes an executive summary which offers a synthesis of the main survey
insights. The report then defines the EHS ecosystem and explains the importance of interconnectivity
and data analysis for the EHS function. The main body of the report shares key research insights,
maturity data and analysis, and recommendations on how to achieve EHS readiness.

“The EHS readiness index will help EHS leaders understand their current EHS posture, where they
need to get to and how they can get there, by offering a practical framework to build greater EHS
preparedness for the future of work.”

www.focusnetwork.co
 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
&ŇÍÃĮĩèŁÍyĮýý«Ğň
08

Executive Summary
Focus Network’s analysis of EHS maturity across a range of EHS activities and components reveals
that organizations are typically vulnerable to EHS risk and that steps need to be taken to close gaps
and achieve EHS readiness.

EHS leaders are usually focused on compliance, and work with multiple point solutions across other
EHS activities. Few organizations achieve EHS best practice, where they have visibility across their
entire EHS estate, use advanced analytics to prevent and predict incidents, and integrate all EHS
activities on one platform.

Based on analysis of survey data, this report discusses the growing need for unified, interconnected,
data-driven EHS platforms to elevate EHS into a strategic function — and drive business value while
optimizing EHS outcomes.

EHS READINESS IS LOW

Focus Network research reveals that overall EHS readiness is low. Disparate point solutions are widely
used together with Excel and paper-based processes. This makes organizations vulnerable to EHS risk
and prevents EHS from adding more value to the business.

“With 84% of EHS leaders not using an integrated and unified EHS platform, while 20% having no
EHS technology at all, they’re fighting with one hand tied behind their back. Consolidating
program visibility and control is the single greatest contributor to reducing administrative burden,
driving adoption and achieving better outcomes.”

www.focusnetwork.co
 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
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09

Figure 1 illustrates the stages of EHS maturity and the percentage of organizations that are in each stage of
EHS maturity.

Figure 1: EHS Maturity Curve

3% of organizationĢ

Most organizations are in

the operational category 21.2% of organizationĢ
Stage 4

Dynamic
67.1% of organizationĢ
Stage 3 Challenges Security, psycåosocial
outcomes and
adaptability

8.7% of organizationĢ
Progressive Single interconnected
Delivery

Stage 2 Challenges Data sharing,

platform. Fully digital
integrations and
connectivity Whole-person safety,
Focus
Operational continuous
Stage 1 Delivery Point solutions across improvement and
Challenges Workforce most EHS activities. emerging technology
engagement and Spreadsheet and adoption
visibility paper-based process
Foundational are rare
Point solutions for Technology Unified, scalable
Delivery
Challenges Compliance core areas, some and agile
Engagement and
EHS RISK MITIGATION

Focus
paper and optimizing EHS
Paper and spreadsheet-based outcomes
Delivery
spreadsheet based processes remain

Compliance and Technology Widespread

Focus
Focus Accident reduction workforce digitization and
management predictive analytics
Technology Not fit for purpose
Technology Limited digitization

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

The overall mean EHS maturity score for organizations globally, is 56.7%. This figure is calculated
by scoring responses to a series of questions relating to EHS readiness and deriving the mean.
Maturity categories are described as follows:

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2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Executive Summary
10

Foundational or immature
A score of less than 50 is considered to be the most immature stage and is
described in the maturity curve below, as the foundational stage. 8.7% of
organizations are categorized as at the foundational stage of EHS maturity.

Operational
A score of between 50-60 is the range in which 67.1% of organizations sit and is
described as operational.

Progressive
21.6% of organizations fall into the 60-70 range and this stage is described as
progressive.

Dynamic or mature
3% of organizations achieve a mean maturity score of over 70 which indicates
the highest level of EHS maturity.

Key insights around EHS readiness include:

Connectivity is critical High risk industries Growth industries

to EHS success with low EHS maturity must focus on
are heavily exposed improving EHS posture
5% of organizations claim
to have full end-to-end The construction industry The transportation and
integration. Of these 5%, faces high EHS risk but has logistics, and agriculture
90% have mean maturity a comparatively low mean industries are
scores of over 65%, EHS maturity score of comparatively immature
indicating that they are 49.9%. from an EHS perspective
among the most mature with mean maturity scores
organizations from an of 52.9% and 51.1%
overall EHS perspective. respectively.

Low participation Closing known and Centralized and

across EHS programs unknown gaps will help universally managed
is a major concern lower workplace risk EHS ecosystems drives
profiles maturity
Adoption and engagement
remains a key obstacle to Key areas where gaps have Unified EHS management
achieving greater EHS emerged between best platforms which integrate
maturity with 41% of EHS practice and actual maturity EHS activities and focus on
leaders citing it as their levels include: psychosocial usability can drive greater
main challenge. and mental health risk with a EHS maturity, with 75% of
mean maturity score of 52.1%; those using a single EHS
integrations with a mean platform having mean
maturity score of 53.6%; and maturity scores over 65%.
security and privacy with a
mean maturity score of 53%.

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2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Executive Summary
11

Despite the growing strategic importance of the EHS function, achieving executive support is a
major concern for 46% of EHS leaders when it comes to implementing an EHS management
platform, and 30% of EHS leaders cite inability to provide an ROI for EHS investments as a major
concern.

According to Focus Network research, 70% of EHS leaders remain focused on

purchasing multiple point solutions, placing them at greater risk of blind spots,
operational bottlenecks and fragmented data silosɌ Furthermore, 67% of these leaders
have gaps in their adoption and engagement capabilities with respect to EHS systems
and, 62% cite multiple disconnected systems as a major challenge.

Modern EHS platforms drastically boost efficiency and effectiveness by centralizing knowledge,
delivering precise insights, enhancing management visibility, and reducing risks and incidents
while managing costs. These platforms empower organizations to adapt swiftly to regulatory and
market changes, optimizing their EHS posture.

Yet, Focus Network research reveals slow adoption of centralized EHS platforms, with many
organizations relying on a mix of disparate digital solutions and paper-based tools. This exposes
them to significant risk. Embracing EHS best practices through a single, interconnected, and
scalable digital platform is crucial for maximizing EHS value, effective risk management, and
optimized outcomes.

