Use the Insights page effectively

Edited

The Insights page in Encamp is a powerful tool designed to give you a view of how regulators view your organization's environmental compliance status and performance. By regularly reviewing and acting on this information, you can get a better understanding of your organization's ongoing compliance posture, benchmark your performance, and proactively address compliance issues.

This article will guide you through strategies on making the most of the Insights page.


Staying on Top of Changes

Regularly reviewing your Insights page is important for maintaining awareness of your facilities' compliance status, particularly for organizations with large numbers of regulated facilities.

Strategy:

  • Set aside time each month to examine the Insights data for each of your facilities.

  • Focus on changes in compliance status and new entries in enforcement and violations sections.

Example: If you manage multiple retail locations, you might discover that one of your stores has a newly reported violation in the RCRA Insights section. This information allows you to quickly investigate the issue and bring the facility back into compliance as soon as possible.

Note: Insights data is updated when the federal datasets are updated, which is typically on a weekly cadence.


Benchmarking Your Performance

Insights offers valuable benchmarking capabilities, allowing you to compare your organization's performance against industry averages, similar organizations, or even across your own facilities.

Strategy:

  • Compare your performance against industry averages or similar organizations.

  • Conduct internal benchmarking by comparing performance across your different facilities.

  • Perform trend analysis by tracking compliance metrics over time.

Example: You might set a goal to reduce the number of minor violations by 20% over the next year, using your historical data as a baseline. This approach helps identify areas where you're excelling or lagging behind industry standards.


Addressing Discrepancies

Occasionally, you may encounter discrepancies between the information displayed in Insights and your own records. These inconsistencies could arise from various factors, including reporting delays and data entry errors.

Strategy:

  • Regularly compare Insights data with your internal records.

  • Investigate any discrepancies thoroughly.

  • Ensure your Insights data accurately reflects your facilities' compliance status.

For detailed guidance on resolving specific types of discrepancies, refer to our article Resolve Discrepancies in Federal Datasets.


Proactive Compliance

While the Insights page doesn't provide predictive analytics, you can use its historical data to inform your organization's long-term compliance strategy.

Strategies:

  1. Identify Patterns: Look for recurring themes or issues across your facilities.
    Example: If you notice frequent inspections at certain facility types, increase internal audit frequency at similar sites to prepare for potential regulatory scrutiny.

  2. Spot Outliers: Compare compliance records across your facilities to identify any that stand out.
    Example: If most facilities have clean compliance records in ECHO Insights, but one location consistently shows violations, it might indicate a need for additional training or resources at that site.

  3. Prepare for Inspections: Use Insights to focus on areas that attract more regulatory attention.
    Example: Conduct thorough self-audits in areas that seem to receive more regulatory scrutiny, ensuring full compliance before official inspections.

  4. Anticipate Regulatory Focus: Monitor trends in enforcement activity to identify shifts in regulatory priorities.
    Example: If you notice increased inspections or violations related to a specific regulation, strengthen your compliance programs in those areas.