Compliance and Safety

Preparing Roofing Companies for Seasonality and Weather Disasters

Posted on by lynne salie

Preparing Roofing Companies for Seasonality and Weather Disasters

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Running a roofing company means being prepared for any and every season and weather disaster that comes your way. The roofing industry is naturally tied to the weather, and being unprepared can lead to missed opportunities, unsatisfied clients, and unsafe working conditions. Here’s how you can ensure your roofing business is always ready to respond swiftly, maintain safety, keep your crew happy, and meet deadlines—even during peak seasons and unexpected weather events.

Being Prepared for Seasonality and Weather Disasters

Weather plays a crucial role in the roofing business. From harsh winters to stormy springs, each season brings its own challenges, and preparing for these changes ahead of time can save your business time and money. Equip your team with the right tools and technology to predict weather patterns and plan your projects accordingly.

By helping you make the switch from manual to digital, GoCanvas makes it easier to access and update information on the go, keeping your team ready for any weather conditions. This proactive approach helps you stay on top of planning and workflow, no matter the season.

Responding Quickly to an Influx of Job Requests

During peak seasons, the flood of job requests can be overwhelming, And a strong system for managing roofing dispatch is essential to handling this surge efficiently. Digitizing your dispatch process with GoCanvas allows you to assign jobs quickly, track progress, and communicate with your team in real time. This not only improves response times but also enhances customer satisfaction by ensuring timely service.

Ensuring Safety and Satisfaction

Safety should always be the top priority on any roofing job. With drones becoming more commonly used for roof inspection and leak detection, it’s important to ensure your crew is trained and comfortable with this technology. At GoCanvas, we know that implementing regular safety training and using digital checklists can help maintain high safety standards, so we provide customizable safety checklists and inspection forms that you can easily access and complete on site, ensuring no safety measure is missed.

A happy crew is a productive crew. Keeping your team satisfied requires providing them with the right tools and a safe working environment. GoCanvas reduces the manual workload by digitizing paperwork, allowing your crew to focus more on their tasks and less on administrative duties. Additionally, real-time communication through the platform helps you address any concerns promptly, fostering a positive work environment.

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Meeting Deadlines and Managing Workload

Meeting deadlines is important for maintaining a good reputation in the roofing industry, as delays can lead to unhappy customers and lost business. With GoCanvas, you can streamline your project management process, ensuring all tasks are completed on time. The platform lets you monitor progress, manage resources efficiently, and adjust schedules as needed to meet your deadlines.


Seasonal changes often bring more work, and being prepared for this surge is essential to keeping your business running smoothly. Using GoCanvas, you can easily scale your operations by adding more users to the platform, ensuring that everyone has access to the necessary tools and information. This scalability helps you handle increased workloads without compromising on quality or efficiency.

Real-World Application: Roofing Industry and Data Insights

In the roofing industry, staying ahead of the game means using key technologies and processes to improve efficiency. For instance, using GoCanvas for roofing dispatch ensures that job assignments are managed efficiently. With GoCanvas, you can digitize processes like drone roof inspections and leak detection for faster and more accurate assessments, allowing you to improve response times, enhance safety, and increase customer satisfaction.

According to a study by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), digital tools can increase productivity by up to 20% in the roofing industry. Furthermore, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that companies with robust safety programs see a 52% reduction in workplace injuries. Leveraging digital solutions like GoCanvas not only enhances efficiency but also contributes to a safer work environment.

Conclusion

Prepare your roofing business for any season and weather disaster with GoCanvas. Digitize your processes, enhance safety, and keep your crew happy while meeting all your deadlines. Visit the GoCanvas Roofing landing page today to learn more and request a demo to see how our solutions can transform your business.


By using these strategies and GoCanvas’s digital solutions, your roofing business can stay ahead of the game, no matter what the weather brings.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

Man inputting digital work order into a tablet from a work site.

How Digital Work Orders Impact Your Key Business Outcomes

Is your company still using paper sheets to manage work orders? The drawbacks of using paper forms are often hidden, making it difficult to understand the true impact of paper forms on a business…

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Comprehensive Guide: 5 Steps for Job Safety Analysis

Posted on by lynne salie

Comprehensive Guide: 5 Steps for Job Safety Analysis

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Step 1: Choose a Job to Analyze for Job Safety Analysis

Every effective safety program starts with identifying and addressing hazards before incidents occur. Ideally, you will want to perform a job safety analysis (JSA) for every task performed at your worksite—but safety managers and employees have limited time to analyze all of the various jobs associated with their operations, so it’s important to analyze the most critical jobs first. Follow these 5 steps to a successful job safety analysis to ensure a safer work environment.

