The future of health and safety compliance is here

Source: 123RF

The digitising of management compliance takes the risk of non-compliance out of the equation and changes the risk profile of the business, making it easy for companies and personnel to securely capture, store, manage and distribute document-compliance information online and in real-time.

HSEC Online - a health, safety, environment and community management system developed by Saryx Engineering Group is a cloud-based solution that is accessible on any device, from anywhere, and at any time.

This transparent, collaborative workflow platform takes the complexity out of compliance management and helps companies to confidently achieve regulatory compliance by demonstrating to all stakeholders that the specific standards have been met.

HSEC Online is now being implemented in both local and international markets, and particularly in difficult and dangerous working environments, such as mines where real-time, accurate monitoring is essential.

Says Ingrid Osborne, an electronic engineer and one of the company’s two founders: “Although we initially built the solution for internal use, we quickly realised it had commercial viability and could provide significant help to many companies. A mature system such as HSEC Online can easily assist businesses to unravel the complexities of regulatory compliance and put a solid framework in place.

Industry compliance made simple

"Our proven technology and demonstrable implementations take the sweat and tears out of compliance management that are essential for any company that is serious about tackling this task.”

Co-founder Julie Mathieson, a computer scientist, adds that the phrase ‘regulatory compliance’ is often accompanied with images of stacked lever arch files, waiting in long queues, heaps of paperwork and a never-ending list of compliance requirements. Then there is the continuous monitoring of these items throughout the lifespan of the contract, for the company, each employee, and every piece of equipment. This can be impossible to do, costly, time consuming, and the outcome is not guaranteed – mistakes can be made, and details overlooked.

“The digitisation of this complicated process is a no-brainer,” says Mathieson. “It is a vast improvement on the manual method, which was typically a physical ‘safety file’ that could have missing documents because remember, you don’t really check what isn’t there due to its manual nature. I would describe HSEC Online as providing a similar service in this arena as internet banking does in eliminating the need to stand in a queue to see a teller; it is simple, smart, safe and saves you enormous amounts of time.”

Osborne points out that an automated solution can assist in significantly reducing the number of potential work hours lost in a scenario where an injury occurs. Depending on the industry sector, she adds that a company may find itself shut down while a thorough investigation is performed.

“Such an investigation can take two to four weeks, while the authorities check company records to ensure compliance with all safety regulations, and that all the correct systems are in place. Mining is a dangerous business and as such, under the Mine Safety Inspection Act 1994, the act enforces general duty-of-care provisions to maintain safe and healthy conditions at mining operations to protect people at work from the dangers.

"When a mine engages contractors to perform work, effective contractor procurement and management are essential to ensure the duties to the contractor are met. Likewise, contractors also have a duty as workers under the Mine Safety Inspection Act 1994 to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and to take reasonable care that their behaviour does not affect the health and safety of others.

"To manage this process and to ensure that all parties - the employer and the contractor - are playing their part, contractor management is essential and HSEC Online is the perfect solution.”

Easy inventory management

Mathieson says that HSEC Online is flexible enough to help any company or contractor manage and control everything from legal issues to Personal Protective Equipment management, not to mention audits, risk management and of course all the required documentation around emergency procedures and organisational safety policies, in a safe and secure manner.

“The future of health and safety compliance is now. We have focused on making HSEC compliance as simple and intuitive as possible. By making it user-friendly, people are less likely to be afraid of it, which makes an automated option the ideal solution to solve health-and-safety compliance challenges,” she concludes.