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Gone are the days of tedious paper-based reporting systems and the fear of being "that person" who always seems to have something to report. Now, with the help of modern technology, reporting near misses and unsafe acts has never been easier (or more fun)!
Here are just a few ways that digital tools are making the process a breeze:
1. Mobile and offline reporting
Forget the days when you had to wait until you were back in the office to report a near miss or unsafe act. With mobile apps and offline capabilities, employees can easily report incidents from any location, even if they don't have an internet connection. This means that no incident goes unreported, even when you're out in the field.
Mobile and offline reporting can also be particularly useful in places where you literally don't even have internet and where access to a computer may be limited. With a simple tap on a smartphone, employees can quickly and easily report an incident and know it moves forward from there.
2. Remove gatekeepers with automated assignees
Traditionally, near miss and unsafe act reporting have relied on gatekeepers such as middle managers who then pass information forward. This is especially the case when reports are sent over email, informed in-person or called over the phone. However, these approaches can be problematic, as they can create bottlenecks and slow down the process.
Automated assignees, on the other hand, ensure that each incident is triaged and sent to the appropriate team or individual for follow-up, without the need for manual intervention. This can help streamline the process and ensure that incidents are addressed in a timely manner.
Automated assignees can also help remove bias from the process, ensuring that incidents are handled objectively and fairly. This can help build trust and confidence in the reporting system and encourage more employees to participate.
3. Avoid functional silos
Let's be real, we've all been there - you see something is wrong, but you're not sure if it's your place to report it because it falls outside of your specific job function. Enter: functional silos. These pesky barriers can prevent employees from speaking up about incidents, safety issues or pretty much any kinds of problems (you know: observations don't care about silos), leading to missed opportunities to improve safety and prevent accidents.
Digital tools can help break down functional silos and encourage cross-functional collaboration on all types issues including safety. With real-time data and notifications, employees and management from different departments can work together to address incidents and prevent future ones.
So next time you see something unsafe, don't be shy! Use your digital tools to share the info and help create a safer workplace for everyone.
4. Add anonymity
We get it, speaking up about safety issues can be intimidating. Will you be blamed? Will you be seen as a complainer? Will your coworkers judge you? These are all valid concerns that can prevent employees from reporting near misses and unsafe acts.
That's where anonymity comes in. By allowing employees to report incidents without revealing their identity, anonymity features can create a safer, more open, and supportive environment for reporting. This can encourage more people to speak up about safety issues and help prevent accidents and injuries.
In the aviation industry, anonymity and confidentiality are essential components of the safety reporting process. This is because, in order to improve safety of the entire industry (every time a plane crashes, people switch to other modes of transportation), it is important that employees feel comfortable reporting near misses and unsafe acts, including their own mistakes.
5. Let the software teach and show what kinds of reports to do
One common barrier to reporting near misses and unsafe acts is confusion about what types of incidents are reportable. Employees may not realize that a certain incident qualifies as a near miss or unsafe act, or they may be unsure how to classify the incident.
To help employees understand what to report and how, some digital tools include guidance and examples of different types of incidents that are reportable. This can help employees understand what is expected of them and encourage more accurate and complete reporting.
For example, a safety reporting software may include a list of common types of incidents that are reportable, along with descriptions and examples of each. This can help employees understand the different categories of incidents and how to classify them.
6. Show the impact of what got done after the report
One of the biggest challenges of the reporting process is ensuring that reported incidents are followed up on and corrective actions are taken to address any identified safety issues. Without this follow-up, employees may lose confidence in the reporting process and become less likely to report incidents in the future.
To improve the follow-up process and demonstrate the impact of reported incidents, some digital tools provide real-time updates on the status of an incident, showing employees the impact of their report and what action was taken as a result. This can help build trust and confidence in the reporting process and encourage more participation.
For example, a safety reporting software may allow employees to track the progress of their incident report, showing them what action was taken and any follow-up that was required. This can help employees understand the importance of their report and how it contributed to improving safety in the workplace.
7. Improve feedback loops
Effective feedback is an important part of the learning process, and the same is true for the process of reporting near misses and unsafe acts. By providing feedback on incident reports, companies can help employees understand how their report was handled and what actions were taken as a result. This can help improve the quality of future reports and encourage more participation in the process.
To improve feedback loops, some digital tools provide reporters with updates on the status of their incident report, including any follow-up that was required and the actions that were taken. This can help employees understand the importance of their report and how it contributed to improving safety in the workplace.
In addition to providing feedback to reporters, it is also important to provide feedback to the broader organization on the results of the reporting process. This can include information on trends and patterns that have been identified through the reports, as well as the corrective actions that have been taken as a result. By sharing this information with employees, companies can help create a culture of safety and encourage more open and honest reporting.
8. Automate reminders to assignees
Effective follow-up is an important part of the reporting process, as it ensures that corrective actions are taken to address any identified safety issues. However, with busy schedules and multiple priorities, it can be easy for follow-up tasks to fall through the cracks.
To ensure that incidents are followed up on in a timely manner, some digital tools include automated reminder and notification systems. These systems can send reminders to the appropriate team or individual when follow-up is required, helping to ensure that tasks are completed on time and that corrective actions are taken promptly.
Automated reminders can be particularly useful for tasks that have deadlines or time-sensitive components, such as corrective actions that must be completed within a certain timeframe. By automating these reminders, companies can help ensure that follow-up tasks are completed in a timely and efficient manner.
9. Increase transparency
Transparency is essential for building trust and confidence in the reporting process. By providing a clear and comprehensive record of all near miss and unsafe act reports, companies can demonstrate their commitment to safety and encourage more open and honest reporting.
Digital tools can significantly improve the transparency of the reporting process by providing a clear and comprehensive record of all reports. This can include information on the type of incident that was reported, the actions that were taken as a result, and any follow-up that was required.
In addition to providing a record of the reports themselves, digital tools can also provide transparency into the follow-up process. This can include information on the status of corrective actions and any updates or changes that were made as a result of the report.
By increasing transparency through the use of digital tools, companies can help build trust and confidence in the reporting process and encourage more participation from employees.
10. Make communication instant
In the fast-paced world of work, timely communication is essential for ensuring that safety issues are addressed promptly and effectively. With digital tools, it is easier than ever to communicate about near misses and unsafe acts in real-time, ensuring that incidents are reported and addressed as quickly as possible.
For example, mobile apps and online forms can allow employees to report incidents from any location, while real-time notifications and alerts can ensure that the appropriate team or individual is notified immediately. This can help speed up the response time and ensure that corrective actions are taken promptly.
In addition to improving the speed of communication, digital tools can also facilitate collaboration and communication between employees and management. This can help create a culture of safety and encourage more open and honest communication about safety issues.
Overall, by making communication instant and facilitating collaboration, digital tools can help improve the effectiveness of the reporting process and create a safer and more productive workplace.
In short, technology is making it easier than ever to report near misses and unsafe acts, and the benefits are numerous. So don't be afraid to embrace the tech and make reporting a breeze!
If your organisation is looking for a tool to manage and conduct inspections and incident reports, have a look at Falcony. It enables you to better involve your staff in safety matters, create clarity on non-conformities, prevent and decrease the number of injuries in the workplace, and gather actionable data while doing these.
We are building the world's first operational involvement platform. Our mission is to make the process of finding, sharing, fixing and learning from issues and observations as easy as thinking about them and as rewarding as being remembered for them.
By doing this, we are making work more meaningful for all parties involved.
More information at falcony.io.
Kaarle Parikka
Head of Marketing