Enter any workplace now, whether it be construction sites, manufacturing plants, hospitals, or warehouses, and one will notice a familiar scenario in which documents such as incident reports, inspection checklists, training records, hazard assessments, and audits pile up in filing cabinets or shared folders on a computer network. This is because it is not just a requirement for companies to keep track of all the safety compliance information, but also to protect their employees. However, when this process becomes a maze of endless documentation, it only becomes a liability to the organization rather than offering any sort of protection.
That is why having a Health and Safety Management System becomes important for organizations. Gone are those days when all the health and safety information was documented using paper systems that were manual, disorganized, and complex. Now, companies are moving towards software and other digital tools to manage all these safety documents efficiently and effectively.
If you have ever wasted hours trying to locate a lost inspection report, failed to prove compliance when undergoing a safety audit, or witnessed safety issues being ignored because no one bothered to keep track of them, then you know exactly how frustrating these situations can be. Luckily, all these concerns can easily be overcome with today’s Health & Safety Management Software.
Why Is Safety Documentation Such a Pile-Up?
Documentation regarding health and safety management system is not something you do once. On the contrary, it needs to be constantly maintained. Risk assessments will need to be performed periodically. Incident reports will need to be filed, investigated, and followed up. Safety training documentation will have to be updated regularly as people get re-certified, and new employees join the organization.
If this were to be done manually, the amount would soon become unmanageable. For instance, an average-sized manufacturing plant may produce hundreds of safety documentation per month. If such information is spread out between different facilities, shifts, and departments, then there is sure to be a loss of files and effort duplication. The problem will only come to light when it’s too late, often in the form of an audit or an accident.
A bigger concern than having too much paperwork is the inability of managers and leaders to have visibility into organizational performance. In a case where safety data is scattered among various departments and individuals (managers’ emails, file cabinets, and spreadsheets), there would be no hope of tracking down any patterns or emerging hazards.
What are the Functions of a Health & Safety Management System?
In essence, a Health & Safety Management System is an online central portal where all safety activities, documents, and records are compiled and stored in one convenient place. Rather than using various software tools for each task, everything related to safety activities is handled using a unified system.
There are different functional areas covered by such platforms. For example, incident and near-miss reporting tools enable employees to record incidents via mobile devices including photo evidence, witnesses, and even geolocation. There are risk assessment tools which help evaluate risks systematically based on a standardized approach. The audit and inspection functions eliminate the need for paper forms, as they are replaced by online forms.
With training and competency management, certification, induction, and retraining are managed automatically, with notifications issued when the expiration dates are approaching. Corrective and preventive action processes identify responsible parties, set deadlines, and keep track of the progress made to prevent things from falling between the cracks. Document control is used to manage version histories, approvals, and permissions for policies, procedures, and SDSs.
How Can Health and Safety Management Software Lessen the Administrative Load?
Perhaps the first advantage that companies see when using health and safety management software is how much less time they have to spend on administration-related work. Those responsible for safety within organizations will be able to notice immediately how much less time they have to devote to preparing documents, looking for approvals, and entering all necessary data by hand, since this software makes everything automated.
The key element in achieving such results lies in automation itself. If someone completes an inspection using a mobile app, for example, then all data collected during this inspection is automatically transferred to the central system without any need for manual intervention. Similarly, software can be programmed to send automatic notifications if a certification for one of your employees is about to expire.
The automation process not only helps in saving time but is also more accurate. Manual filling of data is likely to lead to human errors like typing mistakes and missing out on important information, especially if the writing is illegible. Digital forms come with validation checks ensuring that all required information is filled before submission.
Does Advanced Software Help Make People Safer, or Is It Merely Pretty Forms?
This is a reasonable question: Does putting your safety processes into software really decrease accidents or just improve recordkeeping? It would seem from research that the answer lies with the former. In cases when organizations are able to see at all times what kind of hazards their workers are facing, what near misses have happened, and what inspection results there are, they will be able to see certain patterns that simply would not be possible to spot using a paper-based recordkeeping system. Thus, for instance, if a certain piece of equipment produces several near-miss events, a sophisticated software program will alert management about the problem and allow them to address the issue before it leads to an accident.
There is also the cultural change brought about by the ease of reporting. Those employees who have the ability to report their near miss in thirty seconds using their phones will definitely be much more inclined to carry out such actions than others who are required to get a form, fill it out, and then mail it to a distant office. Such leading indicator information provides organizations with a head start on information not obtainable from lagging indicators.
What Are Some Features You Need in Your Health and Safety Software?
All software is not created equally, and the decision about which Health and Safety Management Software you choose will depend greatly on the needs of your particular business. Consider how many people you have, the level of complexity of the business, and the environment in which you work. Mobile access cannot be overlooked if your employees spend any amount of time in the field or work in several locations. Employees must be able to report hazards and do their safety checklists anywhere. Integration into your other software is important because it will integrate with your existing HR software and maintenance of equipment programs.
Conclusion
Moving from a paper-based system to a digital solution may take some time, but this is time well invested since you will see a return in many forms, including less regulatory non-compliance, quicker response times for incidents, lower administrative costs, and most importantly, improved workplace safety culture. If you and your team feel like you are swamped by paperwork, binders, and disparate systems, then it may be time to find out what the latest Health & Safety Management Systems can do for your company. It will pay off because it will help you create a safe work environment where all employees have access to the necessary tools for hazard identification and reporting.
Ava Mitchell turns celebrity facts into smart, scroll-worthy stories at Star Ledger Pro, backed by 3 years of experience.
