13 Sep 2021

How to Choose the Right EHS Management System for Your Business

If there’s anything that almost two years of COVID-19 pandemic challenges have taught the business world, it’s that to execute any sustainable success strategy, Environment, Health and Safety must have a seat at the table. South Africa is fast becoming a bellwether for greater EHS adoption on the African continent, a shift fuelled both by necessity and innovation in EHS reporting.

The right EHS management system integration presents opportunities for professionals to leverage their EHS acumen and apply it to the greater sustainability conversation.  Yet selecting the software that caters best to a company’s needs is not the easiest thing to do. A quick Google search could present dozens of options that may appear similar, but not all EHS management software systems are built equal. Investing in the wrong platform without performing sufficient due diligence could result in adoption of a system that does little to support your EHS endeavours or leaves your company exposed when Occupational, Health and Safety regulators pay a surprise visit.

To help narrow your options and discern which EHS management system best aligns with your business needs, we have created a five-point checklist of things to consider. 

  • Don’t Run from Change

A common mistake that big companies make is sticking to the same programmes they have been using for years, instead of continually testing and looking for improved technology to fit their ever-changing industry and needs as a company. The pace of green change is rapidly accelerating and so are the technologies that support it. Don’t let your business be left behind.

  • Determine Your Needs First

Before considering any EHS system, first determine what your EHS needs are. Outline daily, weekly and monthly EHS processes, expectations and responsibilities, and the key people involved in them. Reflect on existing issues and gaps in your safety and compliance programme — what’s working and what needs to be fixed. Upon scribing and vetting a detailed list of EHS needs, compare them against potential EHS reporting systems to gauge their efficacy for aligning with, and achieving the business needs you outlined prior.

  • Test the Product

Request a demo or free trial and test the product. After all, the proof is in the pudding. Ask thorough questions of sales representatives and input data from your company files during the demo to witness the EHS software in action, focusing on how easy it is to use and if what it comprehensively provides is sufficient for your needs. 

Ask yourself the following: 

  • Is the system easy to navigate? 
  • Does the layout or dashboard make sense from a user-experience point of view?
  • Can the system be accessed from different devices in the same way as EHSCloud software?

Remember, simple, intuitive software will drive higher productivity and better results. Have potential future users of the software try the system, not just CEOs, and report back on its ease of use and ability to meet the needs of the organisation. 

To book a free demo of EHSCloud management software which gives you real-time oversight, monitoring and management capabilities off a single dashboard wherever you are, click here.

  • System Features and Customisation 

Look at the EHS system’s list of features and functionalities, then consider the necessity of these within your EHS framework. Embrace cloud-based software and consider how it supports processes and serves your end goal.

It is always best to choose an all-in-one system like EHSCloud that can be customised to your needs, and includes different tools an EHS team might use to capture data better, integrate reports, share data organisation-wide, simplify document management, build reports with greater accuracies, streamline the EHS function and proactively solve potential issues before they become worse.

  • Training and Support

Employees require training to be able to approach new systems and processes with confidence and succeed in their roles. Training helps to enhance efficiencies, reduce risk and enhance ROI. Never choose a vendor that does not offer training and support. EHSCloud offers full training of our EHS management software with long-term customer support. It helps to unlock deeper value and efficiency from your EHS function, creating a workplace with greater depth of skills, experience and engagement in environmental, health and safety.

Every organisation is different in some way and invariably has different requirements of its EHS management function. EHSCloud is poised to meet those requirements head-on. Learn more. 

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