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Over the next two to three years, technology will play an increasingly
important role in the EHS Management System, enabling members of
the EHS Office, the DLCs, and end users to implement various aspects
of the management system in a labor- and cost-efficient way. For
example, technology will make it possible to automate routine processes,
deliver training "on demand," and systematically capture data to
support monitoring, reporting, compliance, and planning activities.
Already, the EHS Office has enhanced an existing Web-based training
system that enables users to perform a self-assessment, access
environmental training modules that are relevant to their needs,
and then test their knowledge of the covered material. Updated
training modules on hazardous waste (RCRA) and spill prevention
(SPCC) have been cited by the EPA for their excellence. Other innovative
uses of technology under consideration include the following:
- In the future, EHS staff members may use hand-held wireless
devices or scanners when conducting laboratory inspections and
audits. This would increase efficiency, timeliness, and accuracy
by enabling inspectors and auditors to input their findings while
they are at the site, rather than taking notes by hand and having
to input the information later on.
- The EHS Office may also use hand-held wireless devices, scanners
or Web sites to inventory or register baseline data concerning
laboratories and facilities, including equipment, physical hazards,
and the presence of hazardous chemicals, radioactive and biological
materials, and regulated wastes. The resulting records could
then be used to define training requirements for each lab.
Pending implementation of these technology-based tools, paper-based
tools - which can be easily modified in response to end-user feedback
- will provide project designers with an understanding of how best
to streamline processes while meeting requirements for data capture.
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