How Nelson Brothers transformed safety management across a complex, high-risk operation

Since its founding in 1956, Nelson Brothers has grown into a leading manufacturer and distributor of commercial explosives products and services, supplying some of the largest mining and aggregate producers in the United States. Following a joint venture with Orica in 1999, the company has continued to expand its capabilities and footprint, supplying over 17 billion lbs. of its flagship PowerNel™ emulsion line and exporting specialty chemical products to more than 30 countries.

With around 500 employees across 10 US sites, Nelson Brothers operates in one of the most tightly regulated industries in manufacturing. When Clint Fritz joined as Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Security, his mandate was clear: strengthen safety processes across a complex, multi-site operation where the stakes are high. “Musculoskeletal disorders are the main health and safety risk for individual employees,” he explains, “while transportation of explosives is the greatest organisational risk.”

Transportation of explosives [is] Nelson Brothers’ greatest health and safety risk, highlighting the importance of information sharing among transportation departments and compliance with regulations.

– CLINT FRITZ,
Director,
Health, Safety, Environment and Security

Cutting the cost and complexity of SDS authoring

Nelson Brothers produces more than 100 chemicals and is required to provide safety data sheets for every one of them. “Before using Almego, Nelson Brothers outsourced SDS authoring, which was costly,” says Clint. Responding to change requests or multilingual requirements only added to that friction.

Adopting EcoOnline’s SDS Authoring software changed that. “Nelson Brothers initially adopted EcoOnline’s Almego software for SDS authoring because it was affordable and easy to use,” says Clint. Built-in translation capabilities were a particular draw for a business exporting specialty chemicals worldwide. What had been a recurring external expense became a streamlined internal process, now managed day-to-day by Nelson Brothers’ Product Stewardship Manager.

A safety management platform that works for the whole team

Nelson Brothers began re-evaluating it’s safety management software when their previous provider raised prices beyond budget. The positive experience with SDS Authoring made EcoOnline a natural first choice for broader EHS software needs.

“EcoOnline’s software is used daily by safety, health, environmental, and security managers for incident reporting and inspections,” says Clint. “We review reports weekly and build custom forms as needed.”

Consistent safety standards across every site, not just your safest one.
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Multiple sites, multiple teams, multiple systems gives you plenty of data, but never the full picture. The gap in multisite safety programs isn’t effort or resources. It’s visibility. EcoOnline’s EHS software and chemical manager gives you a full picture of risk. So when you sit in front of an executive, regulator, or the board, you’re not hoping the data from your sites align, you know they do. EHS software brings your entire safety program into one view: incidents, inspections, risk assessments, chemical approvals standardized across every region. You know where your program stands, and so does your leadership. Chemical Manager provides a live, accurate inventory, SDS documentation that’s always current, exposure records that exist before anyone asks for them, and storage risks surfaced before they escalate. When something changes like an updated SDS, a new site or regulatory shift, you need solutions that adapt, not scramble. Because the best EHS directors aren’t reacting less. They’re seeing more and reacting to what matters most. Book a demo and know your program holds up at every site for every stakeholder.

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Custom forms allow the team to rapidly create incident, inspection, and near-miss reports, with photos and attachments improving clarity and follow-through. Dynamic forms support more detailed documentation where it’s needed, and the data feeds directly into weekly leadership reviews to identify trends and drive corrective actions.

Building a safety culture where reports don’t disappear

One of Clint’s core objectives was to increase near-miss reporting and improve information flow from first-line supervisors, turning frontline observations into organisational learning before incidents became losses.

That required more than better software. It required employees to believe their reports would actually be read. At a company where team members routinely stay for 20, 30, and 40 years, that trust matters.

“SHES managers administer EcoOnline, completing reports and inspections, while employees access information and ask questions through posted reports,” says Clint. Incident and inspection reports are shared back with staff via intranet sites and bulletin boards, so employees can see that what they submit is reviewed and acted upon.

Rather than safety data disappearing into a ‘black box’, information reaches the people who generated it in a format they can actually engage with.

Sharing incident reports with employees via intranet sites and bulletin boards improved engagement and safety culture.

– CLINT FRITZ,
Director,
Health, Safety, Environment and Security

The value of EcoOnline is tangible. Clint notes that even a single prevented injury can offset the cost of the software at least four times over when productivity loss, medical costs, and rehabilitation are factored in. For a business operating at this scale and risk level, the case for stronger safety processes is measurable, not theoretical.