Pen-and-paper workplace safety procedures can leave dangerous gaps in workplace safety systems — technology solutions can fix them
Not even a decade ago, a discussion about incorporating technology into the workplace might have touched on productivity or communication, but probably not safety. That’s beginning to change, though, as software and devices evolve and become increasingly affordable and easy to use, and leaders discover the potential benefits to worker safety.
A recent survey by Verdantix, for example, found sales of technological solutions were growing faster than any other part of the workplace safety industry, at a rate of 15 per cent annually. The survey authors suggested several reasons for the growth, including advances in technology, a proliferation of connected devices, younger employees and managers, and new demands on safety professionals.
Data also shows improved safety for companies making the leap from pen-and-paper solutions to higher-tech safety management systems. A survey by Aberdeen Group found top safety performers achieve 80 per cent fewer injuries and spend five per cent less on health and safety budgets when using a digital solution. That’s good business: A Liberty Mutual Insurance Company study found that of CFOs who calculate ROI of their safety initiatives, 60 per cent report a greater-than-100-per-cent return on investment in safety technology systems.
A range of devices
To collect better data — and put it to effective use — employers are using a combination of devices and software systems.
The proliferation of mobile phones and tablets — as well as employees’ comfort levels with the technology — makes them an obvious choice in many situations. “Giving employees the ability to whip out their phone or tablet and very easily report an incident or even just a safety observation allows you to increase the employees’ adoption,” says Omar Amlani, account executive with Intelex Technologies.
“The tech in our pockets is evolving so quickly now, with capabilities like speech-to-text, location tagging, or using the camera on your phone to very quickly take a picture for evidence. All of that — and the fact that employees can readily adapt to and learn those technologies — is a really huge advantage,” says Amlani.
Other devices such as wearable tech to monitor health are becoming more popular as well, says Josh LeBrun, president and COO of eCompliance. “They can have wearable tech, for example, in helmets that will alert an alarm if there’s a heavy impact, and send information about that impact to a centralized location,” LeBrun says.
The use of remotely managed technology such as drones to inspect dangerous areas is on the rise as well, says LeBrun.
Once information is collected, software helps to make it useful right away. “The ability to have that information automatically and immediately available to your safety team to analyze and make faster, more informed decisions, is incredibly valuable,” says LeBrun. “That’s the biggest change over the past few years: the ability to capture and manage all that information in real time,” says LeBrun.
How an organization makes the best use of all that data can be adapted to its specific needs. “Many technologies can be integrated within an enterprise safety management system,” says Amlani. “Beacon and GPS technologies, for example, can be used to automatically push safety briefings or communications to employees based on their location. If you wanted to remind a worker their personal protective equipment is required when they enter a specific job site, that is something you will be able to integrate into the system.”
Traditional safety measures: Mind the gaps
Technology solutions can also solve some of the problems inherent with more traditional safety management methods. LeBrun says one key advantage to technology is software that can help turn passive data into actionable information. “Companies need to understand all the information about the hazards that exist in their worksites; they need to know what corrective actions need to be completed in order to reduce risk, whether those corrective actions are still outstanding or not, and whether they need to do inspections of equipment, worksites and other locations,” says LeBrun. Once a management system has data, it can analyze to see where highest areas of risk are and prioritize what needs to be done.
With pen-and-paper methods, there’s a significant risk of missing problem areas altogether. “Often, organizations focus on their lagging indicators of risk,” says LeBrun. “The trouble is, you could be doing an incredibly poor job on something, but positive lagging indicators in that area might simply reflect your good luck at avoiding any serious incidents, even though you’re doing a really poor job at proactively managing your safety practices.”
If that’s the case, an organization could be ill-prepared to deal with the real risks. “They could find themselves on the wrong end of a severe safety incident without having had any prior knowledge that the risk actually existed,” says LeBrun. “That’s an inexcusable thing for a safety team and even worse for an executive team because ultimately it’s up to the executive team to prioritize these types of initiatives and if they have no idea where risk exists in their company — and if the reason they don’t know is because they’re not using effective technology — that’s just not a good excuse.”
“It’s in our nature to be reactive; to try and identify what’s happened rather than what might happen in the future,” says Amlani. “With pen and paper, it’s difficult enough to capture what has happened, never mind perform analysis on what could happen. Technology can help tremendously with that.”
Technology can also help to strengthen a culture that actively supports safety, says Amlani. Many of the technologies in the marketplace give employees the autonomy to use mobile devices to report safety concerns and observations. “The biggest risk in using pen and paper is that it doesn’t really do anything to drive behavioural change, and we know that an employee’s perception of safety in a company is really closely correlated with that company’s incident rates,” says Amlani. “So, empowering every employee with the ability to participate in your safety culture is critical if you want to drive that safety change.”
Investment over cost
Despite the benefits of embracing technology for safety management, many organizations resist. Cost is not necessarily the chief roadblock. “I think the idea that it’s expensive is going away,” says LeBrun. “Five years ago, when people were talking about technology they were probably worried about the cost of it, but I think now they’re seeing it as an investment, rather than a cost, and realizing that there’s a return on that investment.”
Instead, says LeBrun, even though many organizations recognize there is a better way to manage safety, they may have leaders who haven’t prioritized the effort and resources required to make the shift. Adopting an entirely new and comprehensive system requires change management competence. “We find that companies who do a really good job with change management for the rest of their business will do a great job implementing technology to help them reduce risk in their safety practices,” says LeBrun. “The companies that don’t have the executive level support, that don’t have processes in place to help them to effectuate change in a professional way — those are the ones that will struggle through it.”
Technology in safety is a multi-phased project. “To adapt to a technology-based workplace safety management system requires an investment of time and manpower,” says Amlani. “If you’re coming from a pen-and-paper safety culture it’s easy to imagine that that first step of getting a system in place is the last step, as well. In reality, that’s just the first phase of complying with what’s required.” Amlani says over time clients leverage the technology more and find ways to positively impact performance and even revenue.
Where to start?
When adopting tech solutions, Amlani suggests starting small, but keeping the larger goals in mind. “In my experience the most successful organizations are the ones that develop a strong understanding of how a safety management system can help them long term, but who also gain adoption and derive value earlier by focusing initially on the most pressing pain points.”
Getting employees on board right out of the gate is necessary for success, says Amlani. “If you launch a system and you say, ‘Moving forward we’re going to be reporting all incidents, managing audits, managing suppliers and doing all our analysis, through this technology,’ you’re going to scare people,” he says.
