Safety Documentation – The Central Repository

Health and Safety Management Software on Microsoft SharePoint

If a proper management system is the engine of safety and health, then one can consider documentation to be its oil. Documentation is the lubricant that allows the system to be effective and to evolve as needed. That documentation needs to be as thorough and comprehensive as possible. ConvergePoint’s Health and Safety Management Software; allows you to collate all your documentation into one convenient, central repository.

It is important to note that there are different types of documentation. The most common of these is a procedure, also sometimes referred to as a directive or safe work procedure, which is a written specification for a series of actions, acts or operations which have to be executed in the same manner in order to always obtain the same result under the same circumstances (e.g. an emergency procedure).

A works instruction is a document that provides detailed requirements for a specific type of operation (e.g. the maintenance requirements or operating instructions for given machinery). An instruction identifies how work is done, by whom, where, and when it is done, and as precisely and sequentially as possible. Records are those documents that are even more specific and provide proof of the implementation of a given procedure or works instruction. A record is usually in the form of a checklist, register or other prescriptive type of form that needs to be filled in as part of a verification process. You also have records as prescribed by legislation or regulatory regime (e.g. the Injury & Illness Record-keeping Forms issued by OSHA – 300, 300A, 301, etc.)

Automate your Health and Safety Processes

Your safety management system needs to take all of the different variations and ‘strata’ of documentation into due consideration. Gaps in documentation can result in shortfalls in safety performance and in compliance, both legal and systemic. Even more importantly, all documentation needs to be readily accessible in updated formats to whoever might need to use a specific document at a given time, whether it’s a manager or worker. Our software achieves all of that for you and your organization – and more.

An effective, digital repository of documentation will ensure that specific accountabilities are properly assigned and respected. The documentation system will be able to reflect system priorities and key systemic issues that are specific to your organization. A user-friendly and electronic database of documentation will also facilitate the selection of certain custodians or ‘champions’ of health and safety documentation in their respective divisions or work areas. This can be very beneficial in assigning key responsibilities in a management system. Furthermore, our software allows you to set different levels of user access and permissions regarding different types of documentation.