5 key considerations to meet your current and future needs

Let’s face it. Running a successful EHS (Environment, Health, Safety, and Quality) program is complex. With so many elements, moving parts, people, departments, workplace environments, safety outcomes, and the company bottom line to consider, it’s no wonder many programs operate “the way it’s always been.” 

That said, as compliance and workplace safety continues to evolve you need to ensure your systems are optimized for the good health of your workforce and your organization. While the complexity of EHS is unlikely to reduce, your EHS software should simplify your life, empowering you and your people to easily and effectively maintain your safety standards, whatever the future holds. 

This is why choosing the right EHS software is critical. 

Gold Standard EHS software should be consistent across your organization rather than a mix of disparate systems. Often referred to as Universal EHS Software, platforms that can be implemented in multiple departments provide a more robust and streamlined solution. The main benefits include:

• Unified Data Sets: Centralized data management for better decision-making.
• Real-Time Visibility and Reporting: Immediate access to important metrics and reports.
• Customisable Dashboards by Role: Tailor dashboards to meet the needs of different roles within the organization.
• Uncovering Causal and Correlative Data Relationships: Enhance insights and decision-making by understanding underlying data patterns.
• Superior Visibility and Control: Comprehensive oversight of EHS activities across the organization, from a central location. 

If you’re already using, or are familiar with, EHS software you can jump down to the 5 considerations to stress-test your current solution (or multiple solutions, as the case may be) and learn why a single-source platform is critical to your success.

However, if EHS software is new to you (like many, you may still be using spreadsheets and paper-based systems), we’ll briefly touch on what EHS software is.

Essentially, EHS software is a powerful tool designed to help you manage workplace safety, compliance, and risk management. EHS solutions offer a wide array of features that enable you to identify potential workplace hazards, monitor employee health and safety performance, implement corrective actions as necessary, track incidents and accidents, generate reports for regulatory bodies or insurance providers, and much more.

EHS platforms help businesses adhere to industry regulations while maintaining the safety of their employees. Utilizing EHS technology, companies can minimize workplace hazards and foster a healthier environment for all staff members.

Our guide below highlights 5 key things you should consider when reviewing your EHS software solution. It will guide you to selecting a platform that works for you now and safeguards your future.

1. Have you completed a thorough needs analysis of your current EHS systems? 

Before any EHS software is selected, you must take stock of your current EHS systems and processes. At this stage, you should focus on your desired EHS outcomes as a whole and identify areas that restrict your ability to achieve these.  

A structured buying process that focuses on your objectives (and not immediately to the software solutions available) ensures that your specific needs are met and that all relevant stakeholders are involved. 

Steps to follow:

• Needs Analysis: Perform a comprehensive needs analysis to identify the specific requirements of your EHS program.
• Stakeholder Involvement: Engage relevant stakeholders across your organizations throughout the selection process to ensure their needs and concerns are addressed.
• Gap Analysis: Review the gaps in your current EHS setup to understand how the new software can address these deficiencies.
• ROI Evaluation: Evaluate the potential ROI by considering cost savings, efficiency gains, and improved compliance and safety outcomes.

On the topic of ROI, as the saying goes EHS software should be viewed as an investment and not an expense. Looking for the cheapest option will rarely provide the safety outcomes you seek (more on this later). 

2. Does the EHS Software include ALL the components your EHS Program demands?

While this may seem obvious, not all EHS systems are created equal. By the nature of some platforms “niching down” into specific aspects of EHS, they often fail to include all the components for your organization’s current, and future, needs. 

When evaluating EHS software, it’s essential to ensure the platform provides robust compliance and regulatory support. Broadly, the software should:

1. Stay Updated: Continuously update to reflect the latest regulatory changes and standards.
2. Automate Compliance: Automate compliance reporting and documentation processes to reduce manual workload.
3. Provide Audit Trails: Offer comprehensive audit trails to ensure traceability and accountability in compliance activities. 

More specifically a robust EHS Software solution should, at a minimum, include modules for the most common EHS functions, such as:

• Incident Management: Track and manage workplace incidents effectively.
• Hazard Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate hazards.
• Contractor Management: Ensure safety and compliance of contractors throughout the supply chain.
• Quality Management: Maintain high standards of quality control within EHS processes.
• Risk Management: Identify and manage risks proactively with a central risk library and register.
• Audits and Inspections: Offer comprehensive audit trails and robust reporting to ensure traceability and accountability in compliance activities.
• Training: Enable the delivery of quality training content, while managing records, certifications and administering assessments.
• Document Management: Centralised document control for efficient compliance management and version control.

The chosen EHS software should also provide you with simple, extensive and expandable modules that adapt with you. This way, when your EHS requirements change you won’t have to change your entire EHS Software provider.

3. Does the proposed EHS Solution make it easy for everybody to use securely and provide the reporting your organization needs?

