What Does EHS Stand For?
Environmental, Health and Safety is the ongoing actions a company takes to protect it’s people and the environment from harm.
‘Environmental’ encompasses the working environment, where employees undertake their work, as well as the surrounding physical area. ‘Health and Safety’ includes measures that ensure employees are safe, healthy and happy at work, from accident prevention and incident reporting, to staff training and policies around sickness and injury. Sometimes EHS is paired with an additional ‘S’ for ‘Sustainability’, to include the steps a company takes to reduce its impact on the planet and ensure its long-term success.
EHS encompasses many varied work functions, job types and workplaces, all of which can differ hugely from industry to industry. This is where regulatory bodies come in, setting the standard for good health and safety practice globally. Bodies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK, and the International Organisation for Standardisation (known as ISO), create parameters for companies to build their own EHS policies within. In the case of the ISO, there are specific frameworks for Environmental Management Systems and Health and Safety Management Systems: ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, respectively. These bodies help to ensure international compliance, ensuring that workplaces around the world follow similar high safety standards.
What is EHS Software?
Before the growth of EHS software, companies relied on manual processes for their safety management. Think paper-based risk assessments, incident reports filled out by hand, filing cabinets full of audits and complicated spreadsheets on desktop computers. These manual systems work to a certain extent, but they also take a lot of time to manage and they create lots of room for error. From incorrect data entry, to lost files, to the inability to easily share key information across teams, there are too many opportunities for things to go wrong. And when it comes to health and safety, you want to get as much right as possible.
Enter EHS software. EHS software is a system of digital tools that you can use to make managing workplace safety faster, easier and more effective. All EHS platforms look and function a little differently, but most will include similar core modules. These commonly include modules for incident reporting and investigations, audits, risk assessments and compliance tracking, all of which can be accessed through a central database.
Unlike manual processes, EHS software enables companies to monitor health and safety from anywhere work is carried out. This means that, as well as using the software on-site, companies can log incidents, assign and track follow-up actions, and notify team members remotely through the use of cloud-based solutions like mobile health and safety apps. Some of these also have offline capabilities, meaning that employees can carry out tasks without an internet connection too.
Why Companies Use EHS Software
When it comes to the benefits of EHS software, there is more to talk about than just time-saving. As well as making safety management less time-consuming, EHS software plays a role in proactive safety management, making your workplace safer, more productive and more compliant.
For example, EHS software can be used in manufacturing to reduce the number of accidents and, over time, improve productivity. With EHS software, a manager might spot an increase in near misses being logged in a particular area of a manufacturing process. Thanks to their use of these digital tools, their incident data is all in one place, making it easier to spot any patterns of behaviour that might be the root cause of the incidents. They can then take corrective action quickly, stopping any further incidents from occurring. This makes the work environment safer and reduces any future impact on productivity.
Safety compliance is another important aspect of EHS management that digital tools can support. EHS software improves your safety data management, from risk assessments to full-scale audits. What’s more, this data is easily shareable and searchable thanks to EHS software’s capabilities. This means that staff can access the essential safety information they need, regardless of
their location.
This data is then easily shared with regulatory bodies and other stakeholders, allowing you to showcase your safety credentials. For construction companies, this might include showing how risk assessments and hazard spotting have helped reduce accidents. In the manufacturing industry, for example, this can be used to track waste emissions and show how companies are meeting environmental standards.
EHS software is also a great tool for engaging employees in workplace health and safety. With manual safety management, employees may feel like they don’t have the time to log incidents or that they don’t have the skills needed to complete laborious
risk assessments.
EHS software can change that. Mobile apps make incident reporting easy and immediate, taking no more than a few taps on a device. Managers can assign employees specific follow-up tasks, so that everyone is clear about their responsibilities. They can log evidence of staff training and share policy updates, ensuring that everyone is kept in the loop and able to take ownership of their safety responsibilities.
Key Features of EHS Software
All EHS software platforms have their own unique design and feel, reflecting the range of companies that make use of their tools. However, most share a few similar features that support the areas of safety management that are common to most workplaces and industries. Here are some key EHS software features that you might expect to find:
1
Incident and accident management
Incident and accident management modules make it easy and quick to report hazards, near-misses, injuries and accidents as soon as they occur. You can often set up notifications, meaning that managers and safety leaders will see in real-time when and where an incident occurs. They can then set follow-up actions and deal with events quickly and efficiently to reduce risk.
2
Risk assessment and audits
Conducting risk assessments and audits can be a time-consuming part of safety management. With risk management software, you can carry out, assign and sign off on risk assessments digitally, while having a centralised overview of risk in your workplace from wherever you are. Safety teams can create and store risk assessment and audit templates tailored to their workplace, making it easier to start and complete a risk assessment or audit.
3
Regulatory compliance tracking
Compliance with regulations is a key part of safety management. EHS software can help companies stay on the right side of legal and industry standards. With EHS software, companies can keep all of their compliance management data in one place, from updated policies and audits to training records and permits. Digital compliance management tools allow you to schedule key safety activities like audits, notifying teams when these are due so that important updates and reviews are never missed. Some EHS tools can also be integrated with industry compliance programmes for easy access to the most up-to-date legal and policy information.
4
Reporting and analytics
Safety management is an ongoing process, with continuous improvement at its core. EHS software makes it easier to visualise your company’s safety performance, thanks to interactive central dashboards that put all your data in one place. EHS software will surface your data in dashboards, making it easier to monitor your overall safety performance and identify both your safety ‘blind spots’ and success stories. This information is then easily shared with managers, stakeholders or external bodies, making reporting quicker, clearer and more accessible.
