There is no doubt about it, we live in a world where health and safety is of paramount importance. Some might say it’s overkill, others would say it’s essential to make sure employees, tenants and anyone inside a building we are responsible for remain safe at all times. I don’t think anyone would question the latter part of that sentence – we all want to make sure we are safe as well as those we have a responsibility for.
How do we do it? How do we ensure safety remains at the forefront of everyone’s attention?
Regular risk assessments are part of an overall health and safety policy to ensure that safe practices are in place and are being followed. Some common risk assessments which must take place in both work environments, leisure facilities and accommodation include fire safety checks, water testing for legionella bacteria and electrical testing. Regulations state that employers and landlords must have a process in place for carrying out these assessments on a regular basis and acting quickly on any issues which may arise. To do so, they will often hire a team of risk assessors who are experts in a particular field to complete these on their behalf. Traditionally these are likely to be carried out on paper-based forms by field staff, reports generated from the results and sent to clients who can then act on any findings in the report or file as evidence of meeting their regulatory obligations.
As a process, it’s not an entirely efficient one and time from risk assessment to action is too long. This process is wide open to mistakes and delay in taking action. Take for example, a scenario where a risk assessor finds an issue on site which results in non-compliance. Filling that in on a paper form means that until the report is written up and sent to the client, the only person who knows that action is required is the risk assessor themselves.
Removing the manual paper processes and replacing with an electronic form of risk assessment removes delays in reporting time, resulting in action being taken much quicker when issues arise and ensuring compliance can be met and demonstrated.
Velappity offers that solution to risk assessors. A triple module solution that offers field risk assessors electronic forms they can complete on a mobile device while on-site; a compliance module where issues can be raised and a client portal offering instant access to clients to view risk assessment results and resulting issues. The customer portal in Velappity can cut reporting time in half and improves health and safety processes as clients can see what needs to be actioned instantly and can get to work to resolve issues as they arise without the need to wait for a report to written and sent to them.
Within a working environment, leisure facility or accommodation, it is important to engage with everyone responsible for safety to create a culture and mindset that puts safety at the forefront of all activities. Health and safety policies shouldn’t seem like some dictated piece of paper to be read, signed and filed away to pass an audit. The policies in place should be lived and breathed in daily activities. Reducing reporting times to ensure swift action when required can help to facilitate this culture.
Speak to us to see how Velappity can help.
