Background

e4 Environmental was founded in Sheffield in 2006, and has built a strong reputation as a fully licensed asbestos removal and encapsulation contractor. Operating across a wide range of sectors – including schools, hospitals, offices and residential properties – the company holds its HSE licence alongside a full suite of industry accreditations.

Where asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and present a lower risk, the right kind of encapsulation – sealing the material with a specialist coating rather than removing it – can be a safer and more proportionate solution. Offering this tailored service alongside full removal means e4 Environmental can match the right approach to each individual project.

The company employs five supervisors and a small office team. Its health and safety function is led by Anita Pabich, who holds NEBOSH and IOSH qualifications and is responsible for company policies, internal audits, plans of work and risk assessments.

Challenge

Before adopting Assure360, e4 Environmental ran an entirely paper-based operation. Supervisors completed documentation on site and returned their folders to the office at the end of each job. Anita would work through the paperwork manually, scanning every document, naming files, and saving them to the company’s cloud storage.

Exposure record management was particularly labour-intensive. Analytical reports had to be reviewed individually, with data entered into spreadsheets, comments added and files saved. Reporting relied on those same spreadsheets which, while functional, required considerable effort to maintain.

As the business looked to grow and modernise, it became clear that paper-based processes were a constraint. When e4 Environmental came across Assure360 through the ARCA newsletter, the opportunity to go paperless seemed worth a closer look.

Results

Following a presentation from the Assure360 team, e4 Environmental signed up to Assure360 in September 2025. iPads were purchased for all site staff, and training was provided both in the office and on site.

The rollout was deliberately phased: the company started with non-licensed projects in December 2025, before moving to licensed projects in January 2026. From February it began to use the software to manage more complex licensed enclosure work.

Initially, there was a period of adjustment as supervisors transitioned from paper-based systems. However, with the training and support provided by Assure360, they quickly grew in confidence and recognised that Assure360 – particularly the Paperless app – would be a valuable improvement.

Support from Assure360’s team – particularly account director Rick Garland – has been central to the experience. Rick is available via WhatsApp to answer questions from supervisors in the field, and was instrumental in keeping the rollout on track.

Even at this early stage, the benefits are tangible. The hours Anita previously spent scanning, filing and maintaining spreadsheets are being reclaimed for health and safety work – including site visits and internal audits. Supervisors, freed from bulky site folders, can focus on supervising rather than administration. And with all project data captured in Assure360, the office has real-time visibility of what is happening on site.

An early indicator of the wider value came when a major client carried out an audit on one of e4 Environmental’s sites. Rather than presenting multiple separate files, the team was able to show a single consolidated Assure360 report containing all the relevant data. This modern, streamlined approach impressed the client, and has helped strengthen the relationship.

The business’ Health and Safety Executive (HSE) licence renewal is due in September 2026. Anita is looking forward to the simplified process, supported by the purpose-designed reports built into the Assure360 system.

What the client said

“It’s early days, but the experience has been really encouraging. The lads are enjoying the new system: they don’t have to carry massive folders around, everything is in one place, and if something gets missed I can send it straight through.

“The support is amazing. Rick’s available to us on WhatsApp, which is really helpful – he can solve issues directly with the people on site, so I don’t have to be involved in answering every question. Meanwhile if I need more information on how a feature works, I can just ask him.

“Absolutely we’re saving time. I was spending hours on admin; scanning and filing paperwork when I needed that time to focus on my other responsibilities. The new system has eliminated all that, saving me valuable time that I can now put into health and safety work.

“On site as well: the supervisors can be more present to monitor the job instead of sitting and doing admin stuff. It’s much, much quicker, and they’ve got everything in one place.”

Client name

• Anita Pabich
• Health and safety manager

 

Related links

Website: https://www.e4ltd.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/e4-environmental-ltd/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/e4environmental

 

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