“Demonstrating a tangible ROI on a proposed EHS management platform, and achieving

executive-level approval, are proving to be significant barriers for today’s EHS Leader. This
ultimately impedes program advancement and further widens the gap to future-readiness.”

www.focusnetwork.co
2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Executive Summary
12

The major gaps in EHS readiness, globally, are identified as:

Engaging with the workforce

Organizations repeatedly report that — although they have comprehensive EHS policies
and processes in place — they face huge challenges in driving adoption of EHS policies
across their businesses. Employees may have inadequate training in how to comply, or
simply don’t prioritize EHS activities. EHS leaders also report challenges in engaging with
the workforce. This is often attributed to clunky user interfaces which are difficult to use,
and the administrative burden created by some processes, which gives them less time to
focus on their core tasks. 67% of organizations have major gaps in terms of their ability to
engage with the workforce and drive adoption of EHS processes.

Psychosocial and mental health risk management

Lone working, stress-induced burnout, harassment and aggressive behavior are all cited
as factors that are creating progressively higher risk. Psychosocial and mental health risk
is reported to be much more difficult to manage because the root causes of this risk are
often not directly related to workplace activities. 69% of organizations are inadequate in
terms of their ability to manage risk in this area.

Disparate, disconnected EHS solutions that do not share data

Separate solutions, operating in silos, makes the integration of EHS activities extremely
challenging. 64% of EHS leaders report this lack of integration as a gap in their EHS
posture that needs to be addressed.

Security and privacy

The EHS function captures a significant volume of sensitive and confidential data such as
personal details, permit/license/certification data, audits and compliance data, risk
profiles, injury and claim data and much more that can cause devastating outcomes for
organizations if exposed. As the EHS function continues to capture and analyze
increasing volumes of data, it must ensure that it complies with data privacy regulations
that increasingly play a role in ensuring that security controls are in place. EHS leaders
report security and privacy as an area where relatively little resources have been applied
to date. They also seek clarity on the extent to which EHS is responsible for supporting
data privacy and cybersecurity initiatives. The report found that 68% of organizations
report gaps in their security and privacy capabilities, from an EHS perspective.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Executive Summary
13

Figure 2 illustrates the largest gaps in EHS postures globally.

Figure 2: Largest Gaps in EHS Postures

Adoption and Psychosocial and Integrations Security and

Engagement Mental Health Privacy

EHS LEADERS STRUGGLE WITH COMPLEXITY

EHS leaders report a range of challenges to driving their EHS programs forward. The leading challenges
are described as follows:

Technology related 75% of EHS leaders struggle to move forward with their EHS programs because of
complexity EHS technology and skills issues. And 57% view it as very to extremely important to
have a single technology platform. But, only 16% claim to have a unified platform.

Siloed point 47% of EHS leaders cite multiple disconnected solutions as a major challenge.
solutions Working with multiple point solutions is complex and makes it impossible to have a
‘single source of truth’.

Knowledge and 47% of EHS leaders also report skills gaps and low awareness as a leading
skills gaps challenge. EHS leaders report challenges in hiring people with the necessary skills and
low awareness of the EHS function within their organizations.

EHS program 41% of EHS leaders cite employee adoption and culture as a leading challenge to
adoption moving their EHS program forward. Adoption is repeatedly raised as a major challenge,
together with creating a safety culture.

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2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Executive Summary
14

Leading priorities for EHS leaders include:

Reducing incidents Reducing the Increased workforce

and injuries administrative burden adoption of EHS
of EHS processes

52% of EHS leaders reveal and consolidating and engagement with the
that this is the outcome disparate EHS solutions, EHS function which is cited
they seek and expect from thus reducing complexity. by 39% of EHS leaders.
their EHS systems. It is This is cited as an Usability of platforms and
always the primary focus important outcome by the seamless integration
of the EHS function. 42% of EHS leaders. of EHS processes into
operations are considered
to be critical.

EHS BEST PRACTICES

Focus Network research illustrates that 97% of organizations are vulnerable or exposed from an EHS
perspective and that EHS leaders are struggling to improve EHS outcomes and play a more strategic
role in their businesses. In other words, they are struggling to achieve EHS readiness.

EHS leaders are pushed to primarily focus on compliance and ways of ensuring that their organizations
continue to meet compliance obligations. Given the multiple EHS solutions and processes being used
and lack of visibility across their EHS estates, even meeting compliance obligations is a major
challenge —absorbing vast amounts of administrative and management resources.

Focus Network proposes the following ten recommendations that can enable EHS leaders to achieve
best practices and EHS readiness.

www.focusnetwork.co
2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Executive Summary
15

TOP 10 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EHS LEADERS:

1 Align EHS initiatives with corporate strategy and business objectives.

2
Integrate EHS activities into operations to create wider adoption of EHS solutions
and engagement with the EHS function.

3 Focus on EHS platform usability.

4 Minimize customization.

5 Increase the use of data analytics, AI and business intelligence.

6 Consolidate EHS processes into a single management system.

7 Scale and rapid provision, using cloud platforms.

8 Increase connectivity between EHS activities.

9 Implement psychosocial and mental health initiatives.

10 Manage cybersecurity and data risk.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
The EHS Ecosystem
16

The EHS Ecosystem

Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) is a term that addresses the laws, regulations, programs,
policies, and processes that exist to protect the health and safety of employees, the public, and the
environment, from the hazards associated with the workplace.

The EHS ecosystem includes a wide variety of activities that relate to health, safety and the
environment. Usually, these activities are focused on the workforce including contractors and
sometimes subcontractors, but they can also include customer safety in industry sectors such as
utilities and healthcare.

Core EHS activities include incident management; checklists, audits and inspections; certification
management, asset and fleet; compliance management and reporting; hazard management; injury
and claims management; training and learning management (as it relates to EHS); visitor
management; alerts; drug and alcohol testing; ergonomics; emergency management.

For this study, Focus Network and HSI have identified 10 key components of the EHS function.
Organizations and industries are assessed against these components to identify their level of EHS
maturity and to provide recommendations on how they can elevate their EHS posture and improve
EHS outcomes.

EHS COMPONENTS – ASSESSING EHS MATURITY

The EHS function within organizations consists of a variety of components ranging from meeting
compliance obligations to reporting on sustainability initiatives. Focus Network categorizes the EHS
function into 10 broad components which can be used to assess the EHS maturity of organizations. All
or most of these components are typically included in the EHS function. The components are defined
as follows:

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2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
The EHS Ecosystem
17

Compliance obligations
This component focuses on activities that enable EHS leaders to adhere to regulatory, industry, legal or
jurisdictional compliance requirements. These activities include, but are not limited to, tracking and
reporting for compliance purposes and ensuring the necessary processes are in place to ensure EHS
compliance.

