Two-thirds of British workers want their bosses to invest in health and safety technology to make workplaces safer, according to new research.
68% of employees believe digital health and safety solutions would help companies become more compliant and manage the safety of staff more effectively.
A survey of 2,000 employees, which was conducted by award-winning data capture app provider, WorkMobile, found that 37% of staff think operations manuals and employee handbooks should be digitalised to make them easier to access and read.
19% believe digital employee handbooks would save businesses a lot of time and money when it comes to managing health and safety policies, making for greater compliance.
Worryingly, of those who were given safety guidance by their employer, 13% said their company’s handbook has never been updated since they first received it, mainly due to the time needed to update paper versions.
But, its not just bosses who are failing to be health and safety compliant – almost half of employees (43%) are failing to read the health and safety policies and procedures, even when their employer has supplied them. The answer to this problem lies in technology, as 64% say they would be more likely to read their manuals if they were provided in a digital format.
The survey was conducted as part of WorkMobile’s ‘Work Safe’ report, which looks at the current state of health and safety in the UK and where improvements need to be made to protect workers.
Colin Yates, chief support officer at WorkMobile, said:
“To make sure workers can operate safely and compliantly, they need to be provided with the correct guidance on how to do so. Of course, monitoring who has received the information, who has read it and whether it’s up to date can be challenging – especially given that legislation often changes and new employees are regularly brought into businesses. It can be hard to keep up.
“But, workers are recognising that policies aren’t always up-to-date, and sometimes aren’t even properly communicated with staff. Now they’re demanding a more effective alternative to paper-based handbooks that will keep them safer – and they believe the answer lies in technology.
“We’re increasingly moving towards a paperless office, yet health and safety seems to be lagging behind when it comes to innovation. However, switching to a digital form of safety documents is extremely simple and can save businesses a lot of time and money – and headaches. With digital signatures, they’ll be able to check who has received the information and who has read it, making for greater compliancy.”
Paul Gray is an entrepreneur and digital publisher who creates online publications focused on solving problems, delivering news, and providing platforms for informed comment and debate. He is associated with HRZone and has built businesses in the HR and professional publishing sector. His work emphasizes creating industry-specific content platforms.
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