In this digital age, automations and other perky digital solutions are provided with a promise to streamline processes. This opportunity has been widely availed in the business industry. Retail businesses and medium to large scale companies, for instance, invest in inventory management software for their inventories. And like it, the need to invest in an EHS software to manage the critical EHS aspect is slowly being known.

EHS or Environment, Health, and Safety is about a set of principles that strongly emphasize the importance of having a healthy and safe working environment. A lot of states demand every company to comply with the stately EHS regulations to ensure the safety and wellbeing not just of employees performing work on the field but also of the customers and the rest of the public they share the working field with are maintained and upheld. It’s a complex responsibility that needs time thorough analysis to effectively implement. However, manually managing EHS processes can already take much time and EHS professionals would often end up being stuck with a lot of clerical workloads instead of shifting their focus on the real point of EHS. Here’s where an EHS software can help.

EHS software is a software designed to easier and efficiently implement and manage environmental health and safety standards in a company. Unlike in a manual process where employee information relevant to EHS are only written on logbooks or stored in spreadsheet files which are not only time consuming but also error-prone, EHS software is powered by a database which means that data are processed, preserved, and protected via electronic storage. The entry, update, retrieval, and viewing of every employee’s data, in this case, will only require a seconds to complete.

The field of EHS

The study of EHS is significantly broad. Apart from promoting a healthy workforce and customers, it also covers areas like environment preservation, safety and industrial hygiene, and waste impact management. The indispensable foundation of EHS software are all the data relevant to EHS about the employees, the customers, the workplace, and the outside working environment. Using an EHS software, such data can be collected and saved in many ways.

Typically, it is the EHS professionals supported by the company’s HR department who are tasked at gathering the data to be uploaded or encoded next on the EHS software. As soon as data is ready, the EHS software can then start to generate EHS reports that can aid in crafting a better and more appropriate EHS policy. Meanwhile, more advanced EHS software usually feature risk management through forecasting to further aid in the company’s decision making.

Moreover, the company’s EHS team is expected to carry out the following responsibilities:

1. Safety Compliance – Safety rules are usually a subset of the EHS regulations produced by the state. Such rules aim to sustain the wellbeing and health of employees working for the company and the consumers.

2. Environmental Laws Compliance – One of the perks of EHS automation is how EHS professionals can easily monitor the metrics that are deliberately capped by the state to participate in protecting the environment. Based on the information gathered, the company will be able to determine whether thresholds are violated or followed.

3. Risk Management – Probably the most significant feature of EHS software is its automatic generation of risk models to easily keep track of the status of the company against the potential dangers and hazards. Using the data encoded, the software will smartly identify if the practices made by the employees are potentially risky and harmful or otherwise.

Common Modules of an EHS Software

Since EHS requires integration of many functions and features that support the advocacy of EHS, most EHS software provide solutions to each of these through submodules of related software capabilities. Most of the EHS software packages offered in today’s market are rich in features and thus they come with a hefty price. It is wise to look into each of these features, though, to assess if you really need such system supports. Otherwise, you will be spending a fortune for a software you cannot fully utilize.

The good news is, as a consumer, you have the option to purchase only a few modules instead of buying all of them. That is if you want to save at the present. Below are some of the modules you’ll most likely be offered with:

1. Health and Safety – EHS software usually store and process clinical data from the company which are usually encoded by the company nurse or medical clerk. Based on this data, the authorized EHS personnel can easily identify which areas need strengthening after monitoring the health of every employee and their annual checkup logs.

2. Incident Logging – One of the main points of EHS discipline is to eradicate the occurrence of near misses or incidents in any workplace. Using this module, incident records will be logged accurately and the reports that can be generated out of this data will help the EHS team design a better policy that eliminates the present potential hazards, thereby preventing such misfortune from happening again.

3. Waste Disposal Management – This module takes care of the first part of EHS that is ensuring that the environment is clean and safe at all times. This, moreover, ensures that certain policies are implemented so that the company is free from possible sanctions set by the government.

4. Lockout-tagout (LOTO). This module is designed to monitor company tools and equipment and eliminate the ones that are potentially dangerous. LOTO is an efficient module often used in control centers in switching stations for electricity grids, for instance.

5. Ergonomics – Although often less prioritized, office safety is one of the aspects that need urgent attention. Failure to look this over can increase the likelihood of permanent injuries sustained in the workplace. This module usually includes standards in positioning office tables, chairs, and other tools and equipment such that they pose no harm or threat to the employees.

6. Respirator Fit Testing – Industries utilize essential safety gears like respirators in dealing with hazardous chemicals like in mixing depots or production lines. This module facilitates in ensuring that safety gears have been tested before being deployed for actual use.

Where to Buy an EHS Software

You most likely have three options from where you can obtain an EHS software:

1. Through employing an in-house development team – On the upside, your IT team will develop the software based on your business requirements. System support is also guaranteed long term.
2. Buying EHS software off the shelf. In this option, make Google your best friend but also don’t forget to read reviews and feedbacks to ensure that the purchased EHS software won’t disappoint.
3. Hire a contractor to do the job.