Security and privacy

This component relates to the extent to which organizations can safely and compliantly collect, store,
control access to, and dispose of sensitive data. Importantly, it also includes the use of cybersecurity
tools and policies to prevent and manage breaches.

Integrations
This component relates to the ability of the applications within the EHS tech stack to communicate via
data transfer. It is concerned with the extent to which EHS applications are integrated with each other.

Psychosocial and mental health

This component addresses how organizations can proactively and responsively manage mental health
and wellbeing workforce initiatives.

Environmental sustainability
This component focuses on activities, within the EHS function, that allow organizations to establish,
track and optimize their performance against a defined set of sustainability KPIs.

Workforce management
This component relates to systems and processes that help the workforce to perform their roles
safely. For example, it includes elements such as the ability to log and track incidents and access alerts
remotely. The ability to conduct audits and inspections is included as are activities that relate to
contractor safety such as visitor management systems.

Data reporting
This component relates to creating, customizing and publishing robust and compliant data, to support
the EHS function. It includes data analysis which can be used to predict and prevent incidents.

Knowledge capital
This component addresses training, learning and certifications. It includes the provision of training
material to relevant stakeholders at the right time and place, and the tracking of certifications. It also
includes the assignment of behavior-based learning material.

Operational enablement
This component relates to technology and how it can adapt to EHS requirements, drive EHS outcomes
and offer the flexibility and agility required by EHS leaders. It includes the use of dedicated and unified
EHS platforms as opposedĩĄ the multiple point solutions «þÉəĄĞ the use of paper and spreadsheets.

Adoption and engagement

This component focuses on usability and how the workforce can easily access and engage with the
EHS function, from any location and at any time. It includes elements such as usage and engagement
metrics and personalization of EHS user interfaces.

www.focusnetwork.co
 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
The EHS Ecosystem
18

Figure 3 below illustrates the ten components of the EHS function.

Figure 3: Components of the EHS Function

Adoption & Operational Knowledge Data Workforce

Engagement Enablement Capital Reporting Management

Environmental Psychosocial & Integrations Security & Compliance

Sustainability Mental Health Privacy Obligations

BEST PRACTICES FOR EHS COMPONENTS

Focus Network provides insights into best practices for each EHS component in the figure below.

Figure 4: Best Practices for EHS Components

Compliance Digital identification, optimization and response to emerging regulatory requirements and
Obligations standards, across all operational jurisdictions

Deeply connected compliance program that automates audit and inspection schedules,
captures non-conformances and initiates corrective action protocols

Maintenance of audit-ready records with timely and accurate report generation

Security & Strict privileged access protocols and secure individual logins
Privacy
Robust compliance such as SOC2 and ISO27001

Conduct regular security audits, assessing vulnerabilities and conducting regular workforce training

Integrations Supports live feeds and batch data importing/exporting, with well documented API for clients

Flexible data management allowing you to choose between API integrations and SFTP

Robust data privacy adhering to GDPR, CCPA and more

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
The EHS Ecosystem
19

Psychosocial Ability to collect, track and monitor psychological incidents and near-misses
& Mental Health
Proactive and responsive training and support administered digitally to address mental
health occurrences with immediacy

Regular analysis of data to identify trends or patterns to enable continuous improvement

Environmental Incorporation of environmental and sustainability data capture, storage and analysis within
Sustainability broader EHS program

Creation of dedicated environmental KPIs that are monitored and reported

Compliance with regulations, permits and reporting requirements, aided by digital alerts and
notifications

Workforce Online and offline capabilities for remote and mobile workers
Management
Real-time visibility of, and communication with, employee, contractor and vendor bases
across all sites and geographies

Linkage of entire extended workforce to all EHS activity, including incidents, hazards,
non-conformances and so forth

Data Access to holistic EHS program reporting in real-time, on-demand and customizable to meet
Reporting varying audience needs

Business Intelligence (BI) capabilities that draw upon EHS variables for deeper insight and trend
analysis

Proactive report distribution (e.g. safety performance) to increase visibility and share best practice

Knowledge Segmented and behavior-based training capabilities via digital assignment

Capital
Rich content library covering all elements of training (including compliance, manual-handling,
psychosocial and mental-health, role-based and professional development)

Document management capabilities to centrally store acknowledgements, materials, policies,

manage version control and provide requisite reporting for training compliance

Operational User-level program configs which enable workers to create automations to streamline activity
Enablement
Customizable dashboard visibility to data concerning their areas of remit or influence

Data-driven insight triggering system workflows for EHS activity such as incident response or
initiating CAPA protocols

Adoption & Consolidation of multiple point solutions into a single, unified EHS platform
Engagement
Co-designed program creation and EHS program standardization

Regular, proactive communication, coupled with ongoing training and support

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
€åÍ@ýěĄĞĩ«þÃÍĄß@þĩÍĞÃĄþþÍÃĩèŁèĩň
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The Importance of
Interconnectivity
Organizations are struggling with a range of EHS challenges, including too many disparate EHS tools,
manual, labor-intensive legacy EHS processes and lack of visibility across their EHS estates. Indeed,
Focus Network research shows that nearly 20% of organizations continue to use paper and
spreadsheet-based processes for EHS and do not have an EHS platform.

Figure ȥ illustrates the extent to which organizations use EHS technology.

Figure ȥ: Extent of EHS Technology Usage

Question: In what areas do you use formal technology (e.g. EHS platforms, safety management systems,
and online training) when managing your EHS program?
n=1013

We use an EHS system for unified We don’t use a dedicated EHS platform. We use
information integrations across our EHS spreadsheets, paper and email to support our
estate. This includes training, license and EHS processes
certification management

16% 19%

29% 36%
We use technology for reporting We use EHS technology for incident and
management and analytics associated with hazard management, audits and inspections
our EHS activity

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2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
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RECOMMENDATIONS

EHS leaders need to use technology to take a platform-based approach to EHS risk mitigation. This
means that they need to:

Single source of truth Single point of control

Have a single source of truth across all Have centralized control across the EHS
EHS activities. Full visibility of EHS estate. All documentation and data will
activities can be provided on demand to ideally be found in one place.
any authorized person or device. Management and individual workers
should have control of all EHS processes
and their implementation and be able to
engage with EHS processes as necessary.

