EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical
Management And Hazardous Waste
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EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management
This report contains an extract of the Verdantix analysis of the chemical and hazardous waste management
functionality of twenty EHS software applications. The majority of EHS decision-makers prefer the idea of
purchasing a single, integrated software application to cover all EHS workflows. But factors such as unique
industry-specific requirements, limited usage scenarios for software or constrained budgets may push them to
make purchase decisions based primarily on specific ‘must have’ functional requirements. Based on 13
assessment criteria, the Verdantix benchmark of chemical and hazardous waste management functionality finds
that Sphera stands out in the market with a score of 87% of the total potential score in this area. VelocityEHS is
the joint market leader on chemical management functionality with a strong mobile offering. Enablon, ERA
Environmental and Enviance also have solid offerings. Due to the small number of vendors with strong chemical
and hazardous waste functionality customers should buy from specialists.
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management ................................................................. 3
Four Factors Persuade Buyers To Focus Vendor Selection On Specific Functionality
Assessment Criteria For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management Software
Few EHS Software Vendors Offer Strong Functionality For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management
Customers Seeking Software For Chemical and Hazardous Waste Management Must Pick Specialists
TA B L E O F F I G U R E S
Figure 1. Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Functionality Scores .................................................................. 3
Figure 2. Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Percentage Of Potential ............................................................ 4
O R G A N I Z A T I O N S M E N T I O N E D
Abbott Laboratories, Actio, AECOM, Arcadis, Arkema, Brambles, CH2M, Chemtura, Cority, Dakota Software,
EcoIntense, EMD Millipore, Emirates, Enablon, Enhesa, , Enviance, ERA, EtQ, FedEx Express, Gensuite, Huco
Consulting, Intelex, Johnson & Johnson, MANA Products, RegScan, SAP, Sasol, Solenis, Sphera, Sterigenics, TE
Connectivity, Truman Medical Centers, UCOR, United Airlines, US Department of Defense, VelocityEHS, Verisk3E.
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EHS Software Benchmark: Chemical and Hazardous Waste
Management
This report contains an extract of the Verdantix analysis of the chemicals and hazardous waste features and
functionality of twenty EHS software applications. This analysis was originally produced in the Verdantix Green
Quadrant EHS Software 2017 report.
Four Factors Persuade Buyers To Focus Vendor Selection On Specific
Functionality
Survey data indicate that the majority of EHS decision-makers aim to invest in a single, integrated EHS software
platform that covers all EHS processes. However, software buyers also buy EHS software with a focus on specific
functionality because they have :
• Unique needs that must be met by the software irrespective of broader functionality.
Running an airline such as Emirates or United Airlines poses unique operational and customer service
risks that do not impact other industries. That is why specialist solutions such as EtQ’s Aviation Safety
Management System gain traction with carriers. In the realm of chemicals and hazardous waste, Sphera
provides hazardous material management functionality to meet the unique needs of the US Department
of Defense.
• Limited usage scenarios that make an EHS platform less relevant.
Under the aegis of the UCOR joint venture, CH2M and AECOM jointly run a remediation project for a
former atomic bomb-making factory (see Verdantix EHS Risk Management Lessons From UCOR’s
‘Manhattan Project’ Site Remediation). The project has very specific EHS management requirements such
as hazardous waste removal, industrial hygiene, and occupational health management. But these usage
scenarios don’t extend to the full range of that for instance an oil and gas firm such as Total would need.
As a result, using just a few modules from an EHS software platform, in this case the Cority software,
meets the requirements .
• Constrained budgets that align with point solutions not platforms.
The average deal size for a three-year, private cloud EHS software platform for an enterprise customer is
approximately $300,000. Upgrades, integration with other IT systems, support from a services partner
such as Arcadis or Huco Consulting, and mobile app licences may increase the overall spend. Given that
78% of 382 EHS decision-makers surveyed by Verdantix state that the ‘EHS operational budget is
insufficient to fund technology investments’, it should come as no surprise that many EHS decision-
makers prioritize a subset of functionality over a full platform rollout.
• Plans to implement EHS modules phase by phase over several years.
Few customers go down the route of a ‘big bang’ implementation of EHS software due to the costs and
risks involved (see Verdantix Worst Practices For EH&S Software Projects). Armed with a three-year or
four-year plan to implement 10 to 20 modules, customers pick their priority EHS processes for
technology support in phase one of the project. As a result, purchase decisions are driven by the quality
of functionality for a subset of issues. For instance a buyer may shortlist Dakota Software and Enviance
due to the robustness of their air emissions calculation engine – even if in two years’ time their focus will
be on occupational health.
