Petrochem/Utilities Industry Trends

Doing Business as Usual During Unusual Circumstances

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The Importance of Being Prepared Doing Business as Usual During Unusual Circumstances Working Together to Keep the Lights On

For many engineers used to working with printed versions of standards and recommended practices, hard copies seem to be an old favorite, dependable and easy to use. But as one IHS customer discovered, while hard copies are a reliable choice under normal circumstances, they may not be the best option during extraordinary conditions.

During Hurricane Katrina, local businesses in the storm’s path shut their doors, believing the evacuation would be brief. When it became apparent that the situation was far more serious than originally thought, businesses struggled to continue operations. One of these companies affected by Katrina, a large construction company that works closely with energy processing businesses and utilities, was able to send its engineers to work in some of its other locations. Unfortunately, its library of hardcopy standards and reference documents remained in its shut office, inaccessible to the engineers who needed them.

“When Katrina hit, the company closed its office, and had employees working from satellite offices who didn’t have any access to the standards they used to be able to walk down the hall for,” says Peter Hauhuth, senior account executive, IHS. “They still were getting contracts and were still functioning, but they couldn’t get to any of the documents they needed to reference.”

While the engineers were familiar enough with many of the standards they frequently referenced to get by, they were stymied when they had to use standards they normally didn’t use. “A lot of times engineers know these documents inside and out. Some were able to get by for a while, but if a situation comes up where they had a new design that referenced a standard they’re not used to using, that’s when they really need access to the documents,” says Hauhuth.

Since returning to their New Orleans office, the company’s engineers once again have access to their standards library. But the situation has caused managers to rethink their stance on hardcopies, leading them to investigate a more flexible solution—an online library. With an online library service, employees can access the standards they use wherever they may be located. Besides being ideal for emergency situations in which workers need to be temporarily relocated from their home office, online libraries also support employees who need to travel to job sites for projects.

In addition, with online library services, companies can ensure that they are providing access to the latest versions of the documents their workers need to use. This eliminates the need for companies to keep track of document releases and revisions, since the service does the work for them.

Despite the benefits of an online library, hardcopy libraries are still important, especially for companies that are required to have back-up versions of standards on site, such as utilities with nuclear power plants. “In case of a catastrophe, they need to be able to get to the documents. If the Internet goes down, an online library won’t be much help. So there will always be companies that need a form of backup,” Says Hauhuth.

Still, online libraries are increasingly becoming an important asset to companies—both in normal circumstances and during emergencies. “Work doesn’t stop when something happens,” Hauhuth points out. “You need a system that allows you to be flexible. That’s what it really comes down to.”

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