OSHA recommends prioritizing jobs for analysis according to the following criteria:

  • Jobs with the highest injury or illness rates
  • Jobs with the potential to cause severe or disabling injuries or illness, even if there is no history of previous accidents
  • Jobs in which one simple human error could lead to a severe accident or injury
  • Jobs that are new to your operation or have undergone changes in processes and procedures
  • Jobs complex enough to require written instructions

Step 2: Identify Job Site Needs and Task Breakdown

Once you have decided on a specific job to analyze, you should break down the job into a list of tasks to be performed. You will want to list every necessary step from start to finish.

For example, operating a piece of equipment may include:

  • Preparing for the job
  • Turning on the device
  • Performing the task
  • Shutting down the machine
  • Completing any necessary cleanup

Doing this sort of breakdown and analysis may seem time-consuming, but because each step requires different safety measures and personal protective equipment (PPE), it is vital to paint a detailed picture of what hazards could be present during a job.

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Step 3: Determine Hazards and Risks in Job Safety Analysis

Now we come to the focus of any JSA—identifying the potential hazards associated with a job. Once you’ve broken down the job into individual steps, you can more easily see the risk present in each task. Many safety managers will even identify hazards in tandem with the task breakdown, as this will help them become more aware of the environment and potential risks associated with every step.

As you proceed through the sequence of tasks for a job, it is important to address the following questions:

  • What type of hazard is present?
  • What is the risk level of this hazard?
  • How probable is this hazard?

The answers to these questions can vary depending on the potential hazards and work environments associated with a job. Consulting with employees who regularly complete a job is a solid way to properly identify hazards, as well as using established checklists and resources from digital safety solutions.

Step 4: Develop Preventative Controls

Reducing risk and preventing incidents on a job comes down to taking proper preventative measures. While types of prevention depend on the potential hazards, they can generally be broken down into five categories:

  • Elimination: Physically remove the hazard from the environment.
  • Substitution: Replace the hazard with a safer option.
  • Engineering controls: Isolate your team from the hazard.
  • Administration controls: Change the way people work to avoid the hazard.
  • PPE: Protect your team with personal protective equipment.

Step 5: Document and Share Job Hazard Analysis Reports

Once a JSA has been completed, the related reports should be documented and made available to your employees. Every worker who performs a job needs to be aware of the associated hazards and what preventive measures will help keep them safe.

This means making sure reports are easy to access and understand. When a worker is training for a particular job, the related JSAs should be provided to them, and they should be required to confirm that they received and read all relevant documentation. This helps keep your team safe and ensures accountability if an incident were to occur on a job.

Looking for a safety solution that covers every step of an effective job safety analysis? GoCanvas Compliance & Safety includes pre-built digital forms so you can collect accurate and complete information for every job. Established PPE checklists, environment photo capture, and hazard analysis tables mean you get the vital details every time, so you can focus on taking the appropriate actions to keep your team safe.

Ready to revolutionize your job safety analysis process? Schedule a free demo with GoCanvas today and see how our tools can streamline your workflow.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

GoCanvas and Device Magic logo

Check out even more resources

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Igniting Growth: How Technology Powers Fire Safety Inspections and Business Expansion

Posted on by April Jones

Igniting Growth: How Technology Powers Fire Safety Inspections and Business Expansion

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Fire safety inspections are getting a major upgrade, with modern technology helping to save lives, slash costs, and drive business growth. The old ways of doing things just aren’t keeping up, with fires in nonresidential buildings skyrocketing by 20% in the past decade. Clearly, outdated inspections are too slow, error-prone, and can’t scale. This failure to evolve has led to:

  • $3.7 billion in annual losses from nonresidential building fires.
  • A shocking 70% increase in fire-related deaths over the past 10 years.
  • Stunted company growth due to wasted time, money, and resources.

The evidence is clear: Embracing modern fire safety technology isn’t just beneficial, it’s absolutely necessary.