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Assessment Criteria For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management
Software
Whilst the vision for most VPs of EHS is to implement a single, integrated platform, doing so is often a difficult
plan to execute due to an IT landscape littered with legacy apps, budget restrictions and competing business
priorities. As a result, many EHS software purchase decisions are driven by specific functionality needs even if
the ultimate aim is to deploy multiple apps on one platform. To help EHS decision-makers seeking software for
chemical and hazardous waste management, Verdantix:
• Defined seven assessment criteria for chemical management.
To assess the capabilities that EHS software applications have to support chemical management
processes we identified seven criteria: SDS management, hazmat materials database, hazard
communications and labelling, chemical storage area database, chemical inventory analysis and
reporting, chemical spill management, and chemical compliance reporting.
• Established six assessment criteria for hazardous waste management.
To assess the capabilities that EHS software applications offer for hazardous waste management we
identified six criteria: regulatory coverage, hazardous waste permit and reporting management, Toxics
Release Inventory (TRI) compliance, hazardous waste inventory management, disposal management,
hazardous waste labels and manifests.
• Benchmarked the features and functionality of 20 EHS software vendors.
Based on the 13 assessment criteria we benchmarked the functionality provided by the 20 most
prominent providers of EHS software in the market. This benchmarking required the vendors to complete
an assessment questionnaire, disclose examples of customers using the software for chemical and
hazardous waste management and run a live product demo. We scored each of the 13 assessment
criteria on a 0 to 3 scale, which is then aggregated based on the weighting of each of these criteria to
provide an overall score on a 0 to 3 scale for each of the two functionality areas (see Figure 1).
• Normalized vendor scores relative to the highest possible score.
In the Green Quadrant model, chemical management functionality was weighted at 4% of product
capabilities and hazardous waste management also at 4%. Given the weighting of the criteria, the
maximum potential score a vendor can achieve for chemical and hazardous waste functionality is
0.24/3.00, which is 8% of 3.00. To illustrate each vendor’s performance relative to the maximum potential
score we normalized each vendor’s score to produce a percentage, which represents each vendor’s score
relative to the maximum potential (see Figure 2).
Few EHS Software Vendors Offer Strong Functionality For Chemical And
Hazardous Waste Management
To help EHS decision-makers identify software with comprehensive and robust functionality for chemical and
hazardous waste management we applied 13 assessment criteria to 20 EHS software applications. The Verdantix
analysis of the chemical and hazardous waste functionality finds that:
• Sphera stands out from the pack by achieving 87% of the total potential score.
Sphera’s chemical and hazardous waste management functionality achieves 87% of the maximum
potential score, making it the broadest and deepest software for these two processes. This reflects
market leading scores of 2.6/3.0 for both chemical and hazardous waste management.
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Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Functionality Scores
F IGU RE 1
Source: Verdantix
Chemical
Management
% Of Maximum
Score
Hazardous
Waste
% Of Maximum
Score Total Score
Sphera 2.63 88% 2.57 86% 87%
VelocityEHS 2.63 88% 1.71 57% 72%
Enablon 1.75 58% 2.43 81% 70%
ERA 2.00 67% 2.14 71% 69%
Enviance 2.25 75% 1.86 62% 68%
Gensuite 1.88 63% 1.86 62% 62%
EcoIntense 2.13 71% 1.57 52% 62%
Intelex 1.25 42% 2.00 67% 54%
SAP 1.88 63% 1.29 43% 53%
Dakota 1.38 46% 1.71 57% 51%
ProcessMAP 1.38 46% 1.57 52% 49%
Cority 1.00 33% 1.71 57% 45%
EMEX 1.00 33% 1.57 52% 43%
UL EHSS 0.88 29% 1.57 52% 41%
SAI Global 1.13 38% 1.00 33% 35%
DNV GL 1.25 42% 0.57 19% 30%
IsoMetrix 0.63 21% 0.71 24% 22%
EtQ 0.75 25% 0.43 14% 20%
Airsweb 0.63 21% 0.14 5% 13%
Mitratech 0.00 0% 0.43 14% 7%
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Source: Verdantix
Chemical Management and Hazardous Waste Percentage Of Potential
F IGU RE 2
7%
13%
20%
22%
30%
35%
41%
43%
45%
49%
51%
53%
54%
62%
62%
68%
69%
70%
72%
87%
Mitratech
Airsweb
EtQ
IsoMetrix
DNV GL
SAI Global
UL EHSS
EMEX
Cority
ProcessMAP
Dakota
SAP
Intelex
EcoIntense
Gensuite
Enviance
ERA
Enablon
VelocityEHS
Sphera
Sphera’s managed regulatory content covers over 15,000 translated phrases in 46 languages, 7,500 rules
for automating hazard assessments and the software offers more than 100 templates for legal
requirements in 50 countries. Customers using either chemical or hazardous waste management
functionality from Sphera include Abbott Laboratories, EMD Millipore, Johnson & Johnson, MANA
Products and Truman Medical Centers.
