Prevention and security through digitalization

Digitalization is changing our working world. However, digitalization must also reach occupational safety, because every accident is one too many. New technologies can help to simplify many everyday processes that we didn't think about in the past.

The world of work is constantly changing. While man and machine are increasingly moving closer together in the industrial sector, both a high flood of information and constant availability can have an impact on people's recovery phases. One thing is certain: occupational health and safety will continue to gain in importance in the future and requires activity-related aids for action. The increasing diversity of new forms of employment, but also the dissolution of spatial and temporal boundaries, makes it difficult for employers to classify their working models into contemporary occupational health and safety patterns. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a rapid and far-reaching change in working conditions in our country. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, 40 percent of employees worked from home last year compared to the previous year (25 percent)¹. As an employer, it is therefore a challenging organizational and management task to meet all obligations when it comes to planning the necessary measures and monitoring their implementation and compliance.

It is not uncommon for conflicts to arise with employees and superiors during the organization and implementation of occupational safety measures. Safety officers usually have to face up to unpleasant tasks, uncover weak points and pass the buck to someone else. However, employees must also be aware of their day-to-day work and actions and recognize their duty to cooperate in ensuring occupational safety.

Unclear responsibilities
Even if a company cannot prove that it has had any significant cases of damage in the past, it should have a precisely defined organizational structure and process organization as well as clear rules of conduct for critical situations. If no routine spot checks are carried out on an organization's existing institutions such as finance/HR, supplementary training on occupational safety will not be sufficient. If companies lack adequate resources for the implementation and documentation of occupational health and safety, this can have devastating consequences. If, for example, no consistent action is taken in the event of suspicions or violations, the company is confronted with recurring problem situations.² Duplicate filing of documents also makes it difficult not only to manage company resources, but also to issue clear instructions. But how can an employer provide evidence of all its activities in accordance with Art. 32b VUV and EKAS guidelines on occupational health and safety? A system-oriented approach with corresponding documentation is obvious and also recommended by Suva. There may be several reasons why some companies find it difficult to implement a new IT solution. If an IT company's message is too technological and only focuses on the range of applications, the marketing of a software solution misses the mark completely. In addition, a certain "generation problem" or a less open-minded attitude towards a software solution can also resonate in less technologically oriented sectors. Nevertheless, the processing of personal data, for example, should only be permitted to the extent that it is necessary for the employment relationship.

Manage all documentation centrally on a tablet
Digitization in occupational health and safety offers many advantages. For example, paper documents can be completely dispensed with when logging rounds and defining measures: The principle is based on a central database at the industry and software partner and on various client devices in the company, which are used to retrieve and save the checklists. Seamless documentation is handled by a web-based solution that stores all checklists directly in the cloud under the highest security standards. This leads to greater transparency and increased legal certainty for the company. An approach that is also followed by the Swiss web application "safely", for example. If an employee recognizes a risk of slipping due to an overturned oil drum, they can record this via a simple electronic defect report and inform their line manager immediately. Training on how to use certain tools or lifting platforms can also be logged on an ongoing basis. However, the main advantage of occupational health and safety software is the time saved and the speed of the documentation processes. Fear of contact with IT applications disappears at the latest when the software solution offers a major usability advantage and the most important tools such as audit lists, documents or incidents are available on the mobile device at the swipe of a finger. The safety officer always has their tablet or smartphone with them. Blocked emergency exits, pallets stacked too high or a missing safety device can be identified directly on site with systematic risk assessments via tablet and the implementation of measures can be ordered.

Conclusion
Thanks to user-friendly user interfaces and secure data storage across all devices, a much wider range of flexibility is opened up, as employees can be automatically reminded of inspection deadlines or implementation dates. A digital occupational health and safety solution makes it possible to implement the legal requirements quickly, while the checklists are kept up to date by the health and safety officer or an ASA specialist. Finally, a lean documentation solution helps the company to achieve greater legal certainty. A secure application can also be used to derive key figures at any time, which, for example, provide annual information on the state of health and compliance with legal regulations in order to evaluate the necessary training requirements. Last but not least, centralized and fast management of occupational health and safety processes ensures greater trust among employees. After all, if a company is concerned about efficient and transparent processes when it comes to the health and safety of its employees, awareness of operational safety also increases. Thanks to comprehensive documentation of all rounds and instructions or training of employees, occupational health and safety can also be planned more proactively for the coming years. If a software solution has a user-friendly concept and, as is usual for an ASA system, the EKAS and Suva requirements can be mapped at any time, a switch to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution is very obvious. Not only can processes be managed more easily with an appropriate solution and many costs can be saved in the long term: An expert software provider can also provide advice on the implementation of new functions, not only taking care of the software-related aspects but also answering technical questions.

Originally published in SAFETY-PLUS 1/22, page 12-13