A user-friendly EHS solution is crucial for ensuring widespread adoption and effective use across your organization. The software should not only be intuitive and accessible but also provide the necessary security and reporting capabilities to meet your organization’s needs. 

Key considerations include:

• Intuitive Design: Feature an intuitive, easy-to-navigate design that minimizes the learning curve.
• Mobile Access: Provide mobile access to allow employees to report incidents, conduct inspections, and access information from any location.
• Role-Based Access: Include role-based access controls to ensure users have appropriate access to relevant features and data.
• Modularity: The software should offer a range of modules that are easy to deploy.

• Real-Time Reporting: Immediate access to up-to-date information for timely decision-making.
• Customisable Dashboards: Adaptable interfaces to meet the needs of various users and roles.
• Compliance Management: Ensure adherence to local, regional, and international regulations.
• Compliant Security Capabilities: Robust security features to protect sensitive data.

You should consider your future needs, too. As your enterprise grows, your EHS software needs to scale alongside it. Scalability and flexibility are vital to accommodate evolving business needs and expanding operations. 

Ask yourself if the software:

• Supports Growth: Can the EHS platform handle increasing data volumes and user numbers without compromising performance?
• Offers Customisation: Does the software adapt to your specific business processes and workflows (and not the other way around)?
• Provides Strong Integration Capabilities: Can it easily integrate with other enterprise systems (e.g., ERP, HRM) to provide a seamless flow of information?

By reviewing both your current and future state, you’ll dramatically increase your chance of investing in the right software, which can simplify processes, improve safety, and save you money over time. 

Here are just some of the ways that the Donesafe platform delivers unparalleled efficiency to your EHS program:

4. Does the Software Vendor provide robust support, training, and ongoing updates to keep your software relevant to your organization?

A reliable EHS software vendor should offer strong support, thorough training, and regular updates to keep your software relevant. This ensures your team can maximize the software’s potential and stay ahead of regulatory changes. 

Look for:

• Comprehensive Training: Availability of detailed training programs and resources for all user levels.
• Ongoing Support: Continuous technical support and troubleshooting assistance.
• Regular Updates: Regular software updates to incorporate new features and ensure compliance with evolving regulations.
• Clear Product Roadmap: Technology is constantly evolving. Make sure your provider has a proven record of releasing new features and functions that keep up.
• Customer Success Services: Engagement with customer success teams to help you maximize the software’s value and achieve your EHS goals.

At this stage, it’s a good idea to ask for implementation examples, testimonials and case studies. By speaking to peers you trust you can confirm the claims made by the prospective EHS software vendor. 

5. Can the Software Vendor help with stakeholder engagement and provide the required support and documentation to build your business case?

This must not be underestimated. Many EHS digital transformation projects struggle to gain support if this is overlooked. This was made apparent in the 2024 GERI Report with 46% of EHS Leaders stating achieving executive support for technology modernisation as their main concern.

The vendor should assist with stakeholder engagement and provide the necessary support and documentation to build a compelling business case. This helps in securing buy-in from key stakeholders and justifying the investment. 

Important factors include:

• Engagement Strategies: Vendor support in developing strategies to engage and educate stakeholders about the benefits of the EHS software.
• Documentation: Provision of detailed documentation and case studies to support your business case.
• Clear Value Proposition: Your EHS Software vendor should be able to communicate, supported with similar client examples, how you will derive the most value from the system.

Without the above support, you may be left to steer the whole change management process yourself. A great EHS platform supplier should leave you feeling like all the questions you’ll be asked internally can be answered. While the investment can be significant, it’s important you’ve been given the information and tools to communicate the efficiencies you’ll gain for the organization and the risks you’ll mitigate with the right solution.

There’s a lot at stake – from employee safety, injury minimization, insurance premiums and claims, all connected to organizational reputation and financial performance. The right investment in EHS software is one worth making.

In Summary.

Choosing the right EHS software is a critical decision that can significantly impact your organization’s compliance, safety, and overall efficiency. 

By focusing on comprehensive components, ease of use, robust support, stakeholder engagement, and a thorough buying process, you can select a solution that meets your enterprise’s unique needs and drives continuous improvement in your EHS initiatives.

Why Choose HSI Donesafe?

HSI Donesafe simplifies EHSQ. By seamlessly combining all Health, Safety, Environmental, Quality, and Risk Management programs into a unified system you’ll reduce admin time while drastically increasing engagement. Accessible everywhere for everyone, from the front-line to the boardroom, your organization’s safety will always be in sync. 

All your reports. All your insights. All your actions. All in one place. 

Contact us to discuss your unique challenges and one of our team will advise you of the right modules to begin with. Together we’ll roll out a plan that has low stress and high adoption, ensuring a smooth transition for you and your team.

• Keen to dig deeper on this topic, download our Buyer’s Guide to EHS Software
• Learn how to achieve executive buy-in and How to Calculate and Maximize the ROI of your EHS System