To keep up with rapid changes in the workplace and to improve productivity, the management of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) risks has never been more critical for all types of businesses. Managing workplace safety is not simply meeting regulatory requirements; it also helps protect employees, property, and helps increase overall business performance.
However, most organizations still rely on antiquated, manual processes to perform EHS safety audits. The use of these audit procedures are generally time-consuming, subject to human error, and fail to generate the level of data that supports proactive identification and management of risks.
The use of EHS safety audit software is an investment that provides organizations with several long-term benefits. The following lists a number of important reasons your organization should begin utilizing EHS safety audit software now.
1. Improves Regulatory Compliance
Safety law and regulation compliance is critical and not negotiable. As a result, EHS software contains automatic updates that reflect changes in regulations, enabling you to be one step ahead of any potential OSHA, ISO, EPA or other authority audits.
By utilizing the automatic reminders, checklists, and real-time alerts provided by EHS, you will reduce your business risk of violations, fines and/or damage. The EHS system allows you to continuously comply, instead of waiting for an audit.
2. Provides Instantaneous Reporting and Live Data Collection
Previous audit methods have utilized manual collection of data and a delay in reporting information. The use of EHS tools for audits allows for instant entry of data, the ability to analyze data and report on results.
Dashboards help companies see important safety data in real time. They show key performance indicators (KPIs), audit results, and hazards. This gives the safety team and company leaders a clear view of what is happening. They can spot issues early and take quick action. It also helps them make better decisions based on accurate data.
3. Standardize and Streamline Audit Processes with EHS Audit Tools
Comprehensive audit tools automate all aspects of the auditing process – planning, execution, reviewing and following up. You can build pre-filled template forms for audits (standardized), develop audit checklists, allocate duties to auditors, and schedule out periodic inspections.
This creates uniformity among all audit files and allows for increased efficiency in data collection which reduces administration time by allowing for the same processes to take place for audits being performed on different locations/departments.
4. Consolidates Documentation and Improves Accessibility
Organizations no longer need filing cabinets or scattered spreadsheets. EHS software stores all audit documents in one place. It provides a central, cloud-based repository. Inspection forms, compliance certificates, corrective actions, photos, and historical records are easy to find.
Everything is available in one location. This helps teams retrieve information quickly during audits. It also improves collaboration. Most importantly, it prevents the loss of important documents due to disorganization.
5. Encourages Advance Identification and Control of Risks and Threats.
A productive Environmental Health and Safety audit tool will enable you to identify trends, assess root causes, and establish preventive controls before a loss is sustained. A risk assessment matrix and incident tracking are some of the components that allow you to assign categories and priorities to different types of risks so that you can react proactively in areas of greatest concern. Instead of waiting for an incident to happen, by concentrating on areas of high risk, you are able to proactively eliminate hazards.
6. Ownership and Responsibility
Automated notifications and clearly defined tasks provide all necessary details for tracking Corrective Actions and Preventive Actions (CAPA) to completion. EHS platforms encourage individual responsibility through use of deadlines for completion of assigned tasks and provide visibility into the progress being made toward completion of tasks.
By using EHS platforms, all employees have a clear understanding of their responsibilities/roles for workplace safety and are expected to hold themselves accountable for ensuring that no safety-related issues are left unresolved.
7. Scalable and customisable to meet the needs of any industry
EHS audit tools are able to be customised based on your specific business practices, industry regulations, and geographic area. In addition, as an organisation expands or as new regulatory standards arise, this type of software allows you to change and upgrade as necessary so you will always have a reliable and secure platform.
8. Empowering Field Teams via the Mobility of Mobile Capabilities
Field and production floor audits are frequently conducted by auditors. Mobile Devices/Tablets EHS Audit Apps enable auditors to enter audit data, take photographs, and create reports from the audit site with or without an Internet connection. As a result, audits can be performed more efficiently and accurately, while field teams stay connected to the overall safety network.
9. Reduce the Costs of Incidents and Non-Compliance
Events occurring in the workplace are costly because of numerous potential costs associated with these events, including medical costs, lawsuits, lost productivity, damaged businesses’ reputations, etc. Environmental Health and Safety software standardises the process to anticipate workplace hazards early on.
By identifying hazards earlier, Environmental Health and Safety software offers a less severe consequence (lower cost) whenever an accident occurs than if no hazard had been identified prior to an accident occurrence. Thus, using Environmental Health and Safety software not only decreases the administrative costs and paper work, but also increases long-term operational cost savings.
10. Creates a Culture of Continuous Improvement in Safety
The safety is more than just a single goal; it is a continuous commitment to safety improvement. EHS Audit tools to provide long-term trend analysis, identify patterns of repeat incidents, and inform them of the focus of their improvement activities.
This information allows safety professionals to develop new policies, enhance their training programs, and create better means to address the needs of employees. The result is improved overall safety performance and a culture that supports the health and well-being of each worker.
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