With the threat of larger OSHA fines beginning this year—and maximum penalties increasing by as much as 80 percent—workplace safety professionals across the country understandably have placed a renewed focus on avoiding fines at their facilities. How is your organization faring so far?
Increasingly, facilities of all kinds have begun leveraging mobile app-based incident management software as a way to streamline communication and response. But what benefits do these systems hold over more traditional ways of handling incident management?
Here, we take a look at the five ways in which a mobile software solution helps to save time and money:
1. Streamlined communication.
App-based software does away with the need to house incident management documents in physical binders, which can be difficult for individuals to access, or on a company intranet, which may be inaccessible if the network fails. Today, mobile apps can supply all relevant information directly to end users’ mobile devices, and even make it available when internet service is unavailable.
For example, your organization might choose to provide contact lists and emergency protocol checklists through the app’s dashboard. Armed with this up-to-date information, employees will know exactly whom to call in an emergency and will be able to easily contact you and other decision-makers.
This improved access to information empowers employees to act decisively during an emergency, which saves significant time. A mobile app also allows your team to avoid more time-consuming methods of communication, such as manual call trees.
2. Improved response times.
When an emergency strikes or an employee is injured in the field, the ability to respond quickly and effectively can help prevent further damage or injury. In turn, this can save significant amounts of time and money; for example, by minimizing the clean-up period, avoiding lawsuits, encouraging a faster return to normal productivity or avoiding the need to replace damaged equipment.
A mobile app-based incident management platform enables workplace safety teams to greatly improve their emergency response times. Not only do these systems improve communications among team members; they also enable administrators to provide all relevant corporate safety plan and documents—such as checklists, maps, diagrams and more—to each end user’s mobile device. When a crisis strikes, each employee has all the relevant information, right in the palm of their hand. Administrators can even push real-time alerts and notifications through the app to update employees during a crisis.
3. Simplified compliance.
Of course, staying in compliance is one of the key ways to save time and money. Many organizations lose thousands of dollars a year to compliance penalties, while the vast majority spend untold work hours to avoid said penalties.
Mobile incident management software provides employees convenient access to the guidelines they need to adhere to safety procedures, health requirements and more. And if someone is unsure of what to do, the app makes identifying and communicating with the right person simple. As a result, compliance is a much easier goal to achieve and maintain.
4. A higher overall safety record.
Companies with poor safety records must spend time and money to improve their standing and reputation. But empowering your organization with real-time access to corporate safety programs can help to optimize safety throughout the business, getting you closer to your goal of zero recordable incidents.
5. Lower healthcare costs.
If you operate in a higher-risk field, your organization may be accustomed to spending quite a bit each year on illness and injury claims. However, enabling faster and more effective incident response can have a big impact on that annual figure. An app can provide precisely the information that employees need to stay safe and healthy, whether they are a located out in the field or in corporate headquarters.
Do you feel your company’s approach to incident management wastes unnecessary time and money? How do you think it could improve its approach?