The Evolution of Fire Safety Inspections

Fire safety inspections are essential to ensuring safety, but traditional methods no longer suffice in today’s competitive market. Integrating digital tools into fire safety practices leads to higher precision and tighter efficiency. With technology, inspections become more accurate and compliant without the administrative burden of manual processes. Digital tools cut costs and allow companies to handle more clients without adding extra staff, streamline operations, and open up new opportunities for business growth.

Predictive Insights and Proactive Measures

One of the most significant benefits of modern technology in fire safety inspections is the technology’s predictive capabilities. With access to comprehensive data and analytics, fire safety professionals can predict potential issues before they become emergencies. This shift from cumbersome, error-prone manual inspections to streamlined, technology-enhanced processes allows operations to be proactive rather than reactive.

From Paper to Digital: Streamlining Inspection Processes

Replacing manual collection with real-time data collection, storage, and analysis significantly reduces margin for error and sets a new benchmark for compliance and reliability. Digital records are instantly accessible from anywhere and at any time, which helps inspectors retrieve past inspection data, track trends, and ensure consistent compliance without sifting through piles of paperwork. The ability to share digital records instantly across teams and departments makes communication and coordination streamlined and easy.

Revolutionizing Fire Inspections with Advanced Tools

Who would have thought we’d reach a point where the tech in our hands could see through smoke or evaluate risks from the sky? It’s incredible how far we’ve come. From thermal imaging cameras to drones, innovative technologies have permanently changed how fire hazards are identified and managed. In addition to shifting the industry toward proactive prevention and away from reactive emergency responses, technology also opens up new markets to grow your business. Now, we can safely and effectively inspect high-risk or hard-to-reach areas that were previously not serviceable, such as remote locations and complex industrial environments. This capability significantly expands the scope of services fire safety professionals can offer.

Enhancing Visibility with Thermal Imaging Cameras

Thermal imaging cameras have emerged as indispensable tools for fire inspectors, providing a level of enhanced visibility in smoke-filled environments that a human could never achieve. By detecting excessive heat through barriers or smoke, these cameras pinpoint potential fire hazards that would otherwise remain hidden, allowing for more thorough and accurate safety assessments.

Expanding Reach with Drone Technology

Drones enable inspectors to assess areas that were previously inaccessible or hazardous. From rooftops to remote structures, drones provide a bird’s-eye view of potential risks, allowing inspectors to identify combustible materials and structural weaknesses with unprecedented precision. By reducing the need for expensive scaffolding, cherry pickers, or other access equipment, drones offer a cost-effective alternative for conducting thorough and comprehensive inspections.

Integrating Data with Advanced Software Solutions

The role of fire and life safety inspection software cannot be overstated in modern safety assessments. These software solutions automate processes, ensuring critical inspection points are never missed and providing immediate access to actionable data. By integrating data from advanced tools such as thermal imaging cameras and drones, inspectors can streamline workflows, enhance safety outcomes, and drive continuous improvement in fire safety practices.

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Driving Safety, Compliance, and Business Growth with Digital Solutions

The adoption of fire and life safety inspection software represents a monumental shift in how fire safety inspections are conducted and managed. By enabling more precise and effective inspections, these digital solutions are crucial in identifying potential fire hazards before they escalate into emergencies. Data collected and analyzed by these systems offers invaluable insights into fire safety trends, potential risk factors, and areas for improvement, supporting long-term strategic planning and policy development. Here’s how:

Precision and Efficiency in Inspections

Fire and life safety inspection software empowers inspectors with the tools they need to conduct more precise and efficient inspections. By digitizing inspection processes, these solutions streamline workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and ensure that critical inspection points are never overlooked. Inspectors can easily access and update inspection checklists in real time, capturing accurate data and observations with unmatched efficiency. This precision in inspections enhances compliance with safety regulations while also improving the overall quality and reliability of inspection reports.

Predictive Insights for Proactive Safety Measures

One of the most significant advantages of fire and life safety inspection software is the software’s ability to provide predictive insights that inform proactive safety measures. By analyzing historical inspection data and trends, these solutions can identify potential fire hazards before they escalate into emergencies. This proactive approach allows organizations to implement targeted interventions and preventive measures, reducing the likelihood of fire incidents and minimizing risk to lives and property. With the power of predictive analytics at their fingertips, fire safety professionals can anticipate challenges, allocate resources more effectively, and stay one step ahead of potential threats.

