When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread, federal, state, and local authorities immediately began providing health and safety guidelines for communities and workplaces. Axis Energy Services promptly responded by utilizing our electronic reporting and no-contact processes in order to provide a healthy and safe environment for our employees and customers while maintaining efficient operations. We continue to enforce paperless reporting while the country begins to reopen.

Axis utilizes iScout, an electronic safety reporting and training management system rolled out in early 2019, in our day-to-day operations, such as incident investigations, equipment inspections, evaluations, job safety analysis (JSAs), observations, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and other operational processes.

David Etchelecu, Vice President of HSE, who was instrumental in developing and implementing our processes in iScout, says our customers have been impressed with our ability to electronically document, track, trend, and communicate all aspects of HSE (health, safety, and environmental) over the past year. “This could not be truer than when the recent pandemic began,” says Etchelecu.

During the early stages of the pandemic, Etchelecu quickly created a “Fit for Duty” electronic reporting form through iScout for all Axis employees to self-diagnose their specific symptoms prior to arriving at work each day. If an employee indicates at least one of the three major CDC-recommended alerting symptoms (temperature greater than or equal to 100.4⁰, coughing, or shortness of breath), the employee is not allowed to enter works areas. Axis created a COVID-19 Task Force to immediately respond to all cases and handle case management, providing processes and guidance for the employee to gain return-to-work approval or additional next steps, depending on the condition of the employee, as well as monitor county, state, and CDC updates.

“Since we already utilize electronic reporting, it was only natural for our employees to feel comfortable reporting their symptoms electronically as well,” adds Etchelecu. “I truly believe our ability to respond quickly to the current condition with an electronic solution has ensured personnel, customers, and communities that Axis is dedicated to preventing the spread of COVID-19.”

Axis utilizes four additional systems to maintain compliance with CDC recommendations. These systems avoid paper and personal contact, which has assisted Axis during the pandemic:

• Kronos — workforce management and employee time entry;
• SuperVision — industry-leading fleet driver management solution that helps Axis monitor, support, and retain drivers; and
• VerizonConnect — Electronic Logging Device logs;
• Axis CORE® Technology — digital data acquisition and analytics system that monitors rigs and support equipment to improve safety and efficiency and allows operators to view their well sites in real time from their home or office without contact at the rig.

Axis has also been performing field audits electronically in order to follow social distancing and contamination guidelines during the pandemic. We do this by uploading pictures, entering digital notes, and assigning follow-up steps to specific personnel immediately versus performing in-person inspections in the field using paper forms, which are scanned in with no ability to upload pictures or use a tracking system to verify when hazards are corrected.

Using electronic reporting systems, Axis employees are able to avoid handling potentially contaminated paperwork, maintain social distancing protocols during the pandemic, and allows for faster response times without risk of contact. Ultimately, both existing technology and new no-contact processes have helped increase speed in HSE-related data analysis and with reporting findings back to our customers, making for safer and more efficient operations.