Effective risk management

Effective risk management

RAYMOND MOUSSA, business development executive at One Vision Solutions, discusses risk management strategies and using software as a risk management tool

In this first of two instalments on the subject, we discuss the first three of seven steps towards better risk management when partnering with best-practice software tools.

1. Contractor management

This involves managing the entire lifecycle of the supplier or contractor from pre-qualification, collection and verification of licences, induction and on-site verifications.

A contractor workforce can be a major risk for a business, due to the lack of control the host business has over the worker’s processes, skills and training. By utilising a software system, such as Rapid Contractor Management, the relationship between the business and the suppliers is better controlled.

Best-practice contractor management involves comprehensive pre-qualification of the supplier business through the assessment of its insurances, safety management systems and understanding its overall risk profile. Only once approved as compliant should the supplier be able to send workers to attend the site.

Tracking these contractor insurances and individual licences can be burdensome and, without the correct software, the business could be engaging workers who are unskilled, untrained, or underinsured.

2. Induction of employees, contractors and visitors

The best way to do this is to use online induction software technology to gain time efficiencies, improve training record keeping and increase safety awareness.  

The traditional face-to-face method of inducting workers is being phased out; many businesses are recognising the benefits of inducting employees using online technology to improve training results and site safety awareness.

The risks increase when workers move between multiple sites. The risks at one site may not be the same at other sites – each must be assessed independently and each worker inducted to each different site.

Face-to-face inductions create logistical challenges and take up time. When the same information must be presented on different occasions, uniformity of manual face-to-face induction cannot be guaranteed.

An online induction system, such as Rapid Induct, ensures all workers are fully inducted prior to start of work and, when coupled with Rapid Contractor Management, can ensure that only workers from compliant and fully insured companies are inducted and permitted to work on site.

3. Effective incident management

Recording and investigating all workplace incidents, and ensuring corrective action is completed in a timely manner, are essential elements of risk control.

Managers who try to ensure the recording and management of incidents in the workplace using ineffective tools endure a never-ending battle. Often, incidents are recorded days or weeks after the incident has occurred, leaving the business exposed to ongoing hazards.

By providing clients with an online method of recording and managing incidents, through Rapid Incident Reporting, the entire lifecycle of the incident is captured and can be effectively managed.

All levels of the business are engaged at the appropriate stage to ensure upper management is notified of incidents that are high on the severity scale. Notifications are sent as soon as an incident is reported, and investigations and corrective actions can be assigned and monitored until completion.

The day-to-day reality of managing risk can be a labour-intensive burden, which can cause short-term inefficiencies as a business struggles to manage its safety risks. Join us in the next issue to find out more!

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SHEQ Management

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