Enhancing Collaboration and Communication

Fire and life safety inspection software facilitates clear collaboration and communication among stakeholders involved in the inspection process. Through centralized platforms and cloud-based data management systems, inspectors can easily share inspection reports, findings, and recommendations with building owners, facility managers, regulatory authorities, and other relevant parties. This transparent and efficient exchange of information fosters greater accountability, enhances decision-making processes, and ensures that corrective actions are promptly addressed. By promoting collaboration and communication, digital solutions strengthen stakeholder relationships and foster a culture of safety and compliance.

Continuous Improvement through Data Analysis

Data collected and analyzed by fire and life safety inspection software offers invaluable insights into fire safety trends, potential risk factors, and areas for improvement. By leveraging advanced analytics capabilities, organizations can identify patterns, outliers, and emerging threats to make data-driven decisions and prioritize resources effectively. This continuous improvement cycle enables organizations to refine their fire safety strategies, optimize preventive measures, and adapt to evolving regulatory requirements. By harnessing the power of data analysis, organizations can create safer environments, protect more lives, and mitigate the impact of fire emergencies.

Grow Your Fire Safety Inspection Business with GoCanvas

Fire has been around forever, but today’s fire safety needs demand the latest technology. Use GoCanvas for your fire safety inspections to ensure efficiency, enhance safety, and expand your operations. Contact us for a demo to learn how we can help you innovate and grow.

  • Double your output: Complete inspections up to 50% faster and with improved data accuracy.
  • Reduce costs and errors: Streamline workflows, minimize administrative tasks, and decrease losses from equipment fires.
  • Minimize fines and stay compliant: Simplify regulations and ensure easy access to inspection records.
  • Unlock new markets: Expand your service offerings and reach new customers within growing markets.

Let’s ignite your success together!

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

GoCanvas and Device Magic logo

Check out even more resources

Fire & Safety Commodities, Inc. goes 100% paperless

Read the case study to find out how Fire & Safety Commodities, Inc. went 100% Paperless and unlocked revenue forecasting by using GoCanvas.

Read Story
Man in oil and gas industry using digital forms on tablet.

Streamline Fire Inspections and Improve Safety

GoCanvas empowers fire protection service providers, facility managers, and fire departments with a solution that streamlines inspections, ensures compliance, and improves safety.

Learn More

Mobile Fire Inspections: A Game Changer for Fire Safety Professionals

See how mobile fire inspections are revolutionizing fire safety by boosting efficiency and accuracy for fire safety professionals.

Read Blog

Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

Let’s Build A Plan Together

Navigating Fire Compliance Audits and Standards

Navigating Fire Compliance Audits and Standards
Posted on by lynne salie

Navigating Fire Compliance Audits and Standards

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In the world of fire safety compliance, every second counts. Imagine a scenario similar to those heart-pounding moments in action movies where experts defuse a bomb with mere seconds left on the timer. Now, envision that level of precision and efficiency applied to fire safety compliance. That’s the transformative power of digital fire inspection software – reshaping safety standards with technology and unparalleled efficiency.

Understanding Fire Safety Compliance: The Basics

Fire safety compliance isn’t just a recommendation; it’s a legal obligation for every business. Under the fire safety order (FSO), businesses must adhere to specific fire safety standards to prevent disasters and safeguard lives. These standards encompass various aspects, including building design, fire prevention measures, emergency preparedness, and regular inspections.

Importance of Fire Safety Inspections

Fire safety inspections serve as the cornerstone of maintaining compliance. These inspections, especially with NFPA are conducted to identify potential hazards, ensure equipment functionality, and verify adherence to established safety protocols. Failure to comply with fire safety regulations can result in severe consequences, including legal penalties, property damage, and, most importantly, loss of life.

How Digital Fire Inspection Software Enhances Fire Safety Compliance

Digital fire inspection software revolutionizes safety procedures by automating inspections, tracking hazards, and facilitating timely maintenance. By streamlining processes and ensuring thoroughness, it enables quicker responses to identified risks, thus enhancing overall safety standards. What we mean by this is what’s better, doing inspections with mountains of paperwork or through one digital solution?

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Streamlining Inspection Processes

One of the key advantages of digital fire inspection software is its ability to expedite the inspection process. Traditional methods of conducting fire inspections often involve cumbersome paperwork, manual data entry, and time-consuming administrative tasks. In contrast, digital solutions offer intuitive interfaces, customizable inspection forms, and real-time data capture capabilities, significantly reducing the time and effort required to conduct NFPA inspections.

