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SAFETY CULTURE Harnessing Software to Reinforce Safety Culture Software can be a primary tool in not only providing real-time insights and alerts into safety performance, but also in reinforcing and expanding an organization’s safety culture BY ANDREW FISHER approach to safety and health performance, nothing should top the desire to protect employees. Workers are the lifeblood of the business, and their value as people who leave the worksite everyday reminds us of the importance of high safety culture, pro- tecting the lives of those we love. Companies should do everything in their power to ensure every worker returns home at the end of the day unharmed. In Party people studio/Shutterstock.com addition to the efficiency and financial ben- efits, building a safer workplace satisfies an innate morality to product human life. Advantages of a Software-Focused Safety Culture Every safety culture is different, but if your A s workplace safety cultures con- expenses to account for. safety program includes both gas detection and software products that give real-time in- tinue to expand and evolve, in- Injuries are also often examined by oc- sight to the right person at the right time, it stant visibility into safety and cupational health and safety inspectors. efficiency should be the primary can help you find gaps in your process, make This can result in penalties ranging from you more efficient, make people safer, and goal of any modern solution. Visibility into $13,260 to $132,598 for each non-compli- help to prevent major events like gas leaks or the hazards workers face allows safety man- ance occurrence. In 2018 alone, business- agers to be proactive and avoid risk. explosions – which at the end of the day can es accumulated $52.4 billion in wage and help operations, financials, and more. productivity losses, according to the Na- With this goal, it’s no surprise that busi- nesses in industrial environments are turn- tional Safety Council. Costs add up, mak- Even the best gas detection setup in the ing toward updated software solutions to ing an injury or illness quite expensive. world will only impact safety. To impact help achieve their safety goals. As software By ensuring your organization has a things like organizational efficiency or to that connects seamlessly with businesses’ software solution that connects seamlessly help prevent catastrophic emergencies, hardware solutions can offer real-time with your hardware solutions, you can you need the right hardware but also the alerts and analytics that help improve safe- protect your bottom line and workers. associated software. With these, you can: ty, reduce risk, and boost productivity. 1. Inform your workers. In indus- For example, a complete safety solution Even if your team of safety profession- trial environments, emergencies happen. includes pairing gas detectors with cloud- als have already applied a software solu- When they do, every second matters. By based experiences that offer real-time site tion, you can maximize its impact on your using the right gas detector with its asso- analytics and worker status updates. This safety culture with a few simple steps. ciated software, such as peer-to-peer con- gives safety managers the awareness to re- nected devices, you ensure those in danger duce risk and manage productivity while can rely on nearby workers for help. also maximizing your return on investment. The Impact on Your Business Rather than guessing what to do when a Executives, meanwhile, can also access Although American workplaces are safer gas monitor goes into alarm, peers get the than they have ever been, workers are still these analytics to get a high-level overview sustaining significant injuries while on the information they need to act fast without of site safety and productivity. However, putting themselves in danger, too. Whatev- simply having these software options in clock. According to the Bureau of Labor Sta- er causes an instrument to alarm, all peers tistics, 5,333 workers died on the job in 2019. place isn’t going to add value if your work- This is, on average, more than 100 fatalities in the connected group will instantly know ers aren’t properly and regularly trained on who is in danger and why. This leads to bet- how to use the gas detection equipment. per week or about 15 fatalities every day. ter safety outcomes for everyone. These incidents can wreak havoc on your budget, resulting in losses from decreased The Impact on Your Employees 2. Get the data you need. Connecting productivity. There are also hospital bills, your workforce with the appropriate soft- Although significant consequences are rea- workers’ compensation payments, and other ware allows you to aggregate gas detection son enough to adopt a hands-on, software 32 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 www.ohsonline.com