To Digital or Not To Digital

Press Release

Should You Use Digital Audits?
(This article is a compilation of information from I-auditor and Safety-Reports)
A lot of members are considering what to do that will up their safety game.  More training?  A full-time safety person?  Going paperless for inspections?  Going paperless with an auditing app is an interesting place to start.  If you already use paperless reporting for time, quality, vehicle tracking or project documents you may be well on your way to add digital safety audits to your process. 
The ROI of digital audits comes mainly from the increased efficiency and enhanced communication. A streamlined solution automates a lot of manual auditing practices so that companies can increase their operational efficiency along with safety and quality standards.
In other words, companies might start out just wanting to transfer their paper audits to a digital system, but what they actually end up doing is:
 

  • Increasing operational efficiency
  • Standardizing quality and safety practices by location, auditor, and project
  • Measuring and proving quality and safety program effectiveness
  • Saving time and money on safety initiatives
  • Increasing the number of notices of unsafe conditions or near misses
Companies who are considered “best in class” in safety by an Aberdeen Report are more likely to have a centralized auditing system, conduct audits at each site (made possible by digital audits) and collect safety data automatically. Being “best in class” means these companies are reporting fewer incidents, but also saving money by being more efficient and delivering on tighter project deadlines.
“Best in class” companies are also over two times more likely to use mobile devices in the field. This enables easier audit reporting from any location. It also enables field workers to provide real-time feedback on any issues in the field. This immediate feedback loop creates a more proactive safety organization, rather than a reactive one.
Statistics from surveys indicate that companies that use digital auditing do more frequent audits, in shorter auditing times (without sacrificing on the quality of the audits) and in shorter reporting times. Thanks to streamlining certain manual processes, like adding photos directly into a report, field workers have an easier way to document issues. They also have a faster means of communication with managers to escalate hazards.
Digital audits help hold your team accountable for organizational standards. They create an easy-to-use (and thus more often used) system of checking everyday processes. They also allow auditors to sign off on certain tasks and serve as a reminder for more easily-forgettable tasks.
With these efficiency gains that some companies are seeing, why do others miss out on the full potential that a digital auditing tool provides?
A big part of this is the safety processes that provide the foundation for the digital auditing system. Bill Gates has famously said, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” When you put a digital auditing tool in place, don’t simply digitize old paper checklists. This gives you the opportunity to revisit existing processes and see if they’re still serving their intended purposes.
Some questions that you may want to ask before implementing digital auditing:
 
  • What is our existing process for communicating new safety procedures?
  • Do we have all the checks in place that we need or are there areas that could use more formal processes?
  •  Do new employees understand the safety processes well enough?
  • Should we consider retraining in any areas?
  • What is our existing communication between the field and the office? Do we have enough avenues for feedback?
  • Do we have enough visibility into what contractors are doing and how they’re performing?
  • Are there clear safety goals and KPIs? Is everyone aware of them?
  • Do we track the right data in our audits?
  • Do we have a formal process for revisiting trends in our audit data and finding ways to improve?
  • Does management have a clear idea of how safety procedures are performing?
These questions will help you rethink your safety procedures as a whole and give you insight into where you want your auditing tool to help out. You may even want to get multiple teams involved and source ideas on improvements from them.
Stay safe efficiently!
 

To Digital or Not To Digital