With 2019 right around the corner, companies are closing up shop for the festive season and compiling their end of year reports regarding health and safety in the workplace. This means that trends over the past year are being examined, and initiatives for 2019 are being created. Each new year brings new rules and regulations, and it can be difficult to keep track of upcoming changes. With that in mind, one of the best ways to move forward and come up with new goals for your company is to assess the effectiveness of past initiatives and build on them, or completely scrap them in favour of potentially more effective ones. The best way to track changes, and implement new ones, is through EHS software.
Assess: Look at the Past Year
EHS software is a great way to examine the effectiveness of different health and safety programs over the past year. Environmental health workers can simply log in and see all of the programs that have been implemented and the statistics regarding whether or not they have been a success. For example, if a program was created that targeted a reduction in hearing loss for factory workers, then it would be very easy to see if there has been a decrease amongst employees compared to past years. It would also be very easy to see if there has been an increase or if the numbers were static. Once health and safety programs have been assessed, an EHS manager can then set new initiatives for the coming year based on the statistics and trends seen from past programs, or areas that need to be addressed.
Adapt: Identify Where Change is Needed
Once new goals have been set for the coming year, it is time for the EHS manager to adapt these trends in to pre-existing programs or create new ones. However, each initiative must fall in line with rules and regulations which may change once the new year hits. That is where EHS software comes in again. It is designed to update so that all new programs meet current regulations, and as they change, the programs can be adapted to meet the new ones. Thanks to this innovation, companies do not have to worry about non-compliance.
Health and safety management is always a priority, and creating programs to reduce certain occupational hazards is key to providing a healthy work environment. When setting goals ensure that you are choosing something that can be measured and monitored. So, in the workplace if there were five cases of hearing loss due to heavy machinery use and improper use of noise cancelling head gear in 2018, then a program could be created to reduce this from five to zero in 2019. By creating programs that specifically target something quantifiable, then employees can become more aware of safety concerns, and managers can actively work to meet safety goals. Simple instituting a new safety protocol or program is not enough, working as a team to meet these goals fosters communication amongst management and employees, and brings them together to create the safest workplace possible.
Overcome: Meet Your Goals in 2019
Now that new goals have been set for the new year, and trends have been examined to predict what other incidents may need to be assessed and reduced for the future, it is time make sure that these new programs will be sustainable over the course of the year. This is where sustainability software comes in to be used in conjunction with EHS software. When used together the two can accurately chart progress, while providing measurable results. The new year means new goals, so let 2019 be the year of low incident rates and happy and healthy workplaces!