Why you should treat EHS software like a gym membership

4 minutes09/14/2017

Written by Timo Kronlöf 

If you’ve ever been on a health kick, you’ll know that getting good results is about much more than just joining a gym. You need the right equipment to get in shape, but how quickly you lose weight and tone up depends on how effectively you use that equipment during your training sessions.

When it comes to your business fitness, the principle is the same – especially in the field of workplace safety. Many companies are waking up to the value of EHS software to manage safety and compliance, rather than relying on manual spreadsheets. However, the software alone cannot guarantee success; you need the right motivation, commitment and support to see results.

Why it pays off to work with experts

Many people hire a personal trainer when looking to improve their health. Businesses should treat a EHS software investment in exactly the same way. Just like with a PT, a technology expert will help you to establish goals, and create a tailored plan to obtain your goals as quickly as possible – without the risk of going off-track, or setting yourself up for failure. 

Some companies may choose to use ready-made safety management plans, such as the Bradley Curve, Safety Ladders model, and Zero Accident Vision model, or the ISO 45001 and several ISO standard models. Others might want something tailored to their business needs. There may even come a point where it makes more sense do it in-house, rather than outsourcing an EHS software expert. The most important thing is to remain aware and continually assess your needs. 

Staying motivated – and educated

Whatever support model you choose, it is important to stay focused on achieving your workplace safety goals at all times. To help motivate your EHS software personal trainers may help you to set short- and long-term objectives to reach your safety management goals within your organization. 

The reason it’s important to set your milestones is that, like any fitness, safety culture isn’t a fad; it’s a way of life and doing business. You need to make the process and attitudes that enable a safe working environment is second nature to your employees, and that means helping them to understand why you are investing in EHS software. 

Your success will rely on how well you can communicate your goals to employees and your business as a whole. Your employees need to understand why you are implementing a EHS software. How it influences your strategy, and why it is a vital part of your company DNA. You also need your senior management team to lead by example, understanding how embracing safety culture will influence their professional development, and help them reach their individual business goals. This will create a ‘halo effect’, in which safety advocates will positively influence others within your organization. 

Implementing changes

Whilst it is vital business stakeholders are bought-in to EHS software investment, many will find big changes daunting. It’s no different to starting a tough new exercise regime when you’re unfit – it doesn’t feel good, and the goals you are striving for feel like they are a lifetime away. 

Therefore, it is a good idea to break your workplace safety strategy down into smaller objectives, and give employees one clear focus to start off with. For example, focus on those who find workplace safety boring to start using your new EHS app, or to focus on managing incidents more effectively, before worrying about implementing bigger changes. You might even want to hire a personal safety consultant to work intensively with your employees from the start.  

It makes perfect sense to roll out the software step by step and to take this into account when selecting the first milestones. For example, start with optimizing your incident management with the help of the software solution. Usually, every employee has touchpoints with accident or near-miss reports in their everyday work. This focus is, therefore, particularly rewarding in the initial process standardization and simplifications. 

Just like any exercise regime, your business needs to provide a diverse plan, to stop employees getting bored. It is the responsibility of senior personnel within your company to continually study your safety strategy, and give staff new objectives to keep them motivated along the journey to a safer working environment. 

Finding the right equipment

We started by saying gym equipment alone won’t get you fit, most people realize that the quality of the tools you use will determine how quickly you reach your goals – and safety management fitness is no different. 

The best “EHS gyms” are also mobile, offering your workforce digital personal training. Think of it like a home gym; employees can just take their smart device out of their pocket and do the short workout, aka managing and reporting workplace safety issues via their app. 

Over time, just as personal trainers increase the intensity of their workouts, your chosen technology partner will up the ante on safety by adding more sophisticated features and functions. It’s important that your business supports staff along that journey, to instill confidence. Often, we find the most effective way to maximize results is for companies to appoint or support safety managers, who can build the internal culture from within. Think of them like the instructor of an aerobics or Zumba class, and the wider workforce as the participants. 

This may seem like a lot of work, and you will have to put in some hard graft along the way, but as anyone who’s ever lost a significant amount of weight will tell you, it is worth the effort. And the best motivators are the real results generated, which your workforce can celebrate together on your shop floor. 

To get your business safety-fit, you will benefit from working with a  partner that can offer you market-leading technology and bespoke advice. Quentic is the ultimate safety management gym for your organisation’s needs – get in touch with us to learn more.