The Nightmare on “Data Street”: A Halloween Guide to Securing Your EHS Data

Happy Halloween! Today, we're recapping our recent spooktacular episode of "Two Bald Guys Talking Safety," where Jules and Langdon venture into the eerie realm of EHS data management. As your ghoulish guides, they shine a light on data practices that have gone awry and share tips for navigating the dark, foggy paths of compliance, insights and safety.

Nightmare on Data Street

Like a haunted house at midnight, messy data systems can be downright terrifying. One common horror story? Companies collect mountains of information—from incidents to hazard reports—without any strategy for meaningful analysis. Think of this as building a labyrinth with no escape; it may look thorough, but no one knows how to get out or make sense of it!

As Langdon puts it, “It’s horrifying if we don’t have good data.” You might end up lost, unable to track essential insights, compliance issues or true safety needs. And for anyone who’s tried navigating spreadsheets or complex systems that don’t play well together, you know that fragmented, unorganized data feels just as chilling as stumbling through a foggy forest.

Rubbish In, Rubbish Out - The Gremlins of EHS Data

Even the most advanced EHS systems can fall victim to data gremlins. Like ghosts in the machine, poor-quality data leads to misinterpretations, errors and potentially unsafe practices. “Rubbish in, rubbish out,” as Jules aptly puts it. The trap here is often too many data fields or overly complex forms that discourage accurate reporting. Langdon shares an example of an organization with a mountain of Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs) that piled up without an effective way to glean useful insights. The result? An archive of well-intentioned data that ultimately served little purpose.

Simplifying forms and gathering only relevant information can exorcise these data gremlins, allowing for clarity and precision. By focusing on clean data collection, companies can turn their haunted archives into valuable insights.

The Ghosts of Compliance Past

One particularly hair-raising tale from our hosts is the struggle of annual OSHA reporting. The ritual of tallying incidents, lost days and other compliance metrics can be downright dreadful without the right tools in place. Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there’s a split personality to data collection. On one side, there’s compliance—ensuring that everything’s checked off. On the other, there’s proactive safety, which requires a continuous flow of meaningful data to prevent incidents in the first place.

Langdon calls out the “Texas Data Massacre”—a scenario where data is scattered across different systems or teams, making the task of generating reports a tangled nightmare. Streamlining data collection, simplifying systems and consolidating reporting tools can prevent this annual horror show.

The Dreaded Board Report

As Jules and Langdon recount their own horror stories, a theme emerges: spending hours or even days assembling board reports. Many EHS professionals dread these moments, when they’re forced to sit down with scattered data and try to make sense of it all. This dreaded experience could be avoided if systems were integrated, and data was centralized from the start.

Instead of spending valuable time hunched over a screen, wouldn’t it be better to focus on proactive safety measures? By simplifying report generation and emphasizing real-time data, we can leave this nightmare behind for good.

The Amityville Horror of Missing Data

The ultimate horror, according to Langdon, is when crucial data is missing altogether. Without the right data, it’s impossible to recognize the real risks or identify trends that could help prevent future incidents. One example Langdon shared was around Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) programs. These programs can generate lots of data, but if it’s all focused on negative actions, like PPE violations, you’re left with a lopsided view that doesn’t capture the proactive behaviors that actually prevent incidents.

Think of missing data as The Amityville Horror—there’s something vital lurking in the shadows, yet it remains unseen. To combat this, companies should set up systems that capture a balanced view of behaviors, incidents and hazards, making it easier to foster a proactive culture that highlights positive trends, not just compliance failures.

Escape the Data Nightmare

Concluding this episode, Jules and Langdon leave us with some wise parting words: don’t let your data speak no evil—make sure it’s speaking for you! Use these tips to turn your haunted data landscape into a well-lit path of insights and actionable improvements. After all, the true horror is when data sits unused, lost in the dark.

Want to watch the full spine-chilling episode? Click below!