Close the gap between Technology enabled use cases

data and action
Provide the workforce with the tools they
Rapidly respond to incidents and take
need to certify, audit, monitor and
corrective action across the EHS
engage. Modern centralized EHS
function. Collecting and analyzing data
platforms allow the workforce to engage
from across the company can provide EHS
with the EHS function from any device
leaders with contextual insights and
and from any location.
much faster and more accurate
decision-making.

A platform-based approach to EHS digital transformation offers companies the agility and flexibility to
access EHS resources as needed, adding or removing functionality in line with business needs. Such
an approach also offers the benefits of scalability and rapid provisioning.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
The Benefits of a Unified Approach
22

The Benefits of a Unified

Approach

Despite the increasing complexity faced by EHS leaders, 84% of them do not use an integrated and
unified EHS platform with 20% not having dedicated EHS technology at all, preferring spreadsheets,
paper and email to support EHS processes. 30% of organizations do not have the capability to engage
with their contractors digitally. 57% view it as very to extremely important to have a single technology
platform, and only 12% view it as not important.

Today’s organizations produce huge volumes of data. This data can be used, not only to drive business
performance but also to ensure compliance and mitigate safety risk. But, few companies fully or even
partially leverage data for EHS risk management, greater efficiency and safety improvements.

If they have progressed beyond the use of paper and spreadsheet-based processes, organizations
typically use the data they have collected, for compliance, monitoring and auditing purposes. This
data usually resides in organizational silos and cannot be integrated. This limits the ability of EHS
leaders to gain visibility across workers and sites and to make the best decisions. It is crucial that
companies modernize their solutions to provide visibility across all sites and leverage available data.
More specifically, they need to take a connected, centralized, data-driven approach to EHS risk
management — enabling them to uncover blind spots and drive more effective decision-making.

EHS Leaders are not confident with their data outcomes and are significantly limited in reporting
capability. They lack accurate data insights, visibility and struggle to action on data. This indicates a
lack of connected and integrated EHS technology, hindering continuous improvement, strategic
decision making and ability to action on risk. 68% of EHS leaders are not confident with the quality and
quantity of data being captured, with 10% saying that they have a robust and integrated data
reporting system.

10% 68%
of EHS leaders say they of EHS leaders are not
have robust integrated confident with the quality
data capturing and and quantity of data being
reporting systems captured

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
The Benefits of a Unified Approach
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Being in a data-deficient state leaves EHS programs highly vulnerable. 68% of EHS Leaders are
NOT confident in the quality and quantity of data being captured – this leads to unverified
assumptions being made and the potential for poor decision-making due to interpretive error by
data poor EHS leaders.

Figure Ȧ illustrates the evolution of the EHS function towards a data-driven safety culture.

Figure Ȧ: Data-Driven Safety Culture

1 2 3 4 5

Data Data Data Data Data

denial indifference aware informed driven

Distrust of data. Adɫhoc digital Data collected for Leaders use data Safety processes
Preference for approaches monitoring and to improve are continually
traditional appear using compliance but decisionɫmaking improved by data
paper-based simple tools such not used for and overall safety analytics. Risk is
approach as spreadsheets decision-making outcomes managed and
and SharePoint predicted using
data, particularly
leading indicators

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Leading EHS Challenges
24

Leading EHS Challenges

EHS leaders face many challenges. Finding skills and increasing awareness of EHS are well-known
challenges. Perhaps less commonly highlighted is the challenge of working with multiple disconnected
systems. In fact, 47% of EHS leaders cite multiple disconnected solutions as a leading challenge to
moving forward with EHS programs.

Indeed, companies with the lowest levels of connectivity and which don’t have an EHS tech stack,
emerge as highly exposed to risk and as having the lowest levels of EHS maturity. 59% of these
organizations have mean EHS maturity scores of under 50%.

“Companies with the lowest levels of connectivity and which don’t have an EHS tech stack,
emerge as highly exposed to risk and as having the lowest levels of EHS maturity”

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Leading EHS Challenges
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Figure ȧ illustrates the biggest challenges faced by organizations when it comes to moving EHS programs forward.

Figure ȧ: Leading EHS Program Challenges

What are the biggest challenges your organization is facing when it comes to moving your EHS
program forward?
n=1013

Multiple disconnected
solutions 47%

47%
Skills gap and low
awareness

41%
Employee adoption and
culture

30%
Lack of limited technology
and connectivity

Executive buy-in 26%

22%
Competing organizational
priorities

Securing budget 21%

20%
Allocating and managing
resources

18%
Accessing meaningful
insights

Percentage of Responses

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2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Leading EHS Challenges
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EHS leaders are struggling to reduce workplace risk through driving knowledge capital within their
workforce as low engagement and skills gaps are driven by the ad-hoc nature of programs, lack of
personalization and poor content diversity. EHS training programs are faced with poor overall
engagement largely due to the lack of unified learning technology and content diversity, resulting
in ad-hoc, disconnected training systems with limited content aligned to different learning styles
and needs. Only 10% of EHS leaders claim to have a robust EHS learning platform, and 31%
conduct training on an adɫhoc basis or have not structured EHS training program. 55% of EHS
leaders say that the training is not engaging and needs improvement, «þÉonly 16% believe that
their training is highly engaging.

Of the 3% of organizations that are in a state of EHS readiness, the top challenges around moving
EHS programs forward differ from the other 97%. Skills and awareness issues are the leading
challenge for almost all EHS ready organizations, with executive buy-in coming a close second. In
terms of concerns around implementation of new EHS systems, EHS-ready organizations express
more concern around EHS product agility and the lack of implementation resources.

As EHS leaders seek to use technology to address EHS challenges and improve and transform EHS
outcomes, they need to overcome concerns around implementing centralized EHS systems.

Leading concerns include achieving executive support for implementing centralized EHS
platforms. 46% of EHS leaders cite achieving executive support as a leading concern around the
implementation of a new centralized EHS management platform. Resources and budget are also
top concerns for 41% and 40% of EHS leaders respectively.

46%
“of EHS leaders cite achieving executive support as a leading concern
around the implementation of a new centralized EHS management platform.”

“The EHS training landscape is at a critical juncture. With only 10% of EHS Leaders claiming to
have a robust learning platform and 31% conducting either ad-hoc, or no training at all, it is
unsurprising that workforce adoption and engagement is in such an immature state.”

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Leading EHS Challenges
27

Figure Ȩ reveals tåÍ top concerns for EHS leaders when it comes to implementing a new
centralized EHS management platform.

