Environmental, health and safety (EHS) evolves just as fast as the problems facing your workers.
As an EHS professional, it’s up to you to stay on top of the latest trends so that you can stay competitive – and do a better job of keeping your workers safe.
Here are four major trends happening in EHS right now that could benefit your workplace.
Increased EHS Spending
One of the leading trends in the EHS industry is good news for workers: increased EHS spending.
In 2018, a global survey of 382 EHS directors, representing 25 industries in 31 countries, saw budgets projected to rise by 5.4% in 2018.
Of those surveyed, 21% would increase their spend by double-digits and 26% would increase by single digits.
What's the biggest spending area? Technology, with 42% of directors saying they would boost technology spending. The next highest spend was worker safety at 35%, with safety and incident management topping the list of EHS software spending plans.
The Rise of Mobile
However, EHS technology isn’t limited to the office. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The biggest draw of EHS software for many companies came from ease of use, particularly through mobile applications.
For safety managers with an eye towards practicality, mobile apps provide your team a number of benefits. For one thing, it gives you the ability to access your software from wherever you’re working. This makes it easy for workers to utilize EHS solutions whenever they need them. For managers looking to build a stronger safety culture, this makes it easy for workers to actively participate. It gives them the tools to stay safe and keep their colleagues safe every day.
It also allows you to get better insights from your software since your workers can access the technology they need in the moment. This gives you the leverage to make smarter management decisions in pursuit of worker safety and efficiency.
Cloud-Based Accessibility
Along similar lines, more EHS managers are looking to cloud-based safety software solutions.
As a manager, you know what your team needs. You know where your efficiency is lagging and what gaps you need to close. So when you look for safety software, you don’t need a one-size-fits-all solution.
You need software that will give you exactly the solutions you need when you need them. That way, you can stay agile, adapt to new challenges, and keep your team at the top of their game.
Cloud-based software solutions allow you to configure exactly the software you need without the hassle of trying to maintain your software in-house. Plus, your workers can access the software wherever they can access the cloud, which makes it easy for everyone to do their job better.
Emphasis on Safety Culture
Finally, more and more managers are emphasizing safety culture.
The reason is simple. Good employers know that workers are the backbone of any company. And if you work in high-risk industries, you have to go the extra mile for safety if you want a healthy, happy workforce.
But precautions aren’t enough. After all, your employees are the ones exposed to risk every day. A strong safety culture encourages them to take part in keeping each other safe, no matter the situation. They’ll step in to protect their coworkers and speak up when they see a safety issue.
And that allows you to be more effective as a manager.
Need to Keep Up with EHS?
If you need to manage your EHS program more effectively, we can help. We know that you face new challenges every day. That’s why we build solutions that can evolve with you. Want to find out more? Use our contact page to start the conversation.
EHS Insight Resources
Since 2009, the team at EHS Insight have been on a mission to make the world a better place. Join us by subscribing to our Blog and receive updates on what’s new in the world of EHS, our software and other related topics.