• VelocityEHS achieves a 72% score and is the joint leader on chemical management.
For chemical management, VelocityEHS tied with Sphera on the highest score of 2.6/3.0, reflecting the
established capabilities of the MSDSonline core business. VelocityEHS offers an eBinder Mobile App
which provides access to chemical inventory and hazard information on any mobile device. The software
vendor also offers a Chemical Inventory Scanner App, a virtual representation of the workplace’s chemical
footprint, and a Plan1 First Responder Share Service which would help in situations like the Arkema
chemical plant fire in Texas. Customers using VelocityEHS functionality for chemical or hazardous waste
management include Brambles, Chemtura, FedEx Express, Solenis and TE Connectivity.
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• Enablon ERA and Enviance also have solid offerings.
Making up the five highest scores for chemical and hazardous waste management functionality are
Enablon with 70%, ERA with 69% and Enviance with 68%. Enablon scored 2.4/3.0 for hazardous waste
management, which is the second highest score in the benchmark after Sphera. The waste management
module is integrated with regulatory compliance management functionality and fed with content from
Enhesa, RegScan and Verisk3E. Enviance scores 2.3/3.0 for chemical management, which is the second
highest score after Sphera and VelocityEHS. Built on functionality from the acquisition of Actio in June
2016, the Enviance SDS Vault provides a wide range of cloud-based chemical data management, analysis
and reporting capabilities.
• Five vendors deliver on at least 50% of the total potential capability.
Gensuite (62% of the total potential score), EcoIntense (62%), Intelex (54%), SAP (53%) and Dakota
Software (51%) also offer strong solutions for chemical and hazardous waste management. Gensuite has
comparable functionality across both processes, scoring 1.9/3.0 for both. EcoIntense has a particularly
capable offering for chemical management (2.1/3.0). Intelex has significantly more capability for
hazardous waste management (2.0/3.0) than for chemical management (1.3/3.0). ). Dakota Software’s
capabilities are evenly matched with scores of 1.4/3.0 for chemical and 1.7/3.0 for hazardous waste
management.
Customers Seeking Software For Chemical And Hazardous Waste Management
Must Pick Specialists
Based on the Green Quadrant benchmark, Sphera has the broadest and deepest software for chemical and
hazardous waste management. VelocityEHS is also a strong performer whilst Enablon, ERA and Enviance offer
impressive capabilities for one of either chemical management or hazardous waste. This benchmark
demonstrates that customers should:
• Only shortlist vendors with demonstrated depth in functionality for chemical and hazardous waste
management.
Unlike EHS functionality used by firms in all industries, such as for incident reporting, safety observations
and audits, only a handful of industries require dedicated software for chemical management and
hazardous waste. Buyers who require these solutions should only shortlist vendors with proven
capabilities and a commitment to invest in enhancements. Configuring an EHS workflow engine that
doesn’t have the functionality to manage chemical content or embedded regulatory intelligence will
prove a costly failure.
• Conduct very detailed assessments of product capability with complex scenarios.
In the recent Verdantix survey of 382 EHS decision-makers, 89% said the ability to configure EHS software
is either an important or very important purchase driver – the highest ranked influence on buying
software. However, configuring workflows does not deliver chemical and hazardous waste management
compliance. For instance, it is not possible to configure a Safety Data Sheet, scan a bar code on a
chemical container or generate a compliance report for REACH reporting. Before committing to invest in
EHS software, buyers should drill down as deep as possible into workflow, content and regulatory
intelligence to ensure that they do not buy software which needs custom development for chemical and
hazardous waste usage scenarios.
• Explore the quality of integration between workflow, regulatory intelligence and SDS libraries.
Chemical management is a process that touches multiple business functions such as procurement,
production, logistics, safety and warehousing. As a result it is supported by multiple IT systems such as
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chemical compliance databases containing SDSs, ERP bills of material, and workflow in EHS software.
Throw in hand-held devices for physical inventory checks and you have a perfect storm of technology,
regulatory content, dispersed data, mobile devices and workflow software. Customers need to ensure the
technology they deploy will successfully orchestrate the information flow across multiple business
functions, locations and transport units. Buyers should ask to see a digital end-to-end process from
supplier data collection to manufacturing, storage, logistics and customer disclosures.
• Test mobile capabilities for both inventory lookup and physical asset scans.
Firms often find that 5% to 15% of chemical inventory data held in central log books or databases is
inaccurate when they conduct a physical audit of chemicals on site. As a result, firms such as Sasol and
Sterigenics aim to optimize chemical management by providing facilities managers with mobile apps that
enable them to query central databases and scan labels with handheld devices. Firms seeking chemical
and hazardous waste management solutions should look beyond just the workflow software and assess
the ability of the entire digital system to support corporate compliance officers, truck drivers, and plant
and production managers.
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