Improving safety outcomes with online risk and compliance management

Managing risk and compliance is an essential part of any business, but it requires the effective management of documents.

Paper-based systems can lead to multiple versions of the same document in circulation, records scattered across different departments or documents simply lost altogether. Shifting to an online system can therefore simplify the risk management process.

Safety for Life has a software application called Sherm, which is designed to improve businesses efficiencies.

Issues frequently experienced by businesses managing risk and compliance include:

• maintaining current documentation that is easily accessible;
• capability of point-of-time reporting for incidents and capturing evidence;
• tracking the completion of assigned corrective actions;
• monitoring workers’ licences and certificates to ensure they are current;
• managing contractors’ insurances and licences;
• chemical registers and current safety data sheets;
• audits and inspections are completed;
• reports present meaningful performance data;
• developing plans for improvements and tracking progress to plan.

However, a case study conducted using an engineering firm with 100 workers (employees and contractors) found that the use of Sherm software increased efficiencies by up to 58%. The company reported an average of 15 incidents reported per month, and the software reduced the number of days required to manage their work health and safety system from 17 days to three days per month.

Businesses that take a proactive approach in engaging staff in the decision-making process are more likely to have an easier shift towards the online management of risk and compliance.

Sherm was developed by director Caroline Kingston, who has over 20 years’ experience in the field of occupational health and safety and assisting business with certification, inclusive of quality and environment. Sherm is provided as a software as a service that is hosted in Australia and used by a wide variety of industries across Australia and New Zealand.

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