Who Should Use EHS Software?
EHS software is the secret weapon of safety leaders, compliance officers and environmental managers in businesses of all sizes. Not only does it make their safety management responsibilities easier to manage, but it is also a useful tool to engage team members in safety across
their organisation.
EHS software for small businesses saves teams that are short on people-power from spending time and energy that is needed elsewhere, while not compromising on safety. EHS software helps small businesses to improve productivity and compliance, reducing the cost of accidents, interrupted business or regulatory fines – costs that are often felt more acutely by small businesses than by larger organisations.
Of course, EHS software can benefit larger companies too. Large organisations, whether national or global, will have a more complex, wide-ranging structure than their smaller counterparts. As such, enterprise EHS solutions are more customisable than standard software programmes. They can have more modules for different areas of the business and can often be integrated with other existing software programmes, such as HR platforms or Learning Management Systems.
Examples of EHS Software Solutions: Notify Technology
The EHS software market is growing rapidly, with a number of top EHS software providers offering a wider range of functionalities to suit businesses of all sizes. Notify Technology is one such EHS software provider that works with a range of partners in different industries, from construction to manufacturing to transport.
Notify’s health and safety technology is flexible and simple to use, making it easier for companies to build a positive, proactive safety culture that keeps their people and workplaces safe. With Notify, you can visualise all your
safety data in one place with our central safety
intelligence dashboards.
Create and share risk assessments with teams across your organisation and report and investigate incidents both on- and offline with our mobile app. Notify can help manage your safety documentation and streamline your audits and inspections, making it easier for you to demonstrate compliance with industry regulations.
At Notify, we understand that your company’s safety needs are unique to your workplace, so our EHS software is customisable. This tailored approach means that you can choose the modules that will enhance your existing safety management processes. If you’re ready for the next stage, Notify can help transform health and safety in your workplace with a complete digital upgrade.
As your business evolves, Notify’s EHS software changes with you, with the flexibility to add and change modules as you go.
What’s more, you won’t be on your own during this health and safety journey. With our customer satisfaction score of 97%, Notify’s customer support team are always on hand to answer questions and troubleshoot any technical concerns you have.
How to Choose the Right EHS Software
No matter how big or small your business is, the best EHS software is the one that meets the safety needs of your workplace easily and flexibly. When deciding which EHS software to choose, think carefully about the kinds of functionality you need. Here are some of the key considerations you should take into account – think of this as your EHS checklist and use it to help you decide which vendor you would like to work with.
Ease of use: Who will be using the EHS software, and how user-friendly is it?
Scalability: When your company grows, how easily can your EHS software scale with it?
Mobile access: Think about how and where you work. Do you need your EHS software to have mobile access or an off-site function?
Customisability: How customisable are the modules? Will an ‘off the shelf’ solution work for you, or do you need a more bespoke platform?
Once you have answered these questions, see how different EHS vendors compare. You can even use a trusted software comparison site, like G2, to help inform your final decision.
Final thoughts
As the workplace continues to evolve, it’s important that approaches to workplace health and safety change too. Environmental, Health and Safety software could be the key to improving your company’s safety management systems. For many businesses, EHS software can positively impact everything from how you complete risk assessments to wider employee engagement with health and safety. EHS software helps to ensure that your workplace is a safe and healthy place to be, both now and in the future.
If you’ve decided that investing in EHS software is the next step for your workplace safety management, make sure you take the time to find the right platform for you. As well as considering your EHS checklist, explore the free demos and trial periods that many companies offer. With Notify, you can try some of our software solutions for free with our 30-day trial, giving you time to decide which modules would work best for your company.
Get in touch to schedule a free demo and start your transition to a safer, healthier and more productive workplace today
Frequently asked questions
Businesses are not legally required to use EHS software in any industry. However, one of the benefits of EHS software is that it can be used to help companies comply with industry regulations that are legally required. When used effectively, EHS software can actively help to reduce risk in the workplace and keep businesses on track with audits and inspections.
Yes, EHS software can be customised to suit businesses operating in a wide range of industries. You can choose from a selection of modules and decide who can access different areas of the platform. With EHS software, you can create templates and checklists specific to processes in your business. Often this can be done in-house, without the need for complicated coding. At the same time, enterprise software can be tailored to meet the complex needs of larger businesses or integrated into existing software programmes. No matter the industry you work in or the size of your business, there is an effective EHS software solution out there for you.
The initial cost of implementing digital software can sometimes be off-putting for businesses, particularly if they don’t have prior experience with digital safety tools. We think the return on investment is more than worth this expenditure, with fewer incidents, higher productivity, lower costs and safer, happier people being some of the key benefits of EHS software.
Here’s what some of Notify’s customers experienced after making use of our digital safety tools:
- Commercial refrigeration systems manufacturer Epta UK saw near miss reporting increase after using Notify’s EHS software, resulting in fewer accidents in the workplace.
- NWF Agriculture started using Notify’s mobile apps and saw a 230% increase in hazard reporting, as well as reduced admin time.
- Our mobile-first approach also helped appliance manufacturers Product Care Group, who saw a 200% increase in positive safety observations being made, as well as a rise in near-miss reporting to help them get ahead of risk.
With these digital tools, our customers have been able to proactively manage and reduce workplace risk.