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Guide
Choosing an integrated EHS Software solution or standalone systems?
What is EHS software?
EHS Software (Environmental, Health and Safety) is a software management solution designed for businesses explicitly to streamline the management of workplace Health, Safety, Environmental, Quality, Risk and Compliance processes.
EHS Software goes beyond your traditional standalone safety systems as it covers all workplace health and safety areas in one solution.
A business utilises an EHS software solution as a single source of Environmental Health and Safety data in one central location. EHS software offerings cover a broad array of themes, including regulatory compliance, corporate sustainability, environmental protection, accident avoidance, environmental audit, inspection, process standardisation and digitisation and training, tracking and delivery.
What is a standalone safety solution?
In the world of health and safety, a standalone safety solution is a piece of software designed to solve one or two EHS challenges. This might be something like a risk register, an incident register, a digital form builder or even a Learning Management System (LMS).
A standalone safety system is a specialist solution explicitly designed to solve one or two primary challenges very well. Standalone safety systems are often utilised by businesses that are progressing through digital transformation, only have one or two problems, or to fill in the gaps of their legacy EHS software and processes.
These standalone safety solutions will generally play in one or two areas of EHS management and are typically a stepping stone to adopting an end-to-end EHS software solution like Lucidity.
See below how several standalone systems look like compared to an EHS software solution:
Standardisation of processes
All of your EHS processes are standardised by using the same system as one source or truth
Reduction in manual data handling
Reduction in processing of data and transferring between multiple systems
Enhanced quality of data
Data has fewer errors as it hasn’t been manually handled multiple times
Reduced costs
Less time spent on admin, rectifying errors and processing data
Streamlined help and support
One help desk, one phone number and one system for workers to learn
Compliance
Centralisation of EHS processes in the one place to streamline compliance
Specialist solutions
Solves one or two areas of EHS, such as Incident or Risk management - very well
Out-of-the-box functionality
Generally out of the box functionality or minimal configuration required
Fast deployment
They are fast to deploy as they require less training and are out of box
Price
One or two standalone systems will generally be cheaper than a completely integrated EHS solution
How do I choose?
Understanding which pathway is going to be more effective for your business is a case by case decision and will vary for each business.
Ultimately, this decision is going to change based on your current situation, the problems you are trying to solve and how you intend to grow in the future.
Some of the points below will help you decide whether to invest in standalone systems or an integrated solution.
1. Understand the gaps in your EHS performance
The journey to choosing the right software for your business inevitably falls upon understanding the gaps in operational performance.
Doing an internal gap analysis of the areas you want to automate, digitise and streamline is essential to deciding on the scope of your digital transformation project.
By developing an understanding of the areas you want to digitally transform, such as training and inductions, risk management and assessments, incident and corrective action management, you will better understand the software you need to solve these challenges.
2. Evaluate current systems
The next element is understanding your current tech stack and what systems are currently being used, and by who. For instance, your HR department might be entrenched in a Learning Management Software (LMS) that could be replaced with a HSEQ solution.
If you are deeply embedded into a certain standalone system, you will need to build an understanding of whether it can be replaced or whether you will need a complimentary system.
Reputable EHS software providers like Lucidity will undertake a complementary high-level analysis of your current software stack and provide you with an overview of how the solution will fit in and if it can replace anything you currently have.
3. Budget
With any purchasing decision, budget plays a significant factor in your decision. While investing in an integrated EHS solution may seem a lot more expensive than implementing standalone systems, there are indirect costs that might pop up.
For instance, the time required for maintenance, change management, learning, support and implementation of standalone systems is often overlooked. If not done correctly, it may cost more than initially investing in an integrated EHS solution.
4. Future proofing
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make with any software digital transformation project is either taking the quickest route or using "band-aid" fixes rather than thinking and investing in a long-term and scalable solution.
While choosing a number of standalone systems might be more cost-effective, often, they cannot facilitate growth, and businesses continue to add additional systems to fill in gaps.
Before making any decisions on your new EHS software, deciding which solution will help facilitate growth without being outgrown is essential.
Conclusion
The decision to implement an integrated EHS system vs. utilising standalone systems will be an individual business decision.
Considering cost, your internal processes, the current technology situation and the perceived future state of your EHS function will be different for every business.
If you want to speak with an expert about the best option for your business, please contact us today!
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