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Strong Culture and the Right Tools: How Intelex Supports Ampcontrol’s Continuous Safety Improvement
Transitioning to a sustainable approach to energy production is one of the most critical tasks the world faces. Ampcontrol, an innovative organization based in Australia, is at the forefront of tackling this challenge and making this ambitious vision a reality. With more than 1,200 employees at 25 sites across Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore, Ampcontrol is helping to create a more sustainable future by solving some of the most complex problems in energy through strong partnerships and advanced Australian manufacturing. Ampcontrol has more than 55 years of experience providing sustainable solutions that help customers such as resource companies, governments, utility providers and infrastructure organizations create resilient, responsible and innovative approaches to energy challenges.
"Our approach, systems and processes... needed to be better"
In 2019, Ampcontrol began the process of improving its approach to health, safety, environment and quality (HSEQ). “Our approach, systems and processes for delivering quality and sustainability while sending everyone home safely every day needed to be better,” says Simon Coleman, Ampcontrol General Manager - HSEQ. “We knew that simply promoting ‘work health and safety’ wouldn’t be enough, so with management commitment, internal involvement and external support from a psychology-based provider, we initiated an evaluation and discovery project called Live Work Better to help us understand where we needed to improve.”
As part of the Live Work Better project, Ampcontrol looked to Intelex to replace an existing system that wasn’t up to the task of improving HSEQ outcomes across the organization. Today, Ampcontrol has seen significant improvements resulting from the Live Work Better in parallel with improved systems and tools with Intelex technology. As a result Ampcontrol has seen significant improvement in leading and lagging indicators, Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR), leading visibility and safety conversations, hazard reporting, proactive inspections completed and HSEQ system access.
Building a Strong Safety Culture with the Right Digital Tools
Ampcontrol has an extensive collection of products and services for the energy industry, including those for:
- Electrifying mining
- E-mobility
- Power infrastructure
- Lighting
- Protection solutions
- Power quality
- Critical and remote energy servicing
- Automation and system integration, and
- Solutions for communication, monitoring and control.
While Ampcontrol has become a leader in the global energy transition and the journey to net zero, its HSEQ culture was not keeping up with its ambitious goals. In 2019, Ampcontrol partnered with a psychology-based provider to conduct a baseline assessment of its EHS maturity according to the 7 Levers maturity model, with the result that Ampcontrol had only Basic or Developing levels of health and safety maturity across the business, as well as significant differences in maturity across sites in different geographical locations.
"We were looking for something that could be an integrated modular solution"
Ampcontrol developed the Live Work Better program with the goal of improving the overall maturity level to Established by 2022. The program is an extensive psychology-based approach that challenges the organization to think about safety in ways that promote a culture of shared responsibility, ownership, positive HSEQ outcomes and overall mental and physical health in the workplace.
However, Ampcontrol’s existing digital tools for supporting HSEQ lacked the features it needed to complement the ambitious goals for Live Work Better. “We were looking for something that could be an integrated modular solution,” says Coleman. “We wanted to keep building on different apps as we grew.” A mobility solution that allowed frontline workers to report observations and receive real-time communications in the field was also a critical requirement. “We wanted a strong, mobile tablet platform,” says Coleman. “That was what prompted us to move from our existing platform.”
Intelex was the clear choice in the search for a new technology solution. “Intelex had good local customer service and good local support, and the price was competitive,” says Coleman. “An important factor was the feedback from other customers that we knew, all of whom had good things to say.”
"We use a number of Intelex dashboards integrated with Power BI"
How Intelex Supports Continuous Safety Improvement
Since implementing Intelex, Ampcontrol has adopted several applications, including Risk Management, Incident Management, Audit Management, Inspection Management, Meetings Management and others. “We started with Observations because before Intelex, we were doing them on paper and then entering them later on a desktop,” says Coleman. “It was the activity most in demand. We introduced it, people loved it and we kept building from there.” Introducing tablets that allow workers to access the Observations application through a mobile means there has been a significant increase in real-time observations data from the front line.
Ampcontrol has significantly enhanced its ability to collect and display safety trends by integrating Intelex’s data capabilities with other applications. “We use a number of Intelex dashboards integrated with Power BI,” says Coleman. “Now we’re at the point where our metrics and reports to our senior leadership are coming straight from Intelex into Power BI.”
“We’re getting much more workforce take-up in terms of using the workforce to do inspections,”
While new technology solutions often require considerable change management, introducing the Intelex Observations and Mobility solutions presented far fewer obstacles. “We’re getting much more workforce take-up in terms of using the workforce to do inspections,” says Coleman. “We’ve gotten rid of them having to fill out a card and hand it to their leader, so we’ve had fewer issues with getting people to use the system. Most people have been more than happy to shift to online, digital and tablet as long as it’s easier and user friendly.”
Achieving Improved Safety KPIs Across the Organization
Ampcontrol has seen significant improvement in HSEQ outcomes across all areas of the business since implementing the Live Work Better program supported by Intelex. The most recent maturity assessment showed that the organization had improved on each of the 7 Levers from Basic in 2019 to Developing or Established today.
Table 1 shows that there has been consistent improvement in each KPI (Key Performance Indicator) from 2019 to the midway point of 2023.
| Measure | 2019/2020 | 2021/2022 | 2022/2023 YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee access and use of HSEQ system | 35 | 400 | 530 |
| System access through mobile device vs. desktop |
|
|
|
| Incident reporting | 150 incidents | 286 incidents | 380 incidents |
| HSEQ Leader Conversations |
|
|
|
| Hazards reported | 50 | 220 | 295 |
| HSEQ inspections completed | 1000 | 9000 | 7336 |
| Total Recordable Injury Rate (per million hours worked) | 12.1 | 4.9 | 2.9 |
Table 1: Ampcontrol Improvement of KPIs from 2019 to 2023
Table 2 shows the significant decline in Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) since 2019.
| Fiscal Year | Injuries | Hours Worked | TRIFR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 18 | 1,515,247 | 11.88 |
| 2021 | 11 | 1,440,063 | 7.64 |
| 2022 | 8 | 1,588,843 | 5.04 |
| 2023 YTD | 3 | 1,051,281 | 2.85 |
Table 2: Ampcontrol Improvement of TRIFR from 2019 to 2023
Intelex has been critical for ensuring the methods and tools people use everyday support the safety culture of the Live Work Better program. “You can provide people with a system, but if you haven’t got the culture and leadership approach that’s going to get people using it, you aren’t going to see results,” says Coleman. “The combination of both has been a key part of our success. If you’re going to promote a culture of continuous safety improvement while at the same time giving workers paper forms and a complicated system to use, then what you’re providing doesn’t match the rhetoric of the training. It’s been important to marry the two so we can show everyone we’re serious about risk management and safety culture.”
Building Resilience for Future Challenges
Ampcontrol knows success should never mean complacency. Having achieved significant improvement on their safety KPIs, Ampcontrol’s HSEQ leadership continues to look for opportunities to improve and to develop a resilient digital safety management system that can meet new challenges. “It’s not about being static,” says Coleman. “We have to keep trying to fine tune and improve those areas where we get feedback. We need to keep it current and make sure we keep the workforce engaged so they continue to use the system.” This approach to continuous improvement means regular discussions with Intelex to make sure the system is optimized to meet new needs as they develop. “We regularly catch up with Intelex and look at opportunities,” continues Coleman. “It’s all about continuous improvement.”
