Epiroc utilise SafetyIQ Working From Home feature

Epiroc are a globally renowned drilling and excavation equipment manufacturer, providing state-of-the-art mining equipment and services to clients in more than 150 countries. Epiroc has built their reputation as an industry leader in surface and underground automation, specialising in digitisation of mining equipment and traffic management. Epiroc’s clientele includes some of the largest miners and contracting firms in the world. The company’s main development and manufacturing facilities are located in Canada, China, Germany, India, Sweden and the United States. Epiroc maintains a key presence in the Australian mining sector, with 17 service centres located strategically around the country in close proximity to client operations.

Like any other large-scale organisation, the COVID-19 health crisis significantly disrupted Epiroc’s typical business operations. Sales staff who normally spent much of their working week on the road driving between clients’ appointments, are now forced to operate remotely. The disruption meant a sudden and substantial increase in the number of employees operating remotely from home. Previous solutions to monitor the status and safety of staff working from home were time consuming and could not scale to meet the overnight increase of 160 remote staff.

As working arrangements shifted, the risks associated with working alone became a more serious concern. In response to this, a call out system was introduced. However, this was in and of itself a logistical challenge; ultimately deemed unreliable.

Upon the introduction of SafetyIQ’s Working From Home feature, Epiroc immediately implemented the module into their personnel monitoring operations. The decision to utilise the Working From Home feature was well received by Epiroc’s supervising staff. The previous manual call in/call out system relied on a manager’s ability to remember to call and assess the status of each employee. The team had already been seeking an automated solution to safety and status check-ins prior to SafetyIQ implementing the Working From Home feature.

The new solution was successful for all parties involved. Staff who operated from home were able to easily complete the quick Working from Home activity in SafetyIQ. The solution ensured organisational compliance, reassured staff that their wellbeing was front of mind and most importantly, increased operational efficiency.

The SafetyIQ Working From Home system was adopted immediately by Epiroc staff. The system increased efficiency for both remote employees and supervising staff alike.

Employees working remotely are prompted to complete a daily Check-In process with SafetyIQ’s Working From Home feature. If an employee fails to respond to a Check-In prompt, an escalation alert is sent to predetermined emergency contact. The Working From Home functionality gives employees a comprehensive log of their activity and Check-Ins. Managers are given access to a dashboard, offering complete and centralised oversight over the status and wellbeing of their remote workforce.

The introduction of an automated system to monitor the safety and status of employees working from home has been popular on multiple fronts. First and foremost, it reduces the pressure on supervising staff. Although not every single employee working remotely immediately transitioned to the Working From Home assessments, the overall uptake was successful. The few staff that were apprehensive to utilise the new system quickly changed their position upon realising the benefits.

Epiroc staff found that the Working From Home feature provided an opportunity to reinforce the caring culture of the company. From an evaluative perspective, it was found that the SafetyIQ Working From Home functionality was able to monitor the safety of employees with minimal impact on supervisors’ time and workload.

“The challenge was making sure supervisors and managers knew their people were safe. Employees are situated in various locations across the country. SafetyIQ supported the company by relieving the pressure on supervisors to make many calls to check-in with employees daily.”