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Are you bogged down by paper processes?  How much time do you spend maintaining safety records?  Just think…no more paper, no more filing cabinets, find documents in a click.  Ensure quick access to all your critical information.  Go DIGITAL with Online Safety Administrator.

Safety is not just about statistics and numbers, it is about the culture.   According to Wikipedia the definition of Safety Culture is, “The attitude, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to safety in the workplace.”  It has been described by the phrase ‘it is the way we do things around here’.  Not always is the way we do things considered to be the correct way.

A new approach is to incorporate a businesslike online program.  A Safety Management System (SMS) is a systematic, explicit and comprehensive process for managing your safety program activities and documents.  It provides a way to identify hazards and control risks while maintaining assurance that these controls are effective.  This system provides for goal setting, planning and measuring performances, it becomes part of the culture, the way people do their jobs.  

There are three initiatives for adopting a Safety Management System:

1. Ethical – a moral obligation to ensure that work activities and place of work are safe
2. Legal – due diligence and compliance of the regulations 
3. Financial – reducing the direct and indirect costs associated with accidents and incidents.

To address these three important initiatives an effective SMS will:

• define how the organization is setup to handle risk.
• identify worksite risk and implement controls.
• implement effective communication across all levels of the organization. 
• implement a process to identify and correct non-conformities.
• implement a continual improvement process. 

A strong safety culture is visible at all levels of the organization and it is this culture that shapes our behaviour by the atmosphere created.   As a result a company with this culture will experience lower incident rates, less turn-over, less absenteeism, fewer at-risk behaviours and higher productivity. 

SICA offers a complete interactive Safety Management System that will automate all your safety program activities and documents.  It will be customized with your company name and logo, along with color branding.  The first thing to appear when you log in will be your dashboard including a calendar, any news items, actions required, training requirements and/or recommendations.  The system is compatible with a computer, tablet or mobile app which allows an unlimited number of users to access the system at the same time.  An administrator will determine which users have what level of security access.  The information stored is backed up every evening and secured in a separate database.

It is user friendly which makes it easy to securely upload, edit and share documents throughout your organization, ensuring compliance with WorkSafeBC and your own policies.  Incorporating a safety management system will ease the requirements to become COR certified and help with maintenance and certification audits. 

The Safety Management System is made up of the following components:

• Policy, programs and procedures
• Assessments
• Inspections 
• Meetings
• Investigation  
• Company locations
• Equipment
• Employee records
• Reports  
• Training - licensing and certifications 
• Administration    

Engage with technology to take a businesslike approach to safety which will ultimately save you time and money. 

Need help managing your safety program?  Call SICA to learn more about our Safety Management System and how it can impact your company, call Leanne Hendrickson at SICA 250.491.7330 to schedule a demonstration at your convenience.

 SICA Education Department:
Jennifer Marte, Director of Education
Leanne Hendrickson, Education Services Coordinator 

This article first appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of SICA's Construction Review Magazine. To read the entire magazine click here.