Digital transformation improves employee safety.
Digital transformation is a buzz term in today’s business environment. It’s a simple term with many complexities that sit behind it. Technology, people behaviour change, and process change can be daunting for all businesses to adopt. However, if we keep things simple, what we are doing is moving paper-based processes to digital.
Traditionally WHS is a paper “heavy” part of any business and extends into HR departments as well as job management. This breadth of scope means it can be a challenging department to make paperless through a digital transformation.
So how should you start your WHS departments digital transformation journey?
Firstly, you need to understand the end-to-end lifecycle of your WHS processes and policies. This will help you gain a greater understanding of every employee’s experience within the document lifecycle. This will assist you in your digital transformation and help improve your employee’s day-to-day work experience.
Understanding your WHS processes and policies is vital for more than your digital transformation journey. Completely minimising hazards is expected across all workplaces. Most businesses will be striving for ‘Zero Incidents’. But let’s be honest, hazards that are not minimised could potentially cost your businesses thousands in productivity, claims, and reputation should an issue occur. Let alone the physical and mental damage left with employees who have been involved in a dangerous situation.
Luckily, the ability for all businesses to protect their staff and meet legislative compliance with digital transformation has never been so accessible. Small businesses can now also have access to the same technology as big businesses, with greater flexibility.
Digital transformation improves employee safety even for small businesses. It allows them to not only be compliant and protect their staff but also to invest capital currently allocated to compliance costs and high insurance premiums to other areas of the business.
Regardless of the size of the business, or the types of hazards involved, the safety of all employees is a top priority and should be a consideration for all employers. Digital transformation allows you to put safety first and continue business operations easily.
Here’s 3 steps to kick start your WHS departments digital transformation:
- Ask an expert: For SBE’s who don’t have a dedicated HSEQ manager it’s a great idea to engage a qualified safety consultant to help Identify the WHS needs for your business. From inductions to incident reporting, a Safety Consultant will ensure you have the correct processes to make sure you are covered.
- Understand your document lifecycles: From creation to storage map your documents lifecycles. Also, think about what reporting requirements you may want to extract and when.
- Communicate effectively to ALL employees: Identify how you are going to effectively communicate about safety with all employees. Communications for safety should be tracked for acceptance and delivery. It should also be available to all employees from any device. Make it easy for everyone!
Ready to take the next step? Register for our FREE* digital automation report here.
*Terms and conditions apply.
