Interstate Batteries powers its EHS initiatives with Ideagen EHS
With more than 150,000 dealers, distribution centers and franchisee network locations across the USA, Interstate Battery System of America, Inc. (IBSA) is a leader in the automotive battery market
IBSA employs more than 1,700 full-time employees and 4,500 contractors across its 200+ locations.
Additionally, the company extends its reach to the marine/RV, mobility, motorcycle, lawn, garden, and other battery lines in the starting, lighting, and ignition (SLI) markets through its extensive network.
Situation analysis
The workforce of IBSA, spanning all locations, handles highly hazardous lead-acid batteries. Strict regulations regarding the storage and handling of these substances pose significant challenges for IBSA’s Corporate Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) team in ensuring employee safety.
Moreover, the team is responsible for maintaining compliance by collecting and analyzing key safety metrics, as well as reporting and controlling risk factors.
To gain visibility at each location, the organization appoints local EHS coordinators who execute the EHS programs guided by the Corporate EHS team.
The EHS coordinators encountered several challenges in tracking and reporting workplace incidents and
accidents. Furthermore, conducting regular audits and inspections on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis was difficult with IBSA’s internally developed system.
Other challenges included:
- Inability to standardize processes and maintain compliance across all distribution centers and franchisee locations.
- Lack of real-time visibility to safety metrics at both individual locations and corporate level.
- Absence of mobile capabilities for easy tracking, reporting of incidents and near-misses, and conducting audits on-the-go.
- Inability to integrate the existing EHS system with Third-Party Administrators (TPA) to effectively track and manage workers’ compensation claims and vehicle claims.
- Inconsistencies in data management processes due to the reliance on manual or obsolete systems.
- Low user adoption for the old and obsolete system.
- Inability to drive enterprise wide transformational EHS initiatives designed to better risk management and comprehensive compliance metric visibility
Situation analysis
The workforce of IBSA, spanning all locations, handles highly hazardous lead-acid batteries. Strict regulations regarding the storage and handling of these substances pose significant challenges for IBSA’s Corporate Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) team in ensuring employee safety.
Moreover, the team is responsible for maintaining compliance by collecting and analyzing key safety metrics, as well as reporting and controlling risk factors.
To gain visibility at each location, the organization appoints local EHS coordinators who execute the EHS programs guided by the Corporate EHS team.
The EHS coordinators encountered several challenges in tracking and reporting workplace incidents and
accidents. Furthermore, conducting regular audits and inspections on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis was difficult with IBSA’s internally developed system.
Other challenges included:
- Inability to standardize processes and maintain compliance across all distribution centers and franchisee locations.
- Lack of real-time visibility to safety metrics at both individual locations and corporate level.
- Absence of mobile capabilities for easy tracking, reporting of incidents and near-misses, and conducting audits on-the-go.
- Inability to integrate the existing EHS system with Third-Party Administrators (TPA) to effectively track and manage workers’ compensation claims and vehicle claims.
- Inconsistencies in data management processes due to the reliance on manual or obsolete systems.
- Low user adoption for the old and obsolete system.
- Inability to drive enterprise wide transformational EHS initiatives designed to better risk management and comprehensive compliance metric visibility
Innovation strategy - Powering transformation with Ideagen EHS
Following a thorough evaluation of IBSA’s current and future business objectives and engaging in collaborative discussions with key EHS personnel, Ideagen proposed an EHS platform to help the company achieve its desired outcomes. Key capabilities include:
- Integrated incident & claims management
- Integrated audits management
- Documents management
- Ready-to-use solutions
- Dashboards & advanced analytics
Ideagen EHS’s Incidents and Claims Management modules seamlessly integrate with IBSA’s TPA, providing actionable insights on the effectiveness of various EHS programs.
One of the key advantages offered by Ideagen EHS is its mobile-first solutions, which empower IBSA to drive its strategic initiatives like the Safety Champion Program.
The mobile application offered by Ideagen EHS allows the organization to stay ahead of regulatory inspections, distribute safety responsibilities across the company, and enhance visibility at both the corporate and location levels.
Moreover, the native mobile apps enable users to report EHS data on the go, whether online or offline.
Employees can quickly and seamlessly report incidents and near-misses, attach pictures and voice notes, and
conduct comprehensive audits, including conditional and behavioral assessments, without being tied to
a computer system
Biometric authentication using native fingerprint and face recognition protocols ensures data privacy and integrity.
Additionally, with Ideagen EHS’s analytics platform in place, IBSA can easily track safety metrics, improve compliance, and make informed decisions to enhance its overall safety performance.
Innovation strategy - Powering transformation with Ideagen EHS
Following a thorough evaluation of IBSA’s current and future business objectives and engaging in collaborative discussions with key EHS personnel, Ideagen proposed an EHS platform to help the company achieve its desired outcomes. Key capabilities include:
- Integrated incident & claims management
- Integrated audits management
- Documents management
- Ready-to-use solutions
- Dashboards & advanced analytics
Ideagen EHS’s Incidents and Claims Management modules seamlessly integrate with IBSA’s TPA, providing actionable insights on the effectiveness of various EHS programs.
One of the key advantages offered by Ideagen EHS is its mobile-first solutions, which empower IBSA to drive its strategic initiatives like the Safety Champion Program.
The mobile application offered by Ideagen EHS allows the organization to stay ahead of regulatory inspections, distribute safety responsibilities across the company, and enhance visibility at both the corporate and location levels.
Moreover, the native mobile apps enable users to report EHS data on the go, whether online or offline.
Employees can quickly and seamlessly report incidents and near-misses, attach pictures and voice notes, and
conduct comprehensive audits, including conditional and behavioral assessments, without being tied to
a computer system
Biometric authentication using native fingerprint and face recognition protocols ensures data privacy and integrity.
Additionally, with Ideagen EHS’s analytics platform in place, IBSA can easily track safety metrics, improve compliance, and make informed decisions to enhance its overall safety performance.
Some of the key adoption metrics achieved by IBSA include:
Expert delivery accelerated results
Ideagen employed the Agile-Scrum methodology to ensure a fast and effective deployment for IBSA.
The professional services team conducted blueprinting sessions with IBSA stakeholders to finalize business requirements.
This strategy enabled the creation of a tailored solution, ensuring a smooth implementation and rapid achievement of IBSA’s health and safety goals.
Some of the key performance metrics achieved by IBSA include:
Building on this momentum and aiming to foster a zero-incident culture, the company is expanding its focus beyond its stores, distribution centers, and franchisee locations.
Vehicle safety remains a key priority for IBSA, with most of its vehicles equipped with telematics sensors to monitor driver behavior.
Additionally, IBSA plans to leverage Ideagen EHS’s mobile apps to conduct driver dealer assessments, enabling proactive measures to mitigate safety incidents.
By integrating these data points and creating a comprehensive 360-degree view of safety, available on-demand, IBSA is poised to drive the next phase of instilling a safety-centric culture throughout the organization.
This strategic approach will play a pivotal role in helping IBSA achieve its safety goals in the upcoming years.