Enhancing Accuracy in Reporting

Furthermore, digital fire inspection software enhances accuracy and consistency in inspection reporting. By simplifying data collection and eliminating the potential for human error like losing paperwork, these solutions ensure that inspection reports are comprehensive, reliable, and compliant with regulatory requirements. Real-time updates and notifications also enable stakeholders to stay informed about inspection findings and take prompt corrective actions when necessary.

Navigating Fire Compliance Audits with Digital Fire Inspection Software

Traditional fire compliance audits can be arduous and error-prone. With an array of checklists to manage and numerous NFPA regulations to comply with, errors can slip in unnoticed, potentially endangering the safety of employees and customers alike. Additionally, the cost and time associated with manual fire inspections are significant determinants to businesses.

Simplifying the Audit Process

Digital fire inspection software simplifies the audit process by having reporting ready from all of the inspections completed in one place. These solutions offer comprehensive features such as customizable audit templates, real-time data synchronization, and analytics dashboards, empowering inspectors to conduct thorough and efficient compliance audits. Moreover, digital solutions provide a centralized platform for storing and accessing audit records, facilitating regulatory compliance and accountability.

Fire Safety Reporting Tools: A Key Component of Digital Fire Inspection Software

Reporting tools play a crucial role in fire safety compliance by providing straightforward data analysis. These tools enable businesses to generate comprehensive reports detailing inspection findings, corrective actions taken, and compliance status. By providing actionable insights and visualizations, reporting tools empower stakeholders to make informed decisions and prioritize safety initiatives.

Choosing the Right Fire Inspection Software Solution for Your Organization

Selecting the right fire inspection software solution is crucial for ensuring robust safety compliance and efficiency. With numerous options available in the market, businesses must carefully evaluate their needs and requirements to identify the most suitable solution for their organization.

Key Considerations for Selection

  • Key features to consider when choosing a fire inspection software solution include:
  • Comprehensive NFPA inspection forms to ensure thoroughness and accuracy.
  • Real-time updates and notifications to facilitate timely corrective actions.
  • Intuitive interfaces and user-friendly design to enhance usability and adoption.
  • Analytics capabilities to track compliance performance and identify areas for improvement.
  • Secure data storage and access controls to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.

The Future of Fire Safety Compliance: Digital Fire Inspection Software

Digital fire inspection software is poised to play an increasingly significant role in shaping the future of fire safety compliance. As technology continues to advance, we can expect further innovations in digital fire inspection software, leading to enhanced efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness in safety compliance efforts.

Data-Driven Approaches

A key trend is the growing emphasis on data-driven approaches to safety compliance. Digital fire inspection software enables businesses to capture, store, and analyze vast amounts of data related to safety inspections, equipment maintenance, and compliance status. By leveraging advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, businesses can gain actionable insights into their safety performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement targeted safety initiatives.

Cultural Shift towards Proactive Safety Management

Furthermore, the widespread adoption of digital fire inspection software is expected to lead to a cultural shift towards proactive safety management. Instead of viewing compliance as a burdensome regulatory requirement, businesses are increasingly recognizing the value of investing in safety as a strategic asset. Digital fire inspection software empowers businesses to proactively identify and mitigate safety risks, thereby enhancing workplace safety, reducing operational downtime, and protecting the organization’s reputation.

Ensuring Safety and Efficiency with Digital Fire Inspection Software

Embracing digital fire inspection software isn’t just about meeting NFPA regulatory requirements; it’s about investing in the safety and well-being of your employees, customers, and assets. By leveraging digital solutions, businesses can streamline compliance processes, enhance safety measures, and mitigate risks effectively.

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, choosing the right fire inspection software solution is essential for ensuring compliance and peace of mind. By evaluating your needs, conducting thorough research, and selecting a reputable software provider, you can empower your organization to achieve and maintain the highest standards of fire safety compliance.

Connect with a GoCanvas expert to start your journey to safety and efficiency with digital fire inspection software.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

Fire & Safety Commodities, Inc. goes 100% paperless

Read the case study to find out how Fire & Safety Commodities, Inc. went 100% Paperless and unlocked revenue forecasting by using GoCanvas.

