Occupational Health and Safety Software [Detailed Guide]

What is Occupational Health and Safety Software?

Occupational health and safety software, also known as OHS software, is a digital solution which aims to help safety professionals reduce incidents and injuries on site. Stay ahead of potential hazards and risks with the help of robust incident management capabilities, 360-degree visibility into your safety program, and extensive metrics of your organization’s safety performance.  

This type of software can also help an organization stay compliant within the industry and offer comprehensive training features to all employees to help them conduct job tasks safely. What’s more is you can also experience more efficient communication and accessibility to all key elements within your safety program, in a few simple clicks.  

What are the Benefits of Using Occupational Health and Safety Software?

A digital solution can help your organization in several ways. Here are the top five benefits of occupational health and safety management software to help you simplify safety: 

1. Reduce time-consuming manual processes

OHS software can help reduce administrative burdens associated with a paper or Excel-based safety system. Logging information and data within spreadsheets or on paper can be a pain and can consume excessive amounts of your time. A cloud-based solution can make this easy with its dynamic features, giving you the ability to get out onto the field longer, rather than staying tethered to a desk for hours on end. A digital solution can also allow you to set up automated notifications and alerts so you can alert employees of specific corrective actions, new information, or stay ahead of training expiry dates.  

2. Gain greater insight into safety performance through reporting and metrics

Robust reporting and analytics give you greater insight into your safety performance. This can be extremely difficult to do when using pen and paper, as this method can be prone to human error and make tracking trends nearly impossible. Track key metrics, leading and lagging indicators, and more with custom dashboards tailored to your organization’s safety goals. Spot hidden deficiencies and strengths within your safety program so you can make data-driven decisions to increase safety performance.  

3. Easily manage documentation and forms

Depending on the size of your organization’s safety program and information accumulated over the years, managing all documentation with paper can be quite cumbersome. Some organizations resort to boxes, file cabinets, and even storage rooms to organize it all. This is not sustainable and can lead to the loss of documents. Several EHS professionals waste hours trying to track down the information they are looking for. OHS software makes document management easy with all documents digitized and centralized, in one easily accessible platform. Pull up the information you’re looking for in seconds, rather than sifting through boxes all day.  

4. Increase employee engagement and strengthen your safety culture

Digital software can help increase employee engagement at the workplace. With the help of a mobile app, you can place safety right at the palm of their hands! This makes it easy for employees to participate in safety activities and log information right on their phones, without taking time away from the field or disrupting their day. Over time, this can help strengthen your safety culture as more employees understand they are accountable for each other’s safety. Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility, from boardroom executives to the front-line workforce.  

5. Streamline communication across multiple sites

Enhance communication with employees and key stakeholders across multiple sites with a digital solution. Send updated safety policies and procedures, hazard assessments, safety data sheets, and more in just a few clicks! OHS software can also allow you to easily assign corrective actions to specific employees and track their completion status right from your mobile phone. Set up alerts or automated notifications to key stakeholders with instructions to help quickly mitigate risks and create a safer work environment.  

Important Features of Occupational Health and Safety Software

When looking for the right OHS software for your organization, it’s important to have certain capabilities in mind. Below are some of the most important features of an occupational health management software needed to create a safer work environment: 

1. Document management

Document management capabilities are vital in any OHS software you choose. This allows you to digitize and centralize all documents and forms in one platform, accessible to all key stakeholders in seconds. This also helps to grant 360-degree visibility into your safety program as everything is in one solution.  

2. Incident management

Reducing incidents on site is a fundamental feature of any digital safety solution. This is done through incident management capabilities including the ability to digitally report incidents, injuries, and near-misses quickly, alerting key stakeholders to put the necessary corrective actions in place.  

3. Reporting and analytics

Track key safety metrics, identify leading and lagging indicators, and spot trends through a strong reporting engine found within the software you choose. Analyze data found within dynamic dashboards and customize your own reports to gather the data you need to measure safety performance and make data-driven decisions.  

4. Hazard identification

Identify hazards digitally no matter where you may be working. Take photos of the risk or hazard and simply upload them to the OHS software where others can be notified of their presence. This helps to streamline communication and quickly protect others from potential harm.  

5. Compliance management

Occupational health and safety management solutions can also keep your organization compliant with industry standards and regulations. With a built-in Programs Tab, professionals can simply click the program they want to be compliant with, gain guidance on what is required, and house all documents in one spot to maintain their progress.  

6. Mobile application

Place safety in the palm of your workforce’s hands with a mobile application. This gives employees the ability to continue working, no matter where they may be located. A mobile application can help empower your team and increase participation in safety activities as everything is easily accessible. 

7. Offline capability

Giving your employees the ability to work offline can be a game changer. Even in the remotest of areas, workers can work uninterrupted, with the ability to gather data while they are offline. This can help boost efficiency and productivity at the workplace to help you reach your safety goals.  

Things to Consider Before Buying Occupational Health and Safety Software

There are many things to consider before choosing the right solution for your organization. To help you along your way, we have gathered some of the top factors you should assess before you buy occupational health and safety management software: 

The safety of both full-time employees and contractors

The safety of your workforce is the top priority of any employer, including contractors who may also be working on site. The OHS software you choose should allow contractors to be able to access it and participate in safety activities just like full-time employees. This will help strengthen your safety culture and create a sense of accountability for each other’s safety at work. 

User configurability

It is vital that you can configure the software you choose to help you meet your safety targets. Make sure you are not limited to specific templates and reports, so you can gather the information that is right for your organization and make changes when necessary.  

Onboarding and customer support

It’s important that the software you choose delivers value to your organization and helps to drive ROI. That’s why you need to not only think about the software but the overall experience, including onboarding and customer support. The organization you choose should have a highly responsive team that can help you tailor the software to meet your safety needs.  

To learn more about what to consider when looking at EHS software according to our EcoOnline experts, download Your 5-Step Guide to Choosing the Optimal EHS Solution. 

How is EcoOnline different from others? 

EcoOnline North America is unlike any other OHS software on the market as we provide everything mentioned above and more. Our mobile-first solution gives you the ability to: 

• Manage your OHS, compliance, eLearning, contractor safety needs and more, no matter how big or small your organization 
• Spot hidden deficiencies and weaknesses within your safety program with 360-degree visibility  
• Deliver safety performance metrics with our robust reporting engine and customizable dashboards 
• Empower your workforce with a user-friendly, mobile solution to help increase participation in safety activities 
• Receive a stellar onboarding and customer support experience so you can get the most value out of our solution 
• And much more 

“EcoOnline North America is a time saver, and one-stop access controlled repository for all things health and safety, available 24/7! More importantly, EcoOnline North America is always trying to do things better. You’re innovators and it’s refreshing to see how committed everyone is at EcoOnline.” Mark Jared, Health and Safety Director – Aim Environmental  

To learn more about how eCompliance can help your organization effectively reduce incidents and injuries, fill out the form below or speak to an EcoOnline representative.