Health and safety management software protects your business from costly fines and safety incidents. Choosing a health and safety program is not a decision to be taken lightly. The stakes are high. You can’t afford any downtime or uncertainty. Learn how to find the software that is right for your construction business.

A construction business manager we will call George got in touch after one of his employees was injured on site. An investigation traced the injury to faulty equipment that had not been inspected and this cost George a lot of money in medical bills and fines.

George was overwhelmed by how many tasks he needed to complete in order to comply with best practice health and safety standards; from writing a risk assessment to checking equipment is safe.

He decided he needed a software solution that would automate some tasks, freeing up time for more important business.

After talking with him through his options and how a software solution can help him,

As a new and small construction business, he felt he could handle health and safety manually - gleaning from the internet and getting "guidance" from a "friend of a friend" who he said "knows a bit about construction safety." This was only a small task, nothing serious - and he was confident together they'll be able to "get by."

Unfortunately, this was not the case. He soon found out that there are a lot of intricacies involved in managing health and safety for construction work. A small oversight might cost a lot in fines, injuries, even death.

This scenario plays out all across the construction industry. We've heard hundreds of similar stories from colleagues, business owners, and safety experts. In each story, the long-term impact of cutting corners or getting it wrong was huge.

And while it was possible to get by in the past, in this post-pandemic economy and Australia's Government’s strict stand on workplace health and safety, it's just not going to be easy to get away with something like that for much longer. In fact, a lot of the time - it's just NOT possible!

This is where WHS management software comes in.

It can automate and streamline the most tedious and time-consuming parts of a construction business’ health and safety management, freeing up your team to do more meaningful work.

Using such tools helps construction businesses comply with best practice standards as well as local laws and regulations. It also makes it easier to spot problems early - before things get serious or even fatal - and thus prevent loss of life, injuries and even save millions in fines.

However, there are a lot of options available, and it can be intimidating.

Most people don't have the time or knowledge to make an informed decision about what software they need - and what's the right solution for their business.

We've made it easy with a free guide to help you choose.

Outlined below are a number of steps to take in order to find the "perfect match" for your business and ensure you are dealing with a reputable Occupational Health and Safety software company.

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Steps to choose the best health and safety management software for your construction business

Here are a few steps you can take when choosing WHS Management software:

Step One - Know Your Requirements

Step Two - Research the Market and Find a Suitable Software option

Step Three - Do a Trial Run

Step One: Know Your Requirement

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

• What do I need my health and safety software to be able to do? 
• How many people will be using the software? 
• What are my company's important data security requirements? 
• Do I have to store the software on premise or can it be hosted elsewhere? 
• What are my communication requirements? 
• What are my reporting requirements?
• How much am I willing to invest in my health and safety software? 

As a rule of thumb: The more employees you have, the bigger your budget should be for health & safety software. You can get by with one of those entry level packages if it's just going to be used by a few people now and then (e.g.: field staff checking in at job sites), but larger companies might need something that offers more power and flexibility - so they don't risk getting stuck down the line when their business grows or changes direction

Step Two: Research the Market and Find a Suitable Software Option

Once you have your list of requirements, it's time to find a suitable software provider that can deliver on them.

The best approach is to compare a few providers. 

In any case, when researching software providers, do the following:

Check for reviews and testimonials

Check for reviews of any software providers that you have shortlisted - especially from their current customers.

Check out their testimonials: 

You can do this by visiting the software provider's website and looking for a page with client logos on it. 

If they don't have one - that's a red flag. Most reputable providers will gladly share their testimonials and references with you.

If they have one but it's not up to date, that could be a sign of trouble... 

Check their certifications:

Check if the software provider has any industry certifications like ISO. 

The purpose of these is to help you determine if they have the necessary knowledge and experience to offer a reliable solution.

Research the features:

There are many different features that health and safety software can offer. Good construction health and safety management software would have the following capabilities: 

• Risk management, Job Safety Analysis (i.e.: identifying risks in specific tasks or projects) 
• Creating health and safety checklists to be filled out at each project stage by everyone involved (e.g.: safety reps, site managers, employers).
• Incident investigation and reporting.
• Creating and managing training programs 
• Sending out automatic safety alerts 
• Scheduling inspections and audits of equipment (like ladders, scaffolding, etc.) before they are used on a job site.
• Automatically generating work reports and safety checklists based on the job at hand.
• Scheduling inspections and audits for compliance purposes (e.g.: OHSAS, ISO). 
• Notification management: this feature alerts users when they need to take action (e.g.: update a risk assessment).
• Real-time collaboration: when teams work together on the same system, they can share updates and input.
• Creating tasks and assigning them to the right people. 
  

Note:

1. If you don't know what your exact requirements are - that's okay.

Most software providers will be happy to have a call with you and discuss your needs in detail. 

1. Depending on the software you opt for, it might take a few weeks of training before everyone in your team is up to speed with the new system anyway - so choose something that makes sense for what you need right now. Many users find an intuitive, easy-to-use software package like KiriAlign a breath of fresh air - all you need is to start for free and hit the ground running like a WHS pro.
   

Step Three: Do a Trial Run 

It's always good to see firsthand whether or not any potential health & safety management software provider can deliver on their promises before making an investment. Most providers offer trial periods ranging from free (with no obligation) all the way up to 30 days depending on which package they are offering. 

Trials allow users to try out the solution so you can choose the one that fits your needs most closely without committing.

You should be able to tell fairly easily after using each for a week or two which ones will work better for you, but it's always good to compare first just in case there might be some deal-breakers like: 

• Pricing options (i.e.: flat rate vs per user fee)
• Free support & training included on top of any paid plans
• Licensing i.e: does the license include updates and new versions
•  Restrictions on users, or features, etc. 
  

Step Four: Make a Decision 

Once you've done your research and tried out the software, it's decision time. 

Keep the following in mind:

Which features are most important to you?

If a software provider doesn't offer those - it might not be the right fit.  

Guarantee:

Make sure they offer a money-back guarantee: even if you change your mind after trying out the software, most companies will be happy to offer a refund.

Integrations:

Does the software integrate well with other systems you have? If not, you might need to look for a different software provider altogether. 

Make sure the software provider offers round the clock support

You will be much more comfortable with a company that answers questions and responds to comments and feedback in a timely manner. If they take a long time to answer your questions and don't seem helpful - it might not be the software provider you are looking for.

Try KiriAlign For Free

Specifically designed to help construction companies improve Health and Safety, this software manages all the key areas related to Health and Safety in the construction work environment. It can track hazards in real-time, monitor safety breaches, issues reports, and much more.

Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, it is the complete H&S solution.

This software comes with a free trial option and can be accessed from anywhere. No credit card is required and you can cancel any time.

Our records show that using KiriAlign would cut H&S compliance costs by 19.71%, increase productivity by 29.52%, and reduce staff paperwork by 93%. It's also been found that construction companies using KiriAlign have reduced their insurance premiums by up to 41.04%.

Sounds like what you've been looking for?

Start your free trial now risk free