From data entry to field work: How AI can bring back your passion for environmental compliance
Machine learning automates tedious regulatory data entry and form validation, allowing EHS professionals to escape compliance burnout and return to proactive field maintenance.
I came into my own, collecting soil samples and recording observations deep in the forest understory. This, I thought, was exactly what I envisioned when I dreamed of a career in environmental science. Not only was I doing what I love, but my work will have real-world sustainability and conservation impact.
A few years passed and I moved into the world of environmental consulting. Although the environment was different, I thought the focus and purpose was the same. But here I was mostly crunching numbers, filling out spreadsheets, and billing my time. It was all about pursuing environmental compliance, a far cry from the fieldwork and technical thinking that once inspired me.
Of course, this is just my personal trajectory. However, the term will be familiar to many environmental professionals who are drawn to the field by the opportunity to focus on ecology, sustainability, risk reduction, and the protection of people and the environment.
What did they find instead? Days spent on the tedious task of cross-checking data and entering it into reporting portals. The time and space to design a proactive EHS program is replaced by continuous regulatory fire drills. And an unquenchable passion for what drew them to this job in the first place.
It’s certainly a frustrating situation. But it’s not the fault of the people or the profession. The right systems aren’t in place yet, and compliance teams just need to put together a solution and deal with manual processes.
Environmental experts want a more prominent role than that. They want to make a positive impact on their community. They want to think strategically about the challenges facing their organizations. And most of all, they want to reconnect with the love they once had for this mission.
The good news is that AI offers a path to restoring both efficiency and purpose.
Why EHS professionals spend more time reporting problems than preventing them
Environmental compliance is rooted in good intentions. However, a system that should be built around scientific and analytical work is instead mostly centered around administrative reporting.
I know I didn’t get into this field to spend my days moving, cleaning, formatting, and retyping data. And I can’t believe so many others did too. And yet, here we are. Working with systems often focuses on documenting what has already happened rather than preventing future problems. This is very important work. It has to be done right.
In fact, the workload is so hectic that many organizations work with consultants to meet their compliance obligations. But here, too, we have a model that is well-intentioned but undermined by its incentive structure. why? That’s because the billable hourly format is designed to reward hours worked, not efficiency.
Ironically, many consultants understand these inefficiencies better than anyone else. They spend thousands of hours on the reporting process they help clients navigate. However, the economics of the model precludes eliminating work that the client is paying for. That means continuing to rely on spreadsheets, piecemeal record-keeping, and repetitive workflows.
There is also a human cost to adhering to these “traditional” approaches to environmental compliance. Even professionals who enter the field with the intention of solving environmental problems often end up spending years performing repetitive, non-customized management tasks.
The result is burnout, apathy, and a sense that meaningful improvement is always deferred until the next reporting deadline.
How AI can help eliminate administrative compliance tasks
This is a confusing problem, but the AI seems almost intentionally designed to alleviate it. Consider some of the ways AI can create immediate value for organizations that want to comply with environmental compliance requirements.
- Automate data collection, validation, formatting, and reporting. For example, AI can automatically capture chemical and waste monitoring data, validate permit thresholds, populate regulatory forms, and flag reporting discrepancies before submission.
- Reduce manual entry across spreadsheets, databases, and regulatory portals.
- Improve consistency and reduce compliance risks due to human error.
Does this mean that AI will replace environmental experts? Not at all. What it can do is shift their efforts from reactive to proactive work by taking on tasks they didn’t initially want to do.
Instead of reporting on last year’s incidents, emissions, and activities, AI allows you to apply expertise where it matters most and influence the future.
What environmental leaders can do with more time
Of course, the headline of almost every article extolling the potential of AI is “Freeing up people for more strategic work.” But what does that extra time actually mean for environmental professionals? Well, if I were you, my to-do list would include:
- Return to field: They were able to make more site visits, be more involved in operations, and observe the organization’s environmental and safety risks more directly. In short, you’ll be getting your hands dirty again.
- Become a strategic advisor: Increased focus on waste minimization efforts, sustainability planning, supply chain and materials evaluation, and active engagement with regulatory authorities.
- Build a culture of prevention. From compliance reporting to business improvement. On the safety side, this can mean identifying new risks before an incident occurs. On the environmental side, the focus may be on understanding why waste is generated and how to remove it.
- Rekindle your passion and purpose: AI can create the space needed for curiosity, investigation, problem-solving, and innovation. In other words, it’s an opportunity for many professionals to reflect on why they entered the field. And organizations can benefit from better outcomes when people do more meaningful work.
And reverting to being a scientist, strategist, and risk manager rather than just a record-keeper has benefits beyond just “feeling good.” These are exactly the kinds of changes that can have significant and tangible impacts on M&A performance, shareholder value, sustainability, and more.
The future of EHS is augmenting human expertise with AI
Even when I was stuck in a busy career, one thing I was always sure of was that I still had the same dedication that brought me into the field of environmental compliance in the first place. However, my expertise was being wasted in a never-ending series of administrative workflows. And as a consultant, I was actively discouraged from driving efficiency for my clients.
This is a complaint I’ve heard over and over again, shared by many researchers, consultants, and other EHS professionals. That’s why I’m so excited about AI’s potential to transform the field by allowing environmental and safety professionals to spend more time doing the work that got them into the field in the first place.
Because I’m sure I speak for many when I say a day in the woods is better than a day in a spreadsheet any day.
About the author
Luke Jacobs is CEO of Encamp, an environmental compliance platform for companies with complex regulatory needs. A former environmental researcher and consultant, Luke co-founded Encamp with the goal of reducing regulatory risk, building safer communities, and protecting the environment by simplifying compliance processes.
