New technologies like automation and artificial intelligence are often intimidating to company executives – some may shy away from adoption, whether because of complexity or perceived lack of value. Add occupational health and safety technology to the list of automation and integration and suddenly you are faced with massive resistance to change due to ageing SHEQ professionals within the industry.
When asking a SHEQ professional what their day to day activities consists of, 90% of their responses would be paperwork and administration. Our legislation has become so paperwork driven that we truly forget that the biggest impact is actually done by being on the floor and engaging with staff. Hence the need for change, we as employers must make the time available to automate and integrate processes which would free up resources to change behaviour and prevent avoidable incidents.
The SHEQ platform market can be a tricky one to navigate and this is largely due to different industries, activities and legislation dictating what the norm should be. The question employers should ask is what do I actually want to achieve in terms of my business compliance?
Do I require absolute minimum compliance, best practice, integration with quality and other business operations etc. and then work from there to find the right fit for the business?
The other hurdle to consider would be cost vs benefits of the system as many of the electronic systems license fees are ridiculously priced due to catering for first world countries. My tip would be to search local since legislative requirements would be met as well as best practice ISO integration.
I have had various opportunities to make use of multiple systems throughout my career as a SHEQ professional and my view of the technology shift we are entering is extremely optimistic. We are entering an era where SHEQ software can manage inspection frequencies, raise deviations on inspections, monitor compliance, remind supervisors of training about to expire, present top management with customised reports and statistics at the click of a button and so much more.
The table below illustrates the monthly saving in hours, on average, for medium sized manufacturing companies that are making use of implemented electronic systems:
The amount of hours can then be used to make a meaningful difference by chipping away in changing the behaviour of employees and mitigate the risks due to human error. The below diagram illustrates typical modules of the LabourNet Electronic platform along with an explanation on each modules’ features.
For more information on the above topic, please contact the LabourNet Helpdesk at
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