Figure Ȩ: Concerns with Implementing «New EHS Management Platform

What are your top hesitations or concerns when it comes to implementing a new centralized EHS
management platform?
n=1013 46%

46%
Achieving executive
support

41%
Lack of implementation
resources

Securing budget 40%

30%
Inability to show ROI on the
investment

29%
Concerns around workforce
readiness and adoption

28%
Security of data and
integrations

23%
Solution agility and
adaptability concerns

21%
Migrating from legacy
systems

20%
Business continuity
concerns

Percentage of Responses

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Key EHS Priorities
28

Key EHS Priorities

EHS leaders reveal that the most important outcomes for EHS systems are reducing workplace
incidents and injuries, lowering the administrative burden for EHS functions, and driving workforce
adoption and engagement in relation to EHS activities.

Most EHS leaders are often working with a variety of disparate systems which store data in siloes and
are often complemented by paper, email, and spreadsheet-based processes. Audit checklists being
emailed to an EHS staff member and then the data being manually input into a dedicated audit system
remains common practice.

EHS leaders are seeking to reduce their administrative burden, get visibility across EHS activities and
improve EHS outcomes. However, for 50% of organizations the EHS function is either not a strategic
priority or struggle to engage with the workforce. Only 16% of organizations state that the EHS
function is a high priority in their organizations.

Figure ȩ illustrates how the EHS function is prioritized by organizations globally.

Figure ȩ: Prioritization of the EHS Function

Question: To what extent is EHS prioritized within your organization and how does that impact program
engagement by your workforce?
n=1013

The EHS function is prioritized within “higher risk” The EHS funÃtion is prioritized, however
parts of the organization only, and therefore engagement is low
engagement is limited to those functions

33% 34%

16% 16%
The EHS function is a high priority and as a The EHS function is not a strategic priority and
result, wholesale engagement is high engagement is low

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Key EHS Priorities
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For nearly a quarter of organizations, EHS reporting remains a manual and time-consuming task. When
reporting has some automation involved, it is done inconsistently. 31% of EHS leaders state that
automated reports are run for some of their activity with 30% stating that multiple dashboards are
used for reporting.

Figure ȡȠ illustrates the levels of Automation in EHS Reporting.

Figure ȡȠ: Levels of Automation in EHS Reporting.

Question: How do you currently report on EHS programs and results?

n=1013

We have a universal EHS management system

which enables all reporting to be generated from
a single-source, customizable dashboard, and It is a manual process during reporting season,
access to BI (Business Intelligence) reporting or prior to the key meetings and engagements

16% 23%

30% 31%
Through various systems, we can run all We can run automated reports on some EHS
requisite reports across our EHSQ program activity, but not across our entire program
with individual dashboards

For EHS leaders, ensuring compliance, reducing costs and complexity, increasing visibility and
increasing engagement and performance are key priorities. Priorities vary significantly depending on
EHS maturity levels. Some organizations are only just moving on from spreadsheets, some are
replacing their current EHS software platform, and others are purchasing additional modules on their
current platform.

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2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Key EHS Priorities
30

Leading EHS priorities include:

Reducing workplace incidents and injuries

Organizations seek to leverage technology and data to drive improved EHS
outcomes which are often measured by incident and injury rates.

Reduction in the time and cost of administration

EHS leaders are increasingly seeking solutions that can reduce costs and
complexity by consolidating disparate systems. Data being spread across
multiple platforms makes obtaining a universal view of EHS performance
cumbersome, and expensive.

Increasing visibility into EHS performance

It is difficult to achieve EHS objectives without visibility across all EHS activities.
Disparate systems and multiple dashboards make it almost impossible to get a
‘single source of truth’ across organizations.

Driving workforce adoption and engagement

One of the biggest weaknesses of EHS leaders is insufficient adoption of EHS
processes by the workforce and insufficient engagement with the EHS function.
EHS is often perceived as an administrative burden by the rest of the
organization and EHS processes are often not adequately usable and embedded
in operations. EHS leaders are now placing increased focus on ensuring that EHS
processes are adopted and that greater engagement is achieved.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Key EHS Priorities
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Figure 1ȡ summarizes leading EHS priorities.

Figure 1ȡ: Leading EHS Priorities

Reduced incidents and injuries Reduction in Adminèstrative Burden

EHS leaders primary focus is always to and Consolidation
reduce incidents and injurèes and EHS leaders are seeking to reduce
improve safety complexity and administration by
consolidating disparate EHS solutions

Leading EHS
Priorities

Driving workforce engagement Increased visibility into EHS

and adoption performance
The workforce is insufficiently engaged EHS leaders are seeking a ‘single source
with EHS processes. Usability of of truth’ rather than multiple systems
platforms and embedding processes in that operate in isolation
operations require urgent attention

When EHS leaders implement new EHS management platforms, they expect EHS outcomes to improve.
Leading expectations include a reduction of workplace incidents and injuries which was cited by 52%
of EHS leaders. Importantlyɍ 42% and 39% respectively, expect the platforms to reduce the
administrative burden for EHS leaders and to drive greater workforce adoption of EHS initiatives and
engagement with the EHS function.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Key EHS Priorities
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Figure 1Ȣ illustrates the leading outcomes expected from the implementation of new EHS management platforms.

Figure 1Ȣ: Leading Outcomes Expected from New EHS Management Platforms

If you were to implement a new EHS management platform, what would you expect the outcomes to be?
n=1013

52%
Reduction in workplace
incidents and injuries

42%
Reduction in time spent on
administrative tasks

Driving workforce adoption

and engagement 39%

31%
Reduction in fines and
legal costs

Streamlining of compliance
processes and workflows 29%

25%
StandarÉization of EHS
processes and data

24%
Transparency and
accountability for leaders

22%
Improved employee
mental health

Improved workplace culture 19%

Percentage of Responses

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Key EHS Priorities
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BUYER ATTITUDES

When a new EHS management platform is implemented, 53% of EHS leaders want it to drive
incident, hazard and nearɫmiss management. 41% seek audit management/inspections/checklist
capabilities and 32% are primarily concerned with injury and claims management.

Figure 1ȣ reveals the essential elements for which new EHS management platforms are implemented.

