Industrial Safety White Paper How a Safety Information Network Transforms the Safety Function Author: Dr. Jason Kolkey Introduction: Leadership for Safety There is no question that keeping employees That is where a Safety Information Network comes safe is an important part of building a in. The network is an interoperable system of successful enterprise. Workers, especially smart applications, accessible through multiple if they are regularly exposed to hazardous devices and taking advantage of secure cloud circumstances, cannot do their jobs to the best storage to maintain and organize the data safety of their abilities unless they have confidence professionals rely upon. It eliminates redundancies that the organization as a whole is interested and makes safety information more visible and in protecting their well-being. And companies accessible, unifying the processes of training, must manage risks to move toward their data-gathering, and record-keeping. It also allows collective goals and build reputations for the safety manager to monitor Personal Protective reliability, foresight, and responsibility. Equipment. The network lowers the risk of non- Their workforce must therefore be thoroughly compliance, improves operational efficiencies of educated in safety procedures, sufficiently the safety function, and can have a positive impact protected against potential dangers, acting in on operational productivity. compliance with regulations, and efficiently This white paper discusses some of the major accomplishing their tasks. changes that come about in an organization But just knowing that health and safety are when it institutes a Safety Information Network. important in the workplace is not enough to Based on research into best practices for bring about improved outcomes. To make safety safety management and interviews with safety a priority, an organization needs leadership professionals, it examines how networked informed by experience and quality data. When technology can become a cornerstone for they have the right information, analytical tools, leadership in safety throughout a business. and the ability to act upon their findings, safety We will explore several of the major changes an managers are uniquely well positioned to make organization experiences when it spreads an the necessary connections that result in a safer understanding and appreciation for safety by working environment. building a Safety Information Network. These changes streamline the safety professional’s workload and allow him or her to make a far-reaching impact, but also provide the individualized information that involves stakeholders at all levels of the business in a culture of safety. RFID-enabled personal protective Data from your equipment inspections and observations Gain Perspective on Managing Occupational Health and Safety Track Trends in Safety Safety managers use all the resources at their disposal, striving to minimize events and exposures by gathering data and learning why accidents occur. But detecting dangerous trends, much less counteracting them, can be a struggle when an organization relies on a clunky arrangement of multiple systems and spreadsheets or calculations by hand to monitor safety information. A Safety Employers must find Information Network offers safety managers the tools necessary to gain a new perspective on safety, “and correct safety tracking trends in hazards and accidents across the operation and over the long term. The system and health problems. guides them to find dangers within an organization and take measures to ward off potential problems OSHA further requires before they lead to injuries or delays. employers to try to eliminate or reduce Keeping Tabs on Exposures hazards first by making changes in In the past, it has been near-impossible to stay on top of safety information in real time as safety working conditions professionals struggled to synthesize the great volume of data from dosimeters for audiometric rather than just relying testing, wearable chemical sensors, and portable gas detectors. They must balance monitoring on masks, gloves, ear areas of specific concern, such as finding threshold shift in workers’ hearing, with meeting other daily plugs or other types regulatory necessities and keeping employees out of dangerous situations. of personal protective equipment (PPE). A quality safety information management system embedded in a robust network can make meeting these responsibilities far more manageable. It provides accessible, accurate information about the duration and intensity of workers’ exposures to hazards. A network monitors ” the long-term effects of hazards for individuals and groups of workers, and by linking to smart Personal Protective Equipment can track information about different exposure types for each worker, including noise, electricity, and heat. The Safety Information Management System (SIMS) will help Cloud to assign experienced workers to critical functions based on their recent exposure history, scheduling them to optimize productivity and minimize danger. After comparing exposure records against internal standards and regulations, a network alerts the safety director of any areas that are out of compliance. Meeting Regulatory Standards without the Hassle One of the foremost concerns for every safety professional is staying on top of alterations in workplace health and safety regulations. For instance, over the past few years, there have been changes in Arc Flash standards, hazard communication protocols, regulations for construction workers in confined spaces, and requirements for eye and face protection. And health and safety regulations place a major burden of responsibility upon those tasked with safety management. According to OSHA guidelines, “Employers must find and correct safety and health problems. OSHA further requires employers to try to eliminate or reduce hazards first by making changes in working conditions rather than just relying on masks, gloves, Databases ear plugs or other types of personal protective equipment (PPE).” 1 Safety managers can benefit the enterprise when they have systems that reduce the hassles of meeting regulations by providing intuitive, customizable hazard management tools. A Safety Information Network integrates the responsibility to ameliorate threats to safety at every juncture into the daily workflow. With safety professionals tracking compliance at all levels, they are freed to take an active hand in improving conditions and avoid falling behind in meeting regulatory demands. They can more readily fulfill even complex and changing requirements when they receive real-time updates on the facilities within their purview, documenting known hazards and protective equipment requirements. Armed with the necessary information, they can mitigate dangers with procedures based on OSHA standards, periodically accessing worker records, noting training requirements and compliance Summary: standards, and generating reports. • Safety managers often lack the Moreover, the safety manager can go beyond just trying to keep up with resources to make the safety hazards and work toward engineering them out. Both temporary and function as effective a force as it permanent dangers become more visible and options for handling them, can be within a business. such as providing collective protection for all workers in a potentially • By using networked tools, they hazardous area, become more readily apparent. By planning ahead, can take a broader view of safety. minimizing risks, and evading damage, they not only improve workers’ lives They discover fresh insights but reap economic benefits for the business in general. and improve practices, tracking worker exposures and meeting regulations with ease. Allow Safety Professionals to Give Their Work a Personal Touch Safety directors agree that much of their job consists of managing a huge volume of relevant reports and information. Those surveyed reported spending over half their work week tracking safety information. They spend their days tracking down others to gather information, updating spreadsheets and databases, filling out forms, and writing reports. “People don’t realize how much data there is involved in all the things a safety professional deals with,” one explained. Making the safety function as effective as possible means going beyond improving how that paperwork is organized and processed, fundamentally altering how experts in safety spend their days. With a Safety Information Network in place, safety managers can cut the time they devote to paperwork and maintaining information in multiple systems. Their workday is transformed as they are liberated from their desks to devote more time to training, observing, and personally engaging with workers. Taming the Paper Monster The bookkeeping that presently dominates the safety function can be overwhelming to the experts who must deal with it. A safety professional spoke of the dread she felt when she considered the sheer volume of forms awaiting her attention because she simply does not have time for them. She described the physical documents she has stored away in a desk The safety professional’s paper monster. drawer as a “paper monster” anticipating its moment to attack. A Safety Information Network offers the immediate benefit of resources to assist safety directors in overcoming the paper monster of seemingly endless forms and spreadsheets. Unlike in the makeshift arrangements many currently employ, they do not have to coordinate between