Page 16 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2018

HEALTH CARE
Using Software to Unlock Your Health & Safety Potential
Looking at most “world class” health and safety organizations, technology plays a vital role in their success. They view software as one of many tools, not the sole solution.
BY ERIC GLASS
In today’s technology-driven world, many as- pects of an organization can be managed better by people using software. We have seen it in the HR arena with the introduction of payroll and
performance management systems. In the training space, learning management systems now drive train- ing compliance. And safety and health is also starting to make the turn into technology.
More organizations are abandoning their out- dated, paper-based health and safety management systems and purchase software to reach their true, leading indicator-based health and safety potential. However, the biggest mistake organizations can make is to believe that by a flip of the switch, health and safety software will solve all issues. Purchasing soft- ware is the easy part of the decision. But does your organization have the culture (and patience) to sup- port this transition?
There are some steps an organization can take prior to and during the software implementation to
put themselves in better position to succeed with this investment.
Designate a Beta Location
Designating a beta location—an individual, group, or branch that acts as the first adopter—is a crucial first step for future organizational-wide software utilization success. Organizations with designated beta locations quickly learn that software is not only a health and safety management tool, but also it can drive improvement in their current health and safety processes. It also helps to create software sub- ject matter experts (SMEs) within the organization; that is essential in training new users as user sites expand, as new employees come on board, and for future sustainability.
Beta test locations should:
■ Identify goals for software utilization and es- tablish milestones so expectations can clearly be com- municated to all future users at roll-out.
■ Examine existing EHS Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), identify improvements, and make changes to processes and procedures that incorporate the software capabilities.
■ Develop training curricula that teach users about functionality and lay out expectations on when to engage the software.
- Ensure that you have different version of curriculum based on user permissions.
- Focus only on the functionality you will utilize, not the capabilities of the whole system.
■ Conduct situational exercises to map workflow through the software. Determine what needs to hap- pen to achieve the desired outcome.
■ Develop detailed roll-out plans that include training dates and a list of designated internal SMEs.
■ Develop future training teams to be dispatched to other locations/departments.
■ Assist executive leadership with understand- ing the benefits of the software and outline the level of support needed to ensure software success.
■ Conduct periodic surveys of user groups to determine whether changes to the software workflow (or safety processes or procedures) are needed both during the beta test phase and periodically for all loca- tions throughout the life of the software use.
Get Executive Leadership Buy-In/Support
Without executive leadership buy-in or support, any
14 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL 2018
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