We have touched upon the importance of technology in QHSE management already a couple of times. Of course, as we’re still going through a global pandemic, having the best digital tools is a must. This pandemic is not just a threat; as always, it also is a great opportunity. It is an excellent opportunity to rebuild the QHSE culture and make people aware of the importance of it. Obviously, the health and safety of the employees is important, that is crystal clear. However, people need to have access to all the information now they aren’t always in the office. The complete management system should be available, which is a great opportunity to increase engagement.
Accessibility
The working from home mantra and limited time at the office of the production facility has changed the way QHSE management is performed. You need to do your work without being at the office all the time and having much less interaction with the team of other people in the company. Most meetings are via Teams of Zoom, which reduces the interaction between people significantly. Because of this, it gets so much more important to be able to access all the QHSE information and data at just a simple click. This should be not only the case for you as the QHSE manager but for everybody in the organization. The management system should continue to function regardless of the personal connection in the office.
Change
The pandemic has a big impact on every organization and requires a change in most companies almost overnight. Even though we are getting more and more used to the situation, lots of things are still changing. The great QHSE solutions support companies by enabling these changes. People will get informed of the changes and are able to have online training to adopt these changes. This way it will get them in the fibers of the organization.
Openness
The whole pandemic requires a lot more openness and transparency within the organization, not just about the topic, but also about all the things related to QHSE. Traditionally the QHSE department is the gatekeeper of the QHSE information and data. With the remote working situation, this can not be the case anymore, and the data has to be available to everyone in order for these people to start improvement projects based on the data. Giving this insight to everyone in the organization allows the company to get improvement initiatives for every department, which of course not only improves the business but also improves the engagement in the management system. Another significant effect of being more open is that employees are more willing to engage with the QHSE management system. They can see what the company is doing and how this is really helping the company forward.
