Choosing the right health and safety software is an important decision for organisations looking to improve compliance, reduce administration and gain greater visibility of workplace risk.
From risk assessments and audits to incident reporting, contractor management and employee training, many organisations still rely on disconnected spreadsheets, paper records and manual processes that create inefficiencies and make compliance harder to manage consistently.
Modern health and safety software helps businesses centralise compliance activities, automate workflows, improve reporting and support more proactive risk management. However, with a growing number of EHS software providers and increasingly complex operational requirements, selecting the right solution is not always straightforward.
To better understand what organisations value most when investing in health and safety management software, we recently gathered feedback from our client base. Across different industries and organisation sizes, several common themes consistently emerged.
Here are seven key considerations businesses should evaluate when choosing health and safety software.
1. User Engagement – Stakeholder buy-in
Without exception, our clients believe that the ability to gain high levels of employee buy-in is a critical success factor. This view is compounded by various industry studies where there is a strong link between employee engagement and health and safety performance, from both legal compliance and safety culture perspectives.
There are several things to think about to ensure that software is designed to optimise engagement, including the onboarding and training experience and quality of ongoing customer support and advice. The most important aspect however, centres on the user interface – look and feel, navigation and ease of use – user experience are all key phrases that appear high up the priority list in tenders and specifications for health and safety software solutions.
Download Brochure – Building the business case for EHS Software
Download our practical guide for EHS Professionals on the topic of gaining stakeholder buy in to invest in health and safety software. This free guide is designed to help you navigate the procurement process and covers topics including:
- Undertaking a stakeholder mapping analysis
- What to include in your business case
- How to articulate the return on investment
2. Why workflow automation matters in health and safety software
Process automation enables businesses to adopt a more proactive approach to risk management, heading off compliance issues before they become a serious problem.
Automating processes can broadly be split into two areas as far as health and safety software is concerned; firstly, the dissemination and distribution of information when updates are made – training materials, risk assessment method statements (RAMS), COSHH assessments and safety policies for example. The time associated with manually working out who needs what and when cannot be underestimated.
The second aspect of automation to think about is task management. Allocating tasks resulting from audits, inspections, risk assessments, and sending email notifications regarding overdue/outstanding actions are perhaps some of the main activities where technology has impacted on productivity gains and legal compliance most significantly.
3. Industry Expertise and Regulatory Knowledge
In an industry burdened with a plethora of compliance aspects and ever-changing legislation the importance for software vendors to understand client-specific risks has never been more important, particularly against the backdrop of the new risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
For this reason, businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on software providers having access to health and safety expertise, either as retained safety experts or external consultants, to continually develop their offering in line with the latest best practice and new compliance obligations.
4. Integration with incumbent systems
As businesses look to technology to underpin all aspects of their business operations, the need for system integration increases. From a health and safety software perspective, connectivity between other people-centric systems – HR, document management and communication technology, as well as sophisticated ERP systems is often a requirement of large and complex businesses. This connectivity ranges from simpler SSO and API scenarios through to full integration with on-premises systems.
Such integrations come at a price, however, businesses should consider the capabilities of a software provider in terms of how well they are placed to address integration requirements as businesses continue to evolve.
5. Mobile access and employee engagement Features
Consideration of the environment in which businesses manage their compliance activities is at the top of the list when it comes to selecting health and safety software, particularly as many activities are carried out remotely or with a high level of mobility – audits, inspections, incident/hazard/near miss reporting are prime examples of activities that are managed away from desktops.
Mobile apps, offline data capture and employee portal capabilities play an increasingly important part of a software vendors’ ability to optimise user experience and address connectivity challenges as we adapt to a world where home and remote working becomes more prevalent.
6. Data Analytics
Creating basic dashboards, downloading data into excel and integrating with external BI systems are not new expectations when choosing software solutions however, as compliance data requirements increase in complexity, the need to empower health and safety professionals to be self-sufficient when interrogating information becomes more important.
There is a growing expectation that health and safety technology incorporates data analytics capability to allow users to generate reports and visualise insights without needing a data expert in IT to export and manipulate data on their behalf.
7. Document Management
Organising, storing and updating health and safety documentation can become an administrative burden that creates bottlenecks in compliance processes. Examples of this include the management of contractor certification and permits to work, as well as the various “Safe Systems of Work” (SSOW) methodologies that organisations operate to.
These bottlenecks drastically reduce when related documents are stored within a single database that can be accessed by all stakeholders.
As well as productivity gains, an effective document management system that has full version control is crucial for compliance with health and safety standards and frameworks including ISO 45001 and HSG65.
Our Health and Safety Software – AssessNET
Since we launched our flagship health and safety software, AssessNET 20 years ago, we have continually innovated to be at the forefront of best-in-class technology and address the points raised in this article, broadening our portfolio to address different aspects of health and safety management. As you would expect from a leading risk management software brand, we constantly develop and release major upgrades to address the impact of globalisation and the changing way in which organisations work – including migration to a .NET software framework, the introduction of language packs, BI Data analytics, mobile applications, portal, and eLearning.
Want to know more about our health and safety software AssessNET
What is health and safety software?
Health and safety software is a digital system designed to help organisations manage workplace risk, compliance and operational safety processes in one centralised platform. This can include risk assessments, incident reporting, audits, inspections, training records, contractor management and document control.
What features should health and safety software include?
The most effective health and safety software should include configurable workflows, incident management, risk assessments, audit and inspection tools, document management, task management, reporting dashboards, mobile accessibility and integration capabilities. Organisations should also consider usability, scalability and ongoing support.
How does health and safety software improve compliance?
Health and safety software helps organisations standardise processes, maintain accurate records, automate reminders and track corrective actions more effectively. This improves visibility of compliance activities and reduces the risk of missed reviews, overdue actions or inconsistent reporting.
How can health and safety software improve employee engagement?
User-friendly health and safety software can encourage greater employee participation by making it easier to report hazards, complete assessments, access documents and manage actions. Features such as employee portals, QR code reporting and simplified workflows can help improve engagement and reporting culture.
Can health and safety software integrate with other business systems?
Our health and safety software platform AssessENT can integrate with HR systems, business intelligence tools and ERP platforms. Integration can help reduce duplication of work, improve data accuracy and create more connected compliance processes across the organisation.
