Safety and compliance have always been tricky to navigate for Australian field service companies. After all, different worksites expose technicians to various health and safety risks that your company must proactively mitigate. It also doesn’t help that safety and compliance software often run separately from a field service company’s job management system. This means service managers will usually have to cross-reference information between two platforms to assign the right work orders.
Fortunately, there are modern solutions that tie both components seamlessly. WorkBuddy is a fully integrated job management system in that all safety and compliance can be handled within the platform. Below, we’ve compiled the many distinct benefits of integrating safety and compliance into your job management system.
Automate repetitive work processes
With built-in compliance features in job management software, you can automate workflows to streamline inspections and maintenance tasks. WorkBuddy can be used alongside compliance assessments and job schedules to evaluate whether certain tasks are delayed or incomplete. If WorkBuddy detects an issue, preprogrammed workflows send real-time alerts to field technicians so they complete their tasks to a certain standard.
Technicians can also collect electronic signatures from managers and clients to sign off on completed tasks through WorkBuddy. This not only eliminates slow, paper-intensive processes, but it also saves technicians from making a return trip in case they overlook certain job requirements.
Another unique feature of WorkBuddy is it’s ability to send alerts when contractor certificates, insurance, and licences are nearing their expiration dates, so you can renew them and stay compliant with industry regulations. With fully custom, job-specific SWMS you no longer waste time onsite completing unnecessary work checks.
Use checklists to keep technicians on track
The key to keeping technicians and their working environment safe is to assign job-related compliance checklists. These checklists provide step-by-step instructions on how technicians should approach specific site inspections, maintenance tasks, and installation jobs. General compliance checklists will often cover the following instructions:
- Make sure technicians are fit to work through regular health checkups, on-site performance assessments, and self-reporting regulations.
- Inspect and maintain industrial equipment and heavy machinery.
- Train workers on the proper use of equipment.
- Provide personal protective equipment to minimise the risk of injury.
- Establish COVID-19 social distancing and sanitation protocols.
- Properly mark hazardous areas (e.g., use of falling and slipping hazard signs).
- Minimise exposure to electrical, water, fire, and chemical hazards.
- Create emergency exit procedures.
Using WorkBuddy, you can model compliance checklists after Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) to ensure that potential safety issues are addressed. SWMS checklists vary from job to job, but each one prioritises tasks based on the probability and potential impact of a health and safety incident. For instance, construction workers will need to complete checklists that heavily focus on the management of slipping and tripping hazards, heavy material handling, and asbestos. To enforce safety policies, job assignments cannot be completed until every item on the checklist is addressed in WorkBuddy.
Reduce errors
When your job management system and compliance platform aren’t integrated, the chances of making administrative mistakes increase. Field technicians will need to capture data in the field using job management software for safety inspections and site surveys. They’ll then have to manually re-enter that data into their compliance platform, which takes up a lot of time and increases the risk of errors. If the information stored in either system is inaccurate, compliance managers will likely miss key workplace health and safety issues.
By combining safety and compliance in WorkBuddy, your employees won’t be subjected to repetitive and error-prone data entry. Completed checklists and compliance forms are processed directly into your job management database so everything is in one place. That means compliance managers get consistent information that will enable them to make the right risk mitigation and safety management decisions.
Improve team coordination
Another advantage of having compliance and job management features in one place is that it makes it easy for teams to function as a single unit. Dispatchers can assign compliance checklists and field technicians can view their tasks all within WorkBuddy’s field app. Any deficiencies reported in a site or asset inspection are automatically visible to the service manager on their desktop. From there, managers who have evaluated the problem can use WorkBuddy’s job scheduling capabilities to create multiple work orders for maintenance tasks. This illustrates how a fully integrated system can close gaps between departments and prevent miscommunication in the compliance process.
Promote a safety-minded culture
Incorporating safety and compliance in your job management system is one of the best ways to highlight the importance of health and safety. Checklists and automated reminders ensure adherence to operating standards, but they also show technicians that you have their best interests in mind. Plus, when everyone is aware of safety risks and their potential impacts, your teams will naturally work together to prevent serious incidents and keep each other safe. Ultimately, by creating a safe environment, technicians can work more effectively and produce outstanding results for your company.
If your business wants to improve workplace safety and never miss compliance obligations, WorkBuddy is the solution. Our safety and compliance module mixed with job management capabilities is a potent combination that dramatically optimises your business operations. Request a demo today to learn more about how WorkBuddy’s safety and compliance features benefit your business.
