It is said that occupational safety will never be complete - even if zero accidents have been achieved. Good safety must be earned every day, and in every task ahead. New areas of development are encountered every day. And every day there’s new inspections to make, every day skills must be developed and ensured, and every day there is a need to communicate and create awareness of good safety.
What is a good safety management system?
A good safety management system evolves and refines, but it also keeps the pace with new evolving opportunities and trends. It must also be strong at its core and versatile with storing and handling OSH data in one centralised tool. It systematizes a previously fragmented puzzle into a logical entity that can be easily managed, regardless of the time, place or user – still with the goal of bringing zero accidents. Ultimately when an authority, customer, foreign owner or other auditor comes in to your organisation and asks you how it is managing security, requested information can be provided quickly and easily with just a few clicks. A robust system is characterised by EHS analytics software, document storing software, and more.
A safety management system is a cultural tool and a tool for monitoring, managing and reporting at the same time. Good safety management systems can adjust the transparency of different procedures and documentation according to your organisation's intent and cultural safety level. A great safety culture is characterised by a high degree of transparency. This includes learning from each other and sharing good practices, as well as open, positive safety communication. The best OSH software involves all staff, not just the experts. This can be done easily by introducing the entire organisation to the application and promoting its use. Easy sign-in without logging in - is an important feature to promote this.
Read our guide: How to fulfill the regulatory demands for occupational safety >
Features that good safety management systems should include
Good safety management systems already have Recommended Basic User Roles and Basic Processes for the customer that can also be customisable. For the various features and tools used, the steps and their responsibilities must be clear and adjustable. The system must be able to easily build an organisational model that controls workflows, permissions and assists in targeting statistics and data. On the other hand, good safety management systems adapts to the size of the organisation, making it a good solution for both smaller and larger organisations.
Tools that safety management systems must include at minimum:
- Reporting and investigating safety findings and accidents
- Inspections and audits
- Risk assessments
All of the above are intrinsically linked to the Actions tool with its responsibilities and schedules to address the findings and shortcomings. It should be integrated with the procedures previously stated, to stay connected. In addition, often one of the most important aspects of the development of occupational safety, as well as a statutory obligation, is orientation and systematic management. It is also good to have a tool for this in the system, including the management of different qualifications.
Lack of orientation or skills is often found to be the cause of serious accidents, and this is one of the most important tools in occupational safety. From a systematic and safe change management perspective, safety document management should also be part of the system, since, for example, ISO 45001 requirements expect documentation of safety objectives, hazards and deviations, risk mapping, security plans, reviews and continuous improvement.
A safety management system is a general management tool. It provides a systematic model for developing and managing safety in a knowledge-driven manner. There will be indicators for monitoring against which goals can be set. Monitoring and transparency must also be possible with regard to operations and user rights, such as audits, risk assessments and measures. The need for a system with so many integral capabilities explains why many companies are choosing to move to EHS compliance software - where you have access to all necessary tools and can simultaneously ensure consistent compliance to regulations.
Read the article: 5 signs you need to change your health and safety software >
Freedom and ease with mobile
From a technical point of view, good safety management systems must offer the capability of an operating system while being device independent, including mobile. Nowadays, over 80% of data is transmitted and stored on mobile, so it's a basic assumption. In addition, automation of different processes always speeds up usage, such as Single Sign On (SSO). Other technical capabilities include reporting via QR code, the ability to customise all forms by the user and extract the desired data to other systems, such as analytics software.
With cloud service being the best solution today, you need to keep in mind the reliability, security and backup of the service.
Ready to take a step to a safer workplace?
If your organisation is still wondering why occupational safety software should be purchased, it's a good idea to go back to the following basic questions:
- Is occupational safety information, guidance and procedures currently managed in one place?
- Does the organisation have agreed practices for actions and will they be completed?
- Do legal obligations, including data protection, seem to be in order?
- Are you sure that inspections or audits will go well?
- Are the organisation's workplace safety processes digitized, quickly and easily?
- Is everyone in the organisation actively participating in developing OSH through the system?
Request a Demo of EcoOnline EHS
Do you recognize these points? You are not alone!
We know that work on systematic HSE is complex, which is why we have developed a solution that meets the regulations, while also creating a safe workplace that promotes a sustainable safety culture.
Safety Manager is a user-friendly, flexible tool that streamlines and simplifies the implementation, management and follow-up of all HSE tasks.
Why choose EcoOnline EHS Software?
- Report, investigate and handle accidents – straight from your mobile device.
- Plan, conduct and follow-up on audits, inspections and safety rounds
- Make sure actions are taken by the right person at the right time
- Create your own customised risk assessments that easily and quickly meet your specific needs
- Carry out HSE work in collaboration with employees, safety representatives and union representatives
Request a demo of EcoOnline EHS today and discover why EcoOnline is the simplest path to a safer workplace.
