What is the purpose of a WHS management system?
Whatever your business does, you need a WHS (Work Health Safety) or OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) plan in place. These systems have a number of goals, which include improving the safety of your business and ensuring that you comply with your legal obligations.
The overall result is a healthier, safer workforce and an improved bottom line for the business. The five main goals of a WHS management system are to:
– Comply with Australian legislative requirements and standards
– Create a safe workplace
– Improve worker safety and happiness
– Increase productivity
– Improve the business’ bottom line
What should a WHS system cover?
So, you know that you need a WHS system in place, but what should it include? Whether you opt for a paper-based system or an online alternative, a WHS management system should help you manage:
Policies and procedures
WHS management systems help businesses to streamline the process sharing, creating and updating policies and procedures.
Audits and inspections
WHS management systems help businesses to record the outcomes of physical inspections on-site via and determine the correct actions.
Safety training Management
WHS systems should help you keep track of your staff’s training, and keep a record on hand if you ever need to check.
Risk management
WHS management systems help a business manage risk and identify changes that need to be made.
Incident management
WHS management systems also help businesses record and manage all types of incidents, such as near misses, injuries, property damage, and environmental incidents.
Asset management
Managing assets can be an important part of safety management. This function helps managers complete important tasks such as schedule inspections and follow up with maintenance.
Chemical management
For companies that store or manage chemicals, WHS management systems help ensure that all chemical-related regulations are complied with and sign off that people have completed safety procedures.
Contractor management
WHS management systems help companies to supply contractors with all relevant documents and licenses and keep on top of updating and renewing them.
What are the benefits of WHS systems?
There are plenty of benefits to having a WHS system in place, many of which are covered in full in our article on the 10 benefits of an Occupational Health and Safety system.
To summarise, the top 10 benefits of an occupational health and safety management system are:
- Improved health and safety performance
- Reduced cost associated with accidents and incidents
- Improved staff relations and morale
- Improve business efficiency
- Improved public image and PR
- Lower insurance premiums
- Easier access to finance
- Increased regulatory compliance
- Improved confidence
- Boost corporate and social responsibility
Why choose a software WHS management system vs a paper-based one?
Software WHS management systems differ significantly from both paper-based and hybrid approaches to WHS.
They offer a number of advantages such as:
- Automated processes
- Regulatory oversight and compliance
- Improved data access
Using a modular, cloud-based approach means that your work is always easily accessible and the software allows your safety procedures to be scalable. Software also organises your data so that you can always have a record on hand, on mobile or desktop wherever you are. You no longer need to worry about losing important paperwork – it’s always updated online and stored on the cloud.
Ultimately using software allows businesses to effectively comply with their Work Health and Safety obligations vs paper-based options.
If you want to explore how using a WHS system can boost your safety procedures, chat to a member of the Beakon team today.