Figure 1ȣ: Essential Elements Driving the Purchase of New EHS Management Platforms

If you were to implement a new EHS management platform, what would be the essential elements you
would be purchasing it for?
n=1013

53%
Incidents, hazard and near
misses

41%
Audit management/
inspections/ checklists

Injury and claim

management 32%

26%
Comperehensive EHS
program reporting

Visitor and contractor

management 24%

SWMS/JSA management 21%

20%
Learning management/
online learning

19%
Chemical and SDS
management

Mental health & wellbeing

training and management 18%

Percentage of Responses

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Key EHS Priorities
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Given that EHS leaders revealed their leading challenge to be multiple disconnected systems, it is not
surprising that the vast majority of EHS leaders report vendor and cost consolidation to be either
important or very important.

Figure 1Ȥ reveals the importance of EHS vendor and cost consolidation.

Figure 1Ȥ: Importance of Vendor and Cost Consolidation

Question: How important is vendor and cost consolidation to you and your organization?
n=1013

Extremely important
11% To have a single system, regardless of cost, if the technology is right

12%
Very important
To reduce costs

12%
Very important
To consolidate vendors

22%
Very important
To reduce vendor management and costs

10%
Somewhat important
However I’m more concerned with having the lowest costs

21% Important
However I’m more concerned with having the right vendors

Somewhat important

9%
However it’s not something I am looking to address
immediately

2% Somewhat important
I donʀt care how many vendors and technologies we utilize

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness
35

EHS Readiness

Organizations are not typically in a state of EHS readiness — the complexity of their EHS programs
often prevents them from adapting at pace.

As mentioned earlier, over 1000 EHS leaders were surveyed, across the globe, and asked a series of
questions around the ten components of the EHS function. The questions gave respondents a choice
for each component. Based on their choices, a mean maturity score was calculated. As highlighted
throughout this report, compliance obligations emerge as the most mature EHS component.

Consistent compliance with EHS policies is a goal all companies must be able to achieve to ensure
business success. Most EHS managers know that compliance is the bare minimum and that the most
effective programs use a risk-based approach to drive EHS excellence. This risk assessment varies by
individual organization, geography and industry. The process of moving from a purely
compliance-based approach to one which manages EHS risk more comprehensively is not easy.

Moving from a compliance-centric program to a dynamic and holistic risk management program is a
non-linear journey that differs for all organizations. EHS Leaders who focus solely on remaining
compliant risk complete program stagnation and do so at their organization’s peril.

Mean maturity levels remain comparatively low for security and privacy, integrations, psychosocial and
mental health and critically, adoption and engagement.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness
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Figure 1ȥ shows the mean maturity scores for the ten components of the EHS function.

Figure 1ȥ: Mean Maturity Scores for Each Component of the EHS Function

EHS Component Mean Maturity Score

Compliance Obligations 66.5

Workforce Management 63.9

Knowledge Capital 62.1

Operational Enablement 59.6

Data Reporting 58.8

Overall EHS 56.7

Integrations 53.6

Security and Privacy 53.0

Psychosocial and Mental Health 52.1

Adoption and Engagement 49.9

Environmental Sustainability 47.2

n=1013

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness
37

Focus Network’s analysis enables organizations to understand their maturity, based on their
mean maturity score. The mean maturity level globally is 56.7. The response data is normally
distributed, showing that data near the mean èĢ more frequent.

A mean maturity
Described as foundational or basic score of less than

50
This indicates that EHS risk management is
comparatively weak when considering the ten
components of the EHS function. Typically, companies
that are categorized as foundational are focused almost
entirely on compliance and often use bespoke, paper or
spreadsheet-based solutions to support EHS policies.

A mean maturity
score of
Categorized as operational

50-60
This indicates that digital solutions are being used for
core areas and attention is being given to driving
adoption of EHS policies and EHS engagement with the
workforce. Most (67.1%) organization are categorized as
operational.

A mean maturity
Categorized as progressive score of

60-70
Being placed in this category indicates that digital
solutions are being used widely and there is greater focus
on data sharing, analytics and connectivity between EHS
activities. This enables better and more intelligent
decision-making. Regardless, organizations in this
category tend to be working with multiple discrete digital
solutions and are striving for greater integration.

A mean maturity
score of over
Categorized as dynamic

70
This is a future-ready state. Only 3% of organizations
are placed in this category. The small number of
companies that do achieve a mean score of 70 or above,
are typically characterized as having an interconnected
EHS platform where data is shared and used to improve
EHS outcomes. The platform is usually scalable,
cloud-based and agile and organizations take a ɿwhole-
personɿ safety approach.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness
38

Figure 1Ȧ illustrates the path to EHS readiness and illustrates how the EHS function can shift from being tactical
in nature, to offering strategic value to the business.

Figure 1Ȧ: The Path to EHS Readiness

The 7uture of EHS

Progressive

Intelligent
Progressive

Digitized ADDS STRATEGIC

Operational VALUE

Basic ADDS BUSINESS

Foundational
VALUE

Software Discreet software Digitization across Discreet software Unified cloud-based

tools for core the EHS estate tools for core platforms
activities activities

Innovation Excel and EHS Mobile apps, RPA, and Predictive analytics, Generative AI,
applications EHS analytics drones, wearables, augmented reality,
widespread use of IoT blockchain, computer
vision

Process Complex and Best practices applied Best practices applied EHS best practices
fragmented to processes across all EHS integrated into
activities business operations

Data Siloed, incorrect and Data driven insights Data driven insights Data drives AI and ML
inconsistent and improved and improved at scale
performance performance

TACTICAL/INCREMENTAL STRATEGIC VALUE

Dynamic EHS management is more integrated into the fabric of the business, from strategy to
day-to-day operations. It considers risk across the value chain and takes advantage of technology
advancements, such as cloud applications, IoT, wearables and mobile devices. It aims to directly
support sustainable, profitable growth of the enterprise and be viewed as critical to business
performance and overall strategy. It leverages digital technologies and interconnected systems to
enable data-driven decisions and the provision actionable insights to predict and prevent incidents
using advanced analytics, AI and ML.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness
39

EHS MATURITY ACROSS THREE COUNTRIES

In terms of geographic variations, there is comparatively little difference between the United States,
the United Kingdom and ANZ (Australia, New Zealand). Greater variation is seen across industries and
when the EHS function is analyzed by component.

Figure 1ȧ illustrates EHS mean maturity for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

Figure 1ȧ: Mean Maturity Scores for Each Component of the EHS Function

EHS Component Mean Maturity Score

United Kingdom 58.8

United States 56.6

ANZ 56.1

EHS MATURITY ACROSS INDUSTRIES

When analyzed by industry, some interesting insights emerge. First, it is clear that there is not a direct
relationship between EHS risk and EHS maturity levels. The two industries with the highest EHS risk—
oil and gas and mining and metals—have close to average mean maturity scores. Healthcare, utilities
and government are the most advanced industries in terms of EHS maturity.

