Digital Transformation at DSI: How Digital Safety Records Improve Training and Compliance
Oil and gas companies are moving fast toward digital transformation in oil and gas to improve safety, training, and daily field operations. When crews rely on paper forms and manual processes, it becomes difficult to stay organized or respond quickly. Many operators reach a point where their tools no longer keep up with the work. They need a better way to track inspections, manage records, and give supervisors real-time information across the field.
DSI reached that point as well. The company already had strong safety practices, but paper systems created delays and made audits harder. As Internal Operations Project Manager Tim Hagan explained, the team needed a full digital shift to improve readiness, strengthen compliance, and support growing field operations.
Digital Transformation in Oil and Gas: Why It Matters
The first challenge DSI faced was simple: paper no longer matched the scale of operations. Crews completed the right forms, but paperwork was slow to turn in, easy to misplace, and hard to track. As Tim put it, “We were drowning in audit paperwork, safety paperwork, keeping track of employee files.”
Digital transformation in oil and gas safety solves this problem by capturing every inspection, form, and report the moment it is submitted. Instead of waiting days for paperwork to reach a supervisor, the information becomes available instantly. This gives leaders a clear view of trends, risks, and field conditions.
With the shift to digital safety records, DSI can now:
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Track fleet inspections in real time
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Identify equipment trends across regions
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Close safety gaps faster
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Prepare for customer audits without digging through files
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Reduce lost paperwork and incomplete submissions
These benefits show why digital transformation oil and gas teams pursue is more than a technology upgrade. It changes how leaders manage safety and how crews work every day.
How Digital Transformation in Oil and Gas Improves Field Readiness
To support its digital transformation, DSI selected EHS Insights, an environmental, health, and safety platform designed to bring all safety processes under one system. Tim helped evaluate more than ten software options before the company selected the platform that best matched DSI’s needs.
DSI now uses the platform to manage:
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Vehicle inspections
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Job safety analyses
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Incident investigations
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Compliance tasks
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Corrective and preventative actions
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Employee safety files
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Vendor-required certifications
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Toolbox talks
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Safety data sheets
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Skill assessments
Before this change, each process lived on a different paper form. Now they all live in a single digital environment. This shift supports the wider push for digital transformation in oil and gas by connecting field teams, supervisors, and office staff in real time.
Tim explained how fast information now moves: “As soon as that document is submitted online, we have those statistics.” Instead of forms sitting in a truck for days, the system updates immediately. Supervisors know what is complete, what is missing, and what needs attention.
How Digital Safety Tools Support Digital Transformation in Oil and Gas
One of the biggest improvements has been readiness in the field. With digital transformation, oil and gas teams depend on data that is easy to access during real work.
Supervisors can now use mobile devices to:
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Open toolbox talks
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Pull up safety procedures
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Verify employee certifications
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Record attendance at safety meetings
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Submit inspections and JSAs without paper
This matters because field crews face different conditions every day. When information is hard to find, safety steps are skipped or delayed. When information is available instantly, safety becomes part of the natural workflow instead of an extra task.
The digital system also allows DSI to set up corrective and preventative actions. For example, if a truck is nearing its next oil change, a field employee can enter that need directly from their phone. The system alerts the fleet manager automatically. This prevents missed maintenance and keeps vehicles safer on the road.
As Tim noted, the new visibility helps the company spot trends they could never see before. The team can review inspections across regions, compare issues, and find root causes earlier.
Strengthening Vendor Qualification and Customer Compliance
Many operators require strict safety documentation before contractors can enter a site. These requirements continue to grow across the oil and gas industry. Paper records make this process slow and risky. If a certification is lost or a form is missing, crews may be delayed or removed from the job.
Digital transformation in oil and gas safety fixes this by giving supervisors instant access to each employee’s records. DSI can now check certifications, training history, and site-specific requirements with a few clicks.
Tim shared one example: “Each of our employees now has their own safety file, and we can go in at a moment’s notice and see what trainings or certifications that employee has.”
During customer audits or prequalification checks, DSI no longer needs to search through binders or ask the safety office to pull records manually. The platform generates clean reports on demand. This reduces audit time and builds customer confidence in DSI’s readiness.
How Digital Transformation Reduces Incidents and Improves Safety Practices
Digital safety records do more than store information. They help teams act faster and reinforce safe habits.
A few examples from DSI’s rollout include:
Faster incident reporting
Teams can now submit near misses or incidents directly from the field. The system captures the details immediately, allowing the safety team to see patterns across different job sites.
Better access to procedures
Instead of digging through large paper manuals, employees can use their phone to read procedures, review hazards, or pull up instructions.
Automated audits and compliance
Supervisors receive alerts when tasks must be completed, which prevents missed inspections or overlooked hazards.
Improved accuracy and consistency
Paper forms often contained errors or missing information. Digital forms guide employees through each step and improve the quality of data.
Tim emphasized the impact of this change: “We can see things we’ve never seen before, so we can spot trends.” This ability to identify patterns makes digital transformation oil and gas companies implement a powerful tool for reducing incident rates.
Early Wins: What DSI Has Already Achieved
Even early in the rollout, DSI has seen measurable improvements, especially with fleet inspections. Inspection completion rates increased significantly once crews could submit forms from their phones.
More importantly, DSI now sees issues sooner. If a region has multiple flat tires, damaged windshields, or repeated equipment failures, the system brings those patterns to the surface. Leaders can respond faster, adjust maintenance schedules, or improve training.
Other early wins include:
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Faster audit responses
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Fewer lost documents
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Streamlined onboarding for new employees
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Better tracking of employee skills and qualifications
These improvements show how digital transformation in oil and gas safety operations becomes a competitive advantage. Companies who adopt digital systems can work faster, stay compliant, and respond to customer needs with confidence.
Looking Ahead: How DSI Plans to Expand Digital Safety
DSI plans to continue expanding its use of EHS Insights. Several modules are next in line, including:
Risk assessment
This tool helps crews identify hazards and receive automated guidance based on the conditions they enter.
Skill assessments
Supervisors can track employee development and ensure the right people are assigned to the right tasks.
Enhanced SDS access
Safety data sheets are now digital, allowing employees to review materials quickly during emergencies.
These additions support a long-term vision where every part of safety, training, and compliance is connected through one digital system. As Tim summarized, moving from paper to digital has been transformative: “We couldn’t go back.”
Conclusion
Digital transformation in oil and gas is not only about new technology. It is about giving teams the information they need to work safely, respond quickly, and stay ready for any challenge. For DSI, digital safety records have changed the way supervisors lead, how crew’s complete tasks, and how the company prepares for audits and customer requirements.
By replacing paper with a unified digital platform, DSI now sees issues earlier, completes tasks faster, and meets compliance expectations with confidence. The company has built a safety culture supported by real-time data, stronger visibility, and tools built for the pace of modern oilfield work.
Digital safety systems are becoming a standard across the industry. DSI’s move to digital provides a strong foundation for future growth and shows how technology can strengthen both safety and performance at the same time.
About the Guest
Tim Hagan is the Internal Operations Project Manager at Design Solutions & Integration. He supports companywide safety and operational improvements, including the selection and rollout of digital safety tools used across DSI’s field operations.
About the Company
Design Solutions & Integration (DSI) is a faith based, 100 percent employee-owned company with more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. With 125 employees and operations across the Bakken and Permian Basin, DSI delivers electrical, automation, fabrication, engineering, and turnkey field services. The company focuses on integrity, long term partnerships, and high-quality solutions built through a vertically integrated model. Learn more at www.relyondsi.com.