The direct benefits of Computerized Maintenance Management Software are well recognised. They include efficiency gains and reduced energy and maintenance costs. However, CMMS software supports and promotes an EHS compliant workplace in several subtle yet essential ways.
Ensuring the health and safety of employees is paramount for any organisation, especially in industrial settings with the many risks present.
So, read on to learn more about the crucial yet often understated role that maintenance software has in preventing injuries and fatalities.
Reasons to Review Your Compliance Procedures
In the spirit of continuous improvement, reviewing safety compliance procedures is a worthwhile undertaking. After all, no organisation has perfect protocols and one workplace injury or death is one too many.
In the UK in 2022/23, there were 135 fatalities caused by workplace incidents, a 10% increase on the previous year. The total number of non-fatal injuries for the same period was 561,000, and 1.8 million workers were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their work.
In Britain, fines for non-compliance can be up to £20,000 per case, but issues that endanger human life can lead to unlimited fines or even imprisonment.
Meanwhile, in the US, there were 5,486 fatal occupational injuries in 2022 and 2.8 million injury and illness cases. OSHA reports that in the US, workplace injury costs employers almost $1 billion per week in compensation costs.
How Does CMMS Software Enhance Safety and Improve Compliance?
Asset Lifecycle Management
The health of equipment directly impacts safety in the workplace, and CMMS software plays a vital role in asset management – throughout the entire lifecycle.
It monitors the condition of assets and asset performance, helping maintenance teams to make informed decisions about repairs, replacements, and retirements.
This ensures that no equipment is pushed beyond its safe operational limits, thereby maintaining a safe working environment.
Preventive Maintenance Scheduling
At the core of any robust health and safety protocol is the concept of risk mitigation, an area where CMMS software excels. As mentioned above, an important risk that needs considering is the potential for faulty equipment to cause accidents; other potential risks associated with equipment defects include leaks, spills, and heightened emissions, jeopardising compliance with environmental regulations.
To keep equipment in optimal condition and reduce the likelihood of accidents and undesirable environmental consequences, a proper maintenance schedule is key.
Maintenance management software handles all aspects of scheduling in a streamlined way and helps your maintenance team prioritise tasks effectively, but it doesn’t stop there – it also enables preventive maintenance scheduling. This proactive approach lets staff identify potential hazards before they escalate into more significant issues, saving costs and potentially saving lives.
Our solutions facilitate this proactivity through regular condition monitoring, and the robust auditing of asset condition checks. They also provide records of asset checks, and verification that safety and environmental checks are in order (as well as legal and quality checks).
Data-Driven Insights for Safer Decisions
A vital function of CMMS software is its ability to provide data-driven insights. The systems collect and analyse data on various aspects of maintenance operations, identifying trends that might indicate underlying safety issues. For example, a higher frequency of maintenance requirements in a particular machine might signal an inherent safety flaw.
Through these insights, organisations can make informed decisions to enhance workplace safety and the strategy surrounding it.
Software should be customisable for best results. Some systems let users generate customised reports that focus on various safety metrics so they can tailor their research to be relevant to their operations.
Better Operations for Improved Compliance
A computerized maintenance management system assists organisations in staying EHS compliant in multiple ways.
Standardisation
First of all, it standardises all processes and their accompanying documentation, reducing variation and the problems it can cause. It also ensures that the right information is documented for auditing purposes, as required by regulations.
Without this, inconsistent and complex practices would prevail, along with difficulties in ensuring the correct protocols are followed consistently throughout the organisation.
Organisations would rely heavily on paper-based records or disparate digital documents, making it harder to maintain accurate and up-to-date records for auditing and reporting.
In addition, the risk of human error in data entry and record keeping would increase, potentially leading to regulatory violations.
Environmental Safety
An often-overlooked aspect of health and safety is environmental safety, but CMMS software contributes to this by optimising resource use and reducing waste.
Cloud based maintenance software is the key to efficiency – and efficient maintenance management reduces energy consumption and minimises the chances of environmental hazards. But that’s not all – some systems have features designed for sustainability; for example, our OEE monitoring module helps customers track energy and water consumption.
Software also extends asset lifetimes by keeping them in top condition through preventive and predictive maintenance. As such, this minimises the likelihood of replacements, reducing waste and contribution to landfill sites.
On the other hand, the timely replacement of assets can reduce energy consumption because modern assets are designed to be more efficient. So, when it truly is time up for your equipment, software makes it known in a way you and the environment can benefit from.
Finally, an inventory tracking system monitors the location and quantities of hazardous materials and chemicals. This makes it easier to ensure they’re handled in a compliant way.
Enhanced Collaboration and Responsiveness
Effective communication is crucial in maintaining a safe workplace, and this is another area where cloud based CMMS software adds value. Thanks to the cloud, all users can access data – real-time data – at the same time, from any location.
As a result, your operations are presented as a single source of truth. This reduces the risk of miscommunication about the status of maintenance tasks and makes it easy to quickly report and address any concerns. The software also sends alerts when personnel need to be notified about work orders and other important matters.
This immediacy not only speeds up the response to potential hazards but also encourages a safety-focused culture. (Using a mobile CMMS app takes responsiveness a step further.)
Conclusion
CMMS software is not just a tool for maintenance management; it’s a key for building and maintaining a safe, healthy, and compliant working environment.
Its role in doing so is multifaceted. The standardisation it provides overall helps organisations avoid complex and variable processes and documentation. Asset lifecycle management and preventive maintenance manages risks before they escalate, reporting functions make compliance easier, and the cloud provides a single source of truth.
Idhammar Systems developed the world’s first commercial maintenance management solution and has been continuously refining it ever since. Want to see it in-action?
Contact us today to book a demo.