Mining EHS, ESG and Compliance Software Buying Guide

Do you provide out-of-the-box reporting templates for mining-specific standards like GISTM, or do we have to pay you to build them?

Tests how much mining work the vendor has done, as opposed to generic corporate ESG. Ask which mining frameworks (GISTM, ICMM, MAC) have ready-made templates, who keeps them current, and what a custom template costs if the one you need is missing.

How does your system handle changes to global emissions factors over time when calculating our Scope 1 and 2 footprint?

Tests the carbon accounting engine. Emissions factors are revised over time and differ by jurisdiction, so ask whether the platform keeps versioned factor libraries and can recalculate past periods when a factor changes without overwriting reports already published.

Can your platform directly ingest telemetry data from our existing site hardware (for example Campbell Scientific weather stations), or does it rely on manual uploads?

Tests sensor integration. Ask which of the monitoring stations and data loggers already on your site the platform reads directly, how often it pulls readings, and what happens to data when the link drops. A generic API with no tested connectors means someone still uploads files by hand.

If a regulator audits us tomorrow, how easily can we export a complete, immutable history of a specific environmental incident?

Tests auditability and lock-in. Ask the vendor to export one incident package on the spot: sensor readings, response actions, sign-offs and a timestamped trail of every change, in a format you can hand to a regulator without needing their software to read it.

Can our supervisors log an incident, hazard or inspection in the pit or underground with no signal, and what happens to that record when the device syncs?

Tests whether the EHS field app is built for mine sites. Ask to see it on a phone or tablet in flight mode: the record should save with photos, location and time, then sync without duplicates, lost attachments or a changed timestamp. If the demo only runs on office Wi-Fi, treat that as a warning sign and ask to see it offline.

How do you manage our contractors: their companies, inductions and tickets, permits to work, and the incidents they report?

Tests contractor and permit-to-work coverage. Contractor workers and their incidents should sit in the same record as employees, so they count in the same injury figures. Ask whether a permit or isolation can be issued, suspended and closed in the field, and how a contractor without a company login reports a hazard.

Which mining regulators do you already report to, and who updates the forms and notification timelines when the rules change?

Tests regulator reporting by jurisdiction. Notifiable incident rules, timelines and forms differ between countries, and between states and provinces. The answer should name the regulators the vendor already supports, say who maintains the templates, and show a notification produced from the incident record without retyping.

Does a safety or environmental incident in your EHS module flow into our ESG disclosures, or does someone re-key the totals?

Tests the link between EHS and ESG reporting. Injury rates and significant environmental incidents end up in sustainability reports. If an incident is reclassified after the report is drafted, the disclosure figure should update with a trail showing who changed it and why.