Reducing accidents, risk management, complying with regulatory bodies and ensuring the utmost level of safety for workers helps to create better working environments.
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) systems help to achieve this by leveraging a wealth of data to create transparency within organisations. This helps to combat risks and threats to people and planet by systemising internal processes to comply with regulations and safety standards. They also help to improve efficiency and mitigate waste in business.
In this article, we delve into everything you need to know about these systems and their benefits.
Read Time
3 mins
Author
Oliver Boulton
What is EHS software?
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) software and systems collect, store and analyse data relating to sustainability, industry compliance, and occupational safety. It helps to create internal processes around compliance and regulation. This ensures organisations carry out work in a safe and responsible way, prioritising the welfare of their employees, environment and the suppliers.
Occupational health and safety is a vital component to any organisation. From small family run businesses, to large multinational organisations, there needs to be accountability and transparency in how processes are conducted and performed on a daily basis.
EHS helps create a clear picture of what is done, and how it is being done – and whether this meets expected standards (either internally or externally).
Failure to comply with environmental, health and safety standards is not only dangerous for employees and the environment but is likely to also lead to legal ramifications and serious concerns for the future of the organisation. Consequently, EHS software has become a top priority for most executives and business owners around the world.
Benefits of using EHS systems and software
Control risks
EHS helps to shine light on potential risks and threats to people, the environment and the business as a whole. By having clear data to evaluate, businesses are more empowered to make the right decisions and avoid potentially devastating accidents in the workplace.
EHS software is shown to reduce the risk of accidents in comparison to organisations that don’t have such systems in place.
Employee health and safety
Protecting and prioritising employee health and their safety lies at the heart of all EHS systems. The software helps to identify any processes that don’t comply with internal or external standards. This allows them to be addressed and understood to reduce the risk of them happening in the first place.
Prevention is better than treatment when it comes to health and EHS systems helps to limit and mitigate against any incidents that could pose a threat to employee health or safety.
Improve efficiency
A by-product of systemising processes to comply with safety standards is that organisations tend to become a lot more efficient. By enforcing tasks to be completed in a certain way (to comply with EHS software), it optimises workforces and reduces inefficiencies within internal processes.
With this in mind, implementing EHS software can have a huge impact on the profitability of a business.
Data collection
EHS involves collecting a vast amount of data, often on a daily basis (even an hourly basis). This paints an organisation in new light and makes it clearer to spot issues or threats to the business.
The wealth of data provided by EHS software can easily be turned into visual reports and engaging content, which helps to summarise key takeaways for stakeholders or customers.
Reduce carbon footprint
EHS is an effective way for businesses to start thinking about their carbon footprint and taking the necessary steps to reduce it. Carbon neutrality has become the gold standard for organisations and countries alike to strive towards.
EHS helps to collect and analyse data relating to the environment and the overall sustainability of business processes. More specialist sustainability software can help organisations further evaluate their overall sustainability.
Legal compliance
In many industries, processes must adhere to regulatory standards to be considered legally compliant. For example, businesses dealing with hazardous materials must follow specific guidelines otherwise employees and the environment could be in great danger.
Trying to do this with spreadsheets and print-outs increases the chance of human error or lost data, which may prove insurmountable if issues do arise.
Retain top talent
Having the data to illustrate your business does all it can to protect employee health and safety helps to reduce unnecessary churn. Replacing top talent due to sudden departure is a costly endeavour and something all organisations would want to limit.
EHS software can also help attract new talent and be used to illustrate an organisation’s values towards health and safety.
Getting the most from EHS systems
Here at Sustainit, we harness the power and potential of point-perfect data, to make our clients’ businesses more sustainable, efficient and profitable. By collecting and analysing reliable business data, your organisation will be empowered with the information it needs to make the right decisions.
From inception and initial strategy, to providing support in implementing software within your organisation, our team are perfectly positioned to help you get the most out of your data. Not only do our tried and tested systems help you get the data input right first time, but they make sure the results are always meaningful.
