inspectiTRAC™, Russell Associates’ advanced mobile inspection, audit, and observation system, has expanded the features and functionality of the inspectiTRAC™ Manager portion of the system. inspectiTRAC™ provides companies with the tools needed to reduce costs associated with inspections, audits, and observations. This software, designed for client customization in a wide range of businesses and industries, reduces employee inspection data collection and transfer time while increasing data accuracy. The tablet-based software is designed to make the inspection and auditing process trouble-free by integrating the inspection/audit criteria and location visuals directly into the program design, thus reducing the time needed to complete inspections while also reducing errors in data entry.

inspectiTRAC™ Manager is a management system for reporting, scheduling, alerting and notifying of data and resolutions using data collected from inspectiTRAC™. Data collected with the inspectiTRAC™ Data Collector and uploaded to inspectiTRAC™ Manager is available in real-time, providing decision makers with the information they need to address incidents quickly and effectively, ensuring continued productivity.

One new enhancement of the system is the report writer tool. The report writer allows users to create a customized report by filtering and sorting data from completed inspections. This report can then be exported, saved for future use, or shared with other users.

“Our users asked for the ability to be able to customize and save reports, so we responded. The new report writer is great for those users who need to monitor data routinely. With this feature they only have to create the report once, and from then on it will be available quickly and easily. The report writer is also good for organizations with more than one location or shift. A report can be created at one location, based on the specs needed and then shared with the other location or shift. With a standardized custom report, it means that each location and user will be looking at the results of the data the same way, even if they are hundreds of miles apart or working on different shifts,” states Jerry Van Oort, CEO of Russell Associates.

Another expansion of the system includes a redesigned dashboard with improved functionality. Information available to view on the current dashboard includes recently uploaded data from inspections/audits/observations and scheduled inspections. Also included on the dashboard is an overview of issues that have been found during completed inspections. The issues that are viewable include unresolved issues, newest issues, and newest resolved issues.

The new dashboard is designed to allow the user the ability to customize what and how much data they want to see without having to view a report. Additionally, hyperlinks are conveniently situated next to the data to allow direct access the original data report of the inspections, audits, or observation. This allows the users a simple and quick method of monitoring the results in real time.

“The expanded dashboard is a wonderful addition for all users of the system. High level managers with responsibility for multiple locations or shifts can now easily see and view data as it is completed without the lag time that as customary with paper-based systems. They are able to monitor and respond to results quicker, thus decreasing the impact that discovered issues are having within their location. With paper-based systems, this data was often not available until days after the inspections were completed, which meant that issues impacting production could be left unresolved for days,” comments Van Oort.

The last integral feature improvement is the ability to assign corrective actions. This feature allows users to assign a corrective action and due date to an issue discovered during an inspection. When an issue is discovered, it can be assigned to another user with a date by which the resolution must be completed. The system is also designed to provide text message and email notifications regarding the corrective action including the notification of assignment, reminder of corrective action needed, and notification of completion of task.

Van Oort states, “Without the ability to assign corrective actions, there is no record of who is responsible for resolving issues. With the expanded ability to assign corrective actions, there is a higher level of accountability for making sure issues are resolved in a timely manner. It also allows users working on different shifts to track which issues are still a concern. This feature essentially helps make sure that no one drops the ball when it comes to resolving inspection issues.”

“Each of these features makes inspectiTRAC™ Manager more powerful. With the expansion, the system is truly an enterprise solution. High level location managers and those at corporate headquarters can now see what is happening more easily and see where they may be encountering problems. They can get a quick glimpse of the big picture without taking the valuable time of those who are responsible for the day to day operations of the facilities. I am excited for our customers to use these features and see how the ease of access results in a significant time savings,” remarks Van Oort.”

More information about inspectiTRAC™ can be found at http://www.inspectiTRAC.com.

We are excited to announce that our library of food safety courses is expanding.

Russell Associates’ intRAtrain™ Food Safety , a library of training modules designed to effectively and efficiently deliver essential training to employees in the food industry, has released three new modules that provide essential information for all employees in food production. These highly visual, interactive training modules, designed by training experts with years of experience in the food industry, were developed to the standards of industry leaders and can be customized to address facility-specific practices.