Both oil and gas and mining and metals have relatively low maturity scores for psychosocial and mental
health — which lower their overall mean EHS maturity score. Government, utilities, and healthcare have
high scores across all EHS components.

The construction industry emerges as a laggard with an overall score indicating a significant gap
between EHS risk and EHS maturity. Much greater focus needs to be placed on EHS controls in the
construction sector.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness
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Figure 1Ȩ illustrates EHS maturity and risk by industry.

Figure 1Ȩ: EHS Maturity and EHS Risk by Industry

Industry Risk Maturity Mean Maturity Score

Oil and Gas Very High Operational 57.3

Mining and Metals Very High Operational 56.4
Healthcare High Progressive 63.6
Utilities High Progressive 61.1
Construction High Foundational 49.3
Transportation and Logistics High Operational 52.9
Agriculture High Operational 51.1
Manufacturing Medium Operational 56.6
Automotive Medium Operational 56.7
Retail Medium Operational 59.7
Government Low Progressive 61.2
Education Low Operational 58.2

n=1013

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Readiness
41

EHS READINESS SPECTRUM

Based on their mean maturity scores, organizations can also be placed on a risk spectrum. Rather than
focus purely on maturity and next steps for progression, it highlights EHS risk.

A mean score of less than 50 is defined as exposed. A score of 50 to 70 is defined as vulnerable and a
score of over 70 is defined as capable. Most organizations, industries and EHS components are
clustered in the vulnerable category of the risk spectrum.

Figure 1ȩ illustrates the EHS risk spectrum and shows where most organizations are clustered.

Figure 1ȩ: EHS Risk Spectrum

8.7% OF ORGANIZATIONS 88.3% OF ORGANIZATIONS 3% OF ORGANIZATIONS

Exposed Vulnerable Capable

Most organizations are

vulnerable

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Recommendations
42

EHS Recommendations
The maturity models and risk spectrum can help organizations create a baseline for where a company
resides in terms of its EHS maturity. The models also help to identify a roadmap for moving forward and
improving EHS outcomes.

ACHIEVING EHS BEST PRACTICE

EHS best practice is aligned to the dynamic category on the maturity curve. It can be used as a target
for EHS leaders. The gap between a mean maturity across the 10 identified components and best
practice (or readiness) helps identify the areas which require the greatest focus from EHS leaders.
The biggest gaps between the mean EHS maturity of organizations and EHS readiness (best practice)
are in adoption and engagement, security and privacy, integrations, psychosocial and mental and
environmental sustainability.

Figure ȢȠ illustrates mean maturity and best practice.

Figure ȢȠ: EHS Best Practice

Mean maturity Best practice

Compliance
70
Adoption & 60 Security & Privacy
Engagement 50
40

Operational 30
Enablement 20 Integrations
10
0

Knowledge Psychosocial
Capital & Mental

Data Reporting Environmental

Sustainability
Workforce Management
n=1013

Focus Network research shows that 88.3% of organizations are vulnerable from an EHS perspective
and that EHS leaders are struggling to improve EHS outcomes and play a more strategic role in their
businesses.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
EHS Recommendations
43

As highlighted repeatedly in this report, EHS leaders are primarily focused on compliance and ways of
ensuring that their organizations continue to meet compliance obligations. Given the multiple EHS
solutions and processes being used and lack of visibility across their EHS estates, even meeting
compliance obligations is a major challenge —absorbing vast amounts of administrative and
management resources.

It is also important to note that environmental sustainability initiatives are often not the remit of the
EHS function. 49% of EHS leaders do not play a role in environmental sustainability. However, this is an
emerging area in EHS, so this number is expected to increase.

There is significant variation by industry with some industries closer to best practice for specific areas
than others.

Figure 2ȡ illustrates maturity for three key industries against the EHS components which are the least mature and
where the gap between maturity and best practice is the highest.

Figure 2ȡ: How Key Industries Perform Against Biggest EHS Gaps

70
51.1
Adoption & Engagement 52.2
40.5
49.9

70
54.1
Psychosocial & Mental 47.7
41.4
52.1

70
59.2
Security & Privacy 49.4
45.6
53

70
63.5
Integrations 55.9
47.4
53.6

Best Practice Retail Manufacturing Construction Mean

Percentage of Responses n=1013

Organizations need to take steps to improve their overall EHS readiness. Unified EHS platforms can
play a key role in driving EHS maturity for all organizations by improving core EHS outcomes, reducing
complexity, increasing visibility, leveraging data and adding strategic value to the business.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
&=yuÍÃĄýýÍþÉ«ĩèĄþĢ
44

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EHS LEADERS

Wherever an organization sits with regards to its EHS maturity, there are a number of key
recommendations that can enable them to enhance EHS outcomes and help leaders to overcome the
challenges they face.

Focus Network research identifies 10 key recommendations as follows:

1 Align EHS initiatives with corporate strategy and business objectives. EHS needs to improve
business performance and not be perceived as a hindrance to the smooth running of business
operations. Senior executive buy-in to EHS initiatives is critical for increased focus on safety.
Indeed, reducing accidents has a material financial impact on many industries. Working to
reduce accidents and manage incidents more effectively must be an enterprise-wide activity.

2 Integrate EHS activities into operations to create wider adoption of EHS solutions and
engagement with the EHS function. Having a unified end-to-end journey by integrating
workflows, actions and training can remove operational complexity traditionally associated
with EHS activities having to co-exist with operations. The integration of EHS policies,
programs, and procedures into operations is necessary for the widespread adoption of EHS
processes. The integration of EHS technology with other corporate systems radically increases
the efficacy of EHS.

3 Focus on EHS platform usability. With increasing EHS adoption being a priority for EHS
programs, there is a significant focus on “ease of use” and “creating a sense of familiarity” when it
comes to EHS technology. This is largely driven by adopting a unified approach to both the overall
technology (single platform) and the end-to-end user experience when it comes to dashboards,
workflows, actions, documentation, training, reporting etc. Features such as single-sign-on
(SSO) capabilities to simplify access, unified user interface individualized to job roles and smart
automations that can intelligently pre-fill and enrich data capture based on related/linked
informationɍ drive user centricity, ultimately resulting in high levels of EHS adoption.

