Informa Markets

Author Bio ▼

Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP) is first for independent health and safety news.
October 31, 2024

Get the SHP newsletter

Daily health and safety news, job alerts and resources

How Artificial Intelligence Is Making Chemical Safety Smarter.

Artificial intelligence has been one of the hot button topics of the last couple of years and its transformative potential has led to a boom in innovation as organisations and individuals look for new ways to tap into it.

AI In Chemical Management

For any organisation that deals with hazardous chemicals, one of the most interesting applications for AI has to be in the streamlining of COSHH risk assessment process.

Creating risk assessments for hazardous substances often takes between 45 minutes to an hour per chemical. Multiply that by dozens or even hundreds of chemicals, and it’s easy to see how this task can consume an organisation’s resources. But what if you could reduce that time from an hour to just five minutes, and be more accurate at the same time?

By using AI-Assisted Chemical Management software, organisations can streamline their COSHH risk assessments, enhance accuracy, and free up valuable time – all while being updated on any changes from the source SDS.

Save Time And Improve Efficiency

One of the major challenges faced by businesses is the sheer amount of time it takes to assess the risks associated with chemicals in the workplace. For each chemical, teams must manually process safety data sheets (SDS), copying and pasting critical information, before adding their own task-specific information. This repetitive process can quickly become a drain on time and resources.

With AI-Assisted Chemical Management, what used to take nearly an hour can now be completed in just a few minutes. By reading and extracting the information for you, the system’s AI can process SDS forms swiftly, generating a draft assessment that only requires a few additional details before it can be exported as a PDF, or remain securely on the system. The result? An efficient process, allowing the assessor time to focus on the risks and ensure that the required controls are identified to be managed.

Accuracy Matters: Reduce Human Error

When people have large amounts of safety data sheets to manage, mistakes can happen and details can get missed. The AI-powered system can reduce this risk by automatically extracting and populating data from safety sheets. This allows for more thorough final checks and ensures assessments are based on accurate information, reducing the possibility of human error.

Stay Ahead Of Compliance Requirements

As workplace regulations continue to evolve, staying compliant with chemical safety standards is crucial. However, keeping up with paperwork and ever-changing compliance rules can feel overwhelming. By digitising and automating much of the process, AI-Assisted Chemical Management software helps organisations stay on top of their compliance requirements without the added administrative burden.

The system also has features that set tasks for review and monitoring, and day to day management of control measures or stock levels of chemicals.

The system provides notifications when an SDS goes out of date, reminding users to update any assessments affected. It also has in-built task management and toolsets to check control measures, reviews and monitoring to ensure nothing is ever forgotten. And with fewer paper records to manage, businesses can also improve their sustainability by reducing waste.

Security and Accessibility In The Digital Age

Another common challenge in chemical management is ensuring assessments are properly stored and accessible to the right people. Losing important documents or limiting access to critical information can cause delays and create compliance risks.

AI-Assisted Chemical Management software not only speeds up the process but also keeps documents secure. Digital storage ensures that SDS files are safely stored and easily accessed by authorised personnel. No more misplaced paperwork—just quick, reliable access to essential information when you need it.

How Has It Already Helped Users?

One of our consultant clients took advantage of our Chemical AI software to help an organisation they were working with to improve their chemical management processes and streamline their COSHH Assessments. By using the system to quickly and efficiently process Safety Data Sheets, the consultant was able to allocate more time to working directly with their client. This not only resulted in a more personalised and hands-on consulting experience but also ensured faster, more accurate compliance, benefiting all parties involved.

Another client praised the use of images within the assessment, allowing clear visual summaries of suitable and not suitable fire extinguishers, PPE requirements and warning symbols. They have also noted a significant time saving through using the system, improving efficiency and reducing the paperwork burden.

If your organisation works with chemicals in any capacity, AI-Assisted Chemical Management is an essential tool to help keep you compliant and competitive.

Book a demo with us today and we’ll be happy to walk you through the key features and how they will benefit your organisation.

 

The Safety Conversation Podcast: Listen now!

The Safety Conversation with SHP (previously the Safety and Health Podcast) aims to bring you the latest news, insights and legislation updates in the form of interviews, discussions and panel debates from leading figures within the profession.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, subscribe and join the conversation today!

Related Topics

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments