Page 95 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2018

Good leadership provides clarity, in terms of process and methodol- ogy, which then leads to consistency and collaboration.
bed safety into their day-to-day role, signif- icant improvements in safety performance will naturally follow.
Obviously, health and safety manage- ment software isn’t a “magic wand” to solve every construction industry problem. However, when viewed as a catalyst to drive and monitor change, organizations that are open to software’s potential to radically improve construction workers’ safety and health will reap rich rewards.
Safety management isn’t just a finan- cial or legal requirement; it has a very real moral element: The difference between an effective and an ineffective system could literally be life or death. If eliminating the Fatal Four would save hundreds of lives every year, then organizations have a re- sponsibility to look toward the future and to embrace innovation as part of a wider commitment to improving and safeguard- ing the lives of their workforce.
Matthew Elson acquired SHE Software in 2011 and took on the role of full-time CEO in 2014. He has extensive executive expe- rience leading both large and small busi- nesses, including as CEO of ESR Technol- ogy (t/o £10m) and Managing Director of Atkins Management Consulting (t/o £70m). Holding an MBA from INSEAD and first- class degree in Engineering, Economics and Management from Oxford University, he began his career as an engineer before spend- ing six years at McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant.
With a rapidly expanding business in the UK and New Zealand, he ensures the team at SHE Software remains focused, engaged, and energized. He also frequently meets customers and prospects to listen to their business needs and challenges, ensuring that SHE’s health and safety solution, Assure, continues to lead the market.
SHE Software (https://www.shesoft- ware.com) is a leading provider of health and safety software globally. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Scotland, its 60-strong team of health and safety experts are IOSH and/or NEBOSH accredited. The company in 2013 launched its core product, Assure: a web-based platform and associ- ated mobile app designed to reduce risk for organizations by making safety real time and predictive. In April 2018, SHE Software launched an updated version of its app called AssureGO.
nologies have the potential to change the face of “traditional” management sys- tems and reporting tools. Furthermore, as workplace practices and, indeed, the nature of the workforce itself evolve, the benefits of employing such tools has be- come compelling.
Let’s look at the example of lone con- struction workers working in remote con- ditions. Perhaps they also work in multiple locations across several sites, or their first language is not that of the company’s stan- dard reporting system. The worker may be subject to unsociable hours, without recourse to office-based support staff, and unable to access paper or office-based sys- tems, such as incident books. What’s more, most employees just want to get their jobs done without the added stress of extra lay- ers of work.
In this instance, traditional reporting methods, many of which are notoriously time-consuming at the best of times, are ef- fectively useless, and the risk of an incident being unreported is high. The opportunity to collect data on an incident or near miss is lost, therefore increasing the possibility of its happening again—perhaps with more severe consequences.
However, given an appropriate tool— for example, a user-friendly mobile EHS app, with an intuitive user interface, which can be accessed offline when a data con- nection is unavailable—the employee is far more likely to record an incident or near miss, particularly when the relevant train- ing and supporting processes are put in place. In some instances, apps also can be configured to provide additional relevant information and functionality, such as nearby reported hazards, or provide advice on precautions, such as for icy roads.
Empowering employees to take respon- sibility and to get onboard with the safety journey is a proven method of increasing engagement levels. Furthermore, by re- moving “clunky,” process-driven require- ments, the workers become more efficient in their practices and subsequently more productive.
Additionally, data can be collected lo- cally in local language forms and reported consistently worldwide. Work processes
can be seamless, allowing central teams to review and approve locally generated content, such as incident investigations or risk assessments, as well as ensuring that all workers are included in an organization’s safety culture.
Good, meaningful data is the lodestone of an effective EHSMS. The mantra “what gets measured gets managed” should always be at the forefront of any health and safety professional’s thoughts. Safety management software provides the opportunity to ana- lyze, compare, and communicate data on near misses, the relative safety performance of branch sites and facilities, staff training levels, and much more. Therefore, the pro- vision of an elegant data capture and busi- ness intelligence solution aids managers in applying lessons learned from incidents.
An effective digital solution can help to streamline this process before helping managers transition their EHSMS from a “reactive” to a “proactive” stance, where data can be dissected and trends identi- fied. This, in turn, allows managers to track leading indicators (such as safe and unsafe observations) and predict where preventa- tive measures will be most effective.
The Value of a Strong Safety Culture
Most importantly, however, providing work- ers with the tools to allow them to do their jobs safely and efficiently, through clear and open lines of communication, is the founda- tion of a strong safety culture. Good leader- ship provides clarity, in terms of process and methodology, which then leads to consis- tency and collaboration—safety stops being a checklist exercise or the sole responsibility of one individual and becomes an inherent part of every worker’s role.
Embedding such a safety culture with positive enforcement through leadership and the provision of appropriate tools de- livers tangible benefits. Software solutions in EHS address a fundamental psychologi- cal phenomenon and support “common sense.” If a process is simple and straight- forward, then an individual is more likely to adopt it.
Effective health and safety doesn’t hap- pen behind a desk, so by giving employees the tools and information they need to em-
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