4 Minimize customization. Focus Network research reveals that EHS leaders seek to move away
from bespoke developer centric customized EHS solutions that carry tech debt and slow or
even prevent adaptability. These solutions are cumbersome to develop and manage and rarely
offer the agility required for EHS activities. EHS leaders increasingly demand solutions that
offer maximum flexibility when it comes to configurability, and are straight forward to configure
and scale.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Recommendations for EHS Leaders
45

5 Increase the use of data analytics, AI and business intelligence. Data centricity within EHS is
imperative as organizations seek to gain greater visibility of their risk profile within their
workplace while having the ability to leverage emerging technology. For this to be successful,
EHS functions must firstly centralize and standardize the collection and connection of data in
one place across the entire EHS ecosystem. Data analytics, AI and business intelligence are
critical for maximizing the value of EHS data. Data can be used to create AI algorithms which
increase the effectiveness of EHS processes and drive innovation. Data analytics and business
intelligence can be used for forecasting, predicting and discovery. This can identify blind spots
and prevent incidents from being repeated or often, occurring in the first place.

6 Consolidate EHS processes into a single management system. EHS leaders typically work
with multiple disparate solutions and different data types. Increasingly, they recogniŐe the
need for reducing EHS management complexity by using fewer, ideally one, EHS management
platform. Typically, these platforms offer a range of EHS functionalitèÍĢ, offer visibility across
EHS activities and enable data to be leveraged from across the EHS estate. The complexity is
removed from key areas such as capturing reportable events, workflows, actions, user
management, integrations, document control, reporting, and real-time updates can be provided
to one dashboard.

7 Scale easily using cloud platforms. EHS leaders need to provision EHS data and services to a
dynamic workforce. They need to be able to scale EHS services in line with changes in the
workforce. They also need to have the ability to provision services to any resource, on any device
and in any location. Cloud technology can deliver these capabilities.

8 Increase connectivity between EHS activities. Often, EHS data sits in siloes and little or no
connectivity exists between EHS activities. Data sharing between EHS activities can increase
EHS performance dramatically. For example, data relating to an incident can be shared across
other activities, leading to a change in how visitors are handled or prestart checklist outcomes.
It might also lead to the adoption of innovative new technology such as wearables, IoT sensor
technology or AI. This increased connectivity also improves overall reporting for EHS leaders and
enables greater focus on usability and adoption.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
&=yuÍÃĄýýÍþÉ«ĩèĄþĢ
46

9 Implement psychosocial and mental health initiatives. Much greater focus is now being
placed on ‘whole person’ safety which encompasses psychosocial, wellbeing and mental health.
Increased lone working, reports of stress-related burnout, harassment, bullying and reports of
physical violence require psychosocial EHS controls to be implemented. Given the sensitive
nature of these types of events and the lower likelihood of employees logging these types of
incidents, workforces need to have a deeply connected EHS ecosystem that can automatically
identify these psychosocial hazards through related events, proactive assessments and
scoring, and confidentially action these with specific workflow streams that build workforce
trust. EHS programs need to incorporate “always on” and “moment of need” supportive content
programs designed to raise awareness, resiliency and behaviour change in actively reducing
psychosocial risk factors.

10 Manage cybersecurity risk and data privacy risk. Today’s EHS programs have significant
confidential and sensitive data across a broad range of areas such as employees, suppliers,
partners, audit and compliance outcomes, insurances etc.Focus Network research finds that
the current highly complex EHS landscape exposes many programs to cybersecurity
vulnerabilities. Increased use of data for analytics, business intelligence and AI requires more
emphasis to be placed on cybersecurity and data privacy. Cybersecurity breaches can cause
significant damage to an organization and potentially to EHS outcomes. EHS programs that use
multiple point solutions to capture and retain data, maintain many points of control, disparate
user and permissions management are at greatest risk of data breaches and privacy violations.
EHS leaders are increasingly required to play a greater role in securing their organization’s data
and mitigating the risk of breaches.

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Methodology
48

Methodology
In the second half of 2023, Focus Network, in collaboration with HSI, conducted 1,013 interviews and
surveys of EHS decision-makers across the globe.

Respondents were asked a series of questions relating to each component of the EHS function.
Responses to these questions were then used to determine maturity for each component. For
example, an organization that indicates it cannot detect mental health incidents is given a very low
score for psychosocial and mental health maturity. Another example is an organization that indicates it
has a centralized compliance management system in place. This contributes to a higher maturity score
for compliance obligations. Maturity levels for each component are then aggregated to give an overall
mean EHS maturity score.

A number of categories were determined for overall mean maturity scores in terms of readiness and in
terms of risk.

Figures 2Ȣ and 2ȣ show scoring categories that are used to assess EHS readiness and EHS risk.

Figure 2Ȣ: EHS Readiness Categories

Mean Maturity Score Categories

0-50 Foundational/Basic

50-60 Operational

60-70 Progressive

Over 70 Dynamic

Figure 2ȣ: EHS Risk Categories

Mean Maturity Score Categories

0-50 Exposed

50-70 Vulnerable

Over 70 Capable

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Methodology
49

The data from the survey is normally distributed, indicating the most responses are clustered around
the mean.

Figure 2Ȥ below illustrates the respondent sample split by role.

Figure 2Ȥ: Role of Survey Respondents

14% 86%
I directly lead the EHS function - I am part of the C-suite
e.g. Head of Health & Safety, executive team with health and
Health and Safety Director or safety oversight- e.g. Chief
above Operating Officer

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Methodology
49

Figure 2ȥ below illustrates the industry split for the respondent sample.

Figure 2ȥ: Industry Split of the Survey Sample

4% Agriculture

5% AutomĄtive

3% Aviation & Aerospace

11% Construction

6% Education

6% Energy & Utilities

1% Financial Services

3% Food & Beverages

6% Goverment (local, state or federal)

9% Healthcare & Life Sciences

3% Hospitality

13% Manufacturing

5% Mining & Metals

1% NonɫߥĞɫrrofit

5% Oil & Gas

2% Professional Services

5% Retail

1% Software/Telecommunications

5% Transportation & Logistics

4% Other

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 2024 Global EHS Readiness Report: Benchmarking EHS Maturity and Future-Readiness
Methodology
50

Figure 2Ȧ below reveals the geographic split of survey respondents.

Figure 2Ȧ: Geographic Split of Survey Sample

29% 37%
ANZ (Australia & North America
New Zealand)

26% 7%
United Kingdom Other

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