Jerry Van Oort, CEO of Russell Associates comments, “Food safety is becoming an ever more critical component of food manufacturing. I am excited to expand our selection of food safety courses to include these 3 new courses. They are a great compliment to the other training courses we currently provide.”

intRAtrain Food Safety’s newest modules include:

• Cleaning and Sanitation – This module will give you a general overview of the cleaning and sanitizing process. It presents the difference between cleaning and sanitation, factors effecting cleaning and sanitizing, the basic steps to cleaning and sanitizing, inspections, cleaning records, and food allergens.
• GMPs – This module discusses standard Good Manufacturing Practices regarding product quality and sanitary manufacturing methods. Topics include personal hygiene, clothing and jewelry in the work place, and personal work habits.
• Food Safety & Security – This module presents food safety and security issues in a food production facility. Topics include the difference between food safety and food bio-security, the importance of bio-security, physical security, requirements for employees and non-employees, inspections and audits, emergency response, and prevention of product tampering.

To view a demo of each course please follow the links provided or contact an intRAtrain representative.

We are excited to have our product inspectiTRAC featured in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Magazine.   Stop over and check it out.

http://www.refrigeratedfrozenfood.com/articles/87394-reduce-or-eliminate-paper-based-audits

 

With the recent government shutdown you may wonder about the safety of the food you eat?   Is it still safe?  Are inspections still being completed? Food Safety News has summarized the details.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/09/what-happens-to-food-safety-if-theres-a-government-shutdown/#.Ukry2xCEWik

Food safety and inspections are critical regardless of the day of the week.  Contact intRAtrain or inspectiTRAC by Russell Associates.  Let us help you with your food safety training and inspection, audit and observation needs.

Change is inevitable in any successful business, especially one facing regulatory compliance challenges and changes on a set budget. Does your company take a proactive or reactive approach to improving safety efforts? What should you be asking yourself to ensure that your company is prepared for the unexpected?

http://ehstoday.com/blog/financial-safety-strategy-five-safety-questions-your-cfo-needs-ask?NL=OH-05&Issue=OH-05_20130912_OH-05_742&YM_RID=jerry@intratrain.com&YM_MID=1422186&sfvc4enews=42

intRAtrain and inspectiTRAC™ are training and regulatory collection systems developed by Russell Associates to improve the safety of your entire operation while lowering costs. Learn more about how we can provide you with the right tools to fix any safety issue at intratrain.com and inspectitrac.com

Russell Associates has 30 plus years of experience helping companies prepare for the unexpected.

Competitive pressures, government regulations, technology shifts, market changes, raw material shortages and tight margins are all pressures that companies deal with on a daily basis.

At Russell Associates, we believe the success or failure of a company is not determined as much by what happens….but by how the corporation responds. We can all think of companies that responded well to a crisis and ones that did not.

What differentiates companies that deal successfully with the pressures of business and an unexpected crisis from those that do not?

At Russell Associates, we believe a company that has the organizational depth and talent to respond….with speed….is much more likely to succeed in today’s challenging economic environment.

Much of what happens to a company is out of their control. What is in their control is that they have made strategic investments in their most important resource….their employees…..so they are ready and able to deal with any situation that arises.

Successful Employees result in… Regulatory Compliance + Increased Productivity + Increased Safety + Improved Efficiencies + Increased Profitability = Successful Businesses. It all adds up!

Last April’s tragic explosion of a West, Texas fertilizer plant brought safe handling and storage of chemicals into the National media spotlight. After hearing of the devastating incident, many companies were motivated to review and discuss their safe handling and chemical storage practices. How is your company preparing to comply with and document newly developed regulatory standards?

“It is apparent that there will be ever increasing scrutiny by agencies regulating safe production and storage of chemicals. Documentation of compliance to company  SOP’s related to the Process Safety Management Standard using internal inspections, observations, and audits will be essential if not critical to compliance.” – Jerry Van Oort

Russell Associates is a training, testing, inspections and related management software systems company that works side by side with our clients to develop tools that effectively and efficiently help you do business better. Visit us at intRAtrain.com or call 507-665-6266.

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