The recent past has highlighted just how important environmental, health and safety issues are for every company. Even those who previously deemed themselves low risk. COVID-19 became the catalyst for health and safety rocketing up the priorities ladder for almost all companies.
But despite this reality many companies especially smaller ones, believe that health and safety procedures and paperwork are too much !
Research reveals that their perception is what they view as the paperwork necessities for managing the health and safety risks in their workplace are excessive and disproportionate to their activities. Many further stated that they see no real link between their health and safety compliance paperwork and the actuality of keeping employees safe. Their view is having to deal with reams of paperwork with little tangible health and safety benefit.
Increases in Digitization
It must be admitted that COVID-19 did create new levels of health and safety bureaucracy. During peak pandemic I recall a colleague and I joking that we couldn’t remember what we did with our time before all the COVID-19 administration began !
But as became apparent across many other industries; COVID-19 also served to accelerate digital transformation. Both in the management of Covid-19 controls and also in the need to manage and access real-time, accurate data. Especially in the face of remote working.
Many health and safety professionals believe that most paper based health and safety management systems will be eliminated in the near future. Whether this will become as widespread and prevalent as imagined remains to be seen.
Too Heavy HSE Management Systems
As Health and Safety Consultants we see firsthand how some companies view the creation of heavy health and safety documentation. Which has in the main been created under the assumption that more paperwork equals more control of humans and their actions.
With many of our health and safety management system improvement projects one of our first steps with documentation is to take a “hot knife” through the reams of paperwork and declutter the existing HSE documents.
Our focus is on streamlining and creating appropriate and effective health and safety paperwork based on practical, logical and human based practices. Which do not go into too finer detail and create hugely in depth processes and procedures. Serving to create the opposite effect of their intention.
Health and Safety Compliance Box Ticking
More often than not, we at Corporate OHS observe companies developing and utilising many more procedures than are required. Resulting in a “tick box culture” and dulling health and safety effectiveness with mindless compliance.
If there are no or little accidents and incidents often we may find a “laissez faire” or “allow to do” attitude. Whereby procedures have been in existence for many years without amendment. And an “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it attitude” preserves the status quo and seldom leads to the existing health and safety procedures being reviewed or simplified.
Furthermore, if new compliance is required. Either from customers, industry or Governmental regulations. New procedures may be hastily added instead of dovetailing them into existing paperwork. This rush to demonstrate due diligence can also create a “bum covering” mentality. Labouring under the belief that showing compliance is more important that working safely.
Other Reasons for an over Reliance on HSE paperwork
Further reasons for companies creating overly weighty health and safety management systems can include:
- Knee jerk reactions to accidents. Creating overly hastily new procedures is a rush to show a quick fix
- The overly simplified belief that more procedures mean better assurance against failure
- To show continuous improvement and new ideas. Creating an over focus on creating and implementing new initiatives
- Lack of learning and listening to employees. Such as when the author of procedures is not the one implementing them and lacks perspective and insight into the actual work. This can lead to bulky procedures not tailored to the actual work
- Lack of trust in employees. Resulting in multiple layers of checks
- Tendency by management to micro-manage. Preparing large lists of Dos and Don’ts as they don’t trust staff to work properly
- The mentality that complicated and long procedure look more impressive. As HSE Consultants this is perhaps one of our most seen ! Where the author of the HSE management system believes that complicated words and procedures make them look professional and smart. Even if nobody understands, reads or uses them
So What is the Fix ?
Move on from the over creation of paperwork. Look instead to motivate employees to comply via engagement and ownership of the health and safety programme. A holistic approach where health and safety is not about visible compliance or enforcement, but built into the companies operations and ethos.
Instead of drilling down too far in massive detail or creating reams of paperwork systems. Learn how to instead connect with employees. Build trust and effective communications. Identify and bridge business gaps, create flexible decision making and the capacity to operate ad hoc and “on the hoof”. Keep the mantra clearly in your mind “more paperwork is not the answer !”
If you are looking for HSE Consultancy services in the UAE, Corporate OHS is a Health and Safety Consultancy whose HSE Consultants offer expert resources and superior performance to give you greater results.
We specialize in creating workable, user friendly solutions aligned to your business activities, operations and budget.
Our range of health and safety consultancy services includes;
- Long term or project based HSE outsourcing
- Flexible monthly support retainers giving access to HSE services without the burden of a permanent cost
- Risk assessments
- Hazard identification and control measure implementation
- Gap Analysis and audits
- HSE legal compliance reviews and assistance
- HSE management system development, implementation and improvement including locally compliant systems such as Abu Dhabi OSHAD, Sharjah OSHJ and/or accredited systems such as ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and ISO 50001
- Accident investigations
- Business continuity and crisis management
To find out more about our services, please visit our website www.corporateohs.com send an email to enquiries@corporateohs.com or call Caroline Savage on 052 566 0949