Stop the Spreadsheets: It’s Time to Mature Your IH Program
Moving from traditional systems to newer software can lead to improvements in engagement and support.
Making industrial hygiene (IH) program information visible and accessible to stakeholders throughout the organization is a key contributor to achieving the primary program goal of improving worker health. It is also essential to demonstrate the value that IH brings to your organization. When stakeholders (especially those in the C-Suite) have clear insight into IH program performance and worker health outcomes, those programs will ultimately be better staffed, supported and funded.
Recent advancements in software technologies are helping to drive IH program success in protecting worker health while also making communication of IH program performance clearer and easier. In other words, IH software gives IH professionals the ability to further engage stakeholders in their IH programs and achieve stronger levels of support and recognition for their contribution to the business.
What’s the Status of Your IH Program?
Unfortunately, the systems many organizations use to manage their IH programs are still based on paper and spreadsheets. The inherent inefficiencies of these obsolete methods ultimately limit their effectiveness—both in terms of controlling exposure risks and protecting workers’ health, but also in communicating IH program performance to help secure buy-in and support for those programs.
For example, reliance on paper or spreadsheets to manage complex IH program functions means IH professionals are forced to spend an extensive amount of time and effort simply generating the basic reports and analyses needed to support an IH program. Simultaneously, many IH programs are facing budget and headcount reductions as paper and spreadsheet-based systems make it difficult to clearly communicate IH risks and program outcomes, and key stakeholders, including the C-Suite, have limited visibility of the value IH brings to the organization. It’s a terrible cycle of inefficiency and poor communication that can prevent your IH program from reaching its full potential.
Lessons Learned in EHS Management
Environmental compliance is one of the best examples of how software technology has helped raise the bar. Environmental managers were some of the first EHS professionals to move away from obsolete paper or spreadsheet-based systems and toward purpose-built environmental compliance software. They have recognized the tremendous time and cost savings compared to these older systems, as well as the enhanced visibility and communication of environmental compliance data.
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.