Read Story
Man in oil and gas industry using digital forms on tablet.

Streamline Fire Inspections and Improve Safety

GoCanvas empowers fire protection service providers, facility managers, and fire departments with a solution that streamlines inspections, ensures compliance, and improves safety.

Learn More

Mobile Fire Inspections: A Game Changer for Fire Safety Professionals

See how mobile fire inspections are revolutionizing fire safety by boosting efficiency and accuracy for fire safety professionals.

Read Blog

Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

Let’s Build A Plan Together

Oil and Gas Worksite Safety: Fire and Explosion Risk Mitigation

Oil and Gas Worksite Safety Explosion Risk Mitigiation
Posted on by Caroline Brezovec

Oil and Gas Worksite Safety: Fire and Explosion Risk Mitigation

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The oil and gas industry, which is fraught with inherent hazards, places the utmost importance on protecting workers from fire and explosion. As a vital part of the global economy, this sector acknowledges that every safety decision has wide-reaching implications. The industry’s integration of mobile technology in safety management is not just a leap toward operational efficiency but also a significant step in creating a more cohesive and secure working environment.

The Critical Role of Safety in Oil and Gas Worksites

Maintaining safety in the oil and gas industry is a complex challenge, given the nature of the work and the environments in which it takes place. Fire and explosion hazards are among the most significant risks, requiring constant vigilance and robust safety measures. Notably marked by incidents such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the industry’s history serves as a continuous reminder of the potential consequences of avoidable safety oversights. These events have catalyzed the industry to re-evaluate and strengthen safety protocols, ensuring they are comprehensive and responsive to the complexities of modern oil and gas operations.

Implementing Comprehensive Safety Plans

Developing a comprehensive safety plan in the oil and gas industry demands a multifaceted approach that intertwines passive and active protection measures. Passive measures are foundational to this strategy, encompassing structural fire-resistant designs and the strategic segregation of high-risk areas to mitigate potential incidents. These measures are essential in creating a safe baseline environment and minimizing risks even before they arise.

Active measures, on the other hand, are dynamic: They involve continuous worker training, regular emergency response drills, and stringent maintenance protocols. Their aim is to ensure that personnel are not only aware of potential hazards but also adequately prepared to respond effectively in emergencies.

The integration of mobile technology plays a pivotal role in tying these elements together by supporting the effective implementation, monitoring, and ongoing refinement of safety protocols. By leveraging mobile technology, real-time data collection and analysis become possible, thereby enhancing every level of the decision-making processes.

Revolutionizing Safety With Mobile Technology in the Oil and Gas Industry

Mobile technology has significantly changed safety management in the oil and gas industry, replacing paper-based methods with dynamic digital solutions. This shift enables rapid adaptability to changing conditions—a critical feature in an environment where safety needs are constantly evolving. Real-time data processing and communication are central to this change, enhancing hazard management and emergency responsiveness.

Technological advancement also deepens the industry’s safety culture. It simplifies safety procedures, making them more accessible and encouraging wider participation across all workforce levels. This collective engagement is pivotal for a sustained commitment to safety.

Using Data to Identify and Mitigate Risks at Worksites

The ability of mobile technology to collect, analyze, and effectively utilize data in the form of analytics transforms the way safety risks are handled. With this approach, safety managers can proactively identify potential hazards and implement targeted preventive measures. Employing data in this manner moves the industry’s risk management from a reactive stance to a proactive approach, significantly reducing the likelihood of accidents while enhancing overall worksite safety.

Enhance Regular Training and Drills With Digital Tracking

Consistent training and regular emergency response drills are integral to maintaining high safety standards in the oil and gas industry. Mobile technology enhances these training programs by streamlining the organization and execution of sessions and drills. It offers an efficient means to track participation and evaluate the effectiveness of each activity, ensuring both systematic and comprehensive training.

Mobile technology also plays a crucial role in assessing the success of safety training. It allows for the collection of feedback and analysis of drill performance, pinpointing areas for improvement. This ensures that personnel are not only familiar with the latest safety procedures but can also apply them effectively in real-world scenarios. 

Simplify Inspections and Recordkeeping With Real-Time Data Capture and Transfer

Traditionally, recordkeeping and safety inspections in the oil and gas industry have been labor-intensive and prone to errors. However, the introduction of mobile data collection apps has revolutionized these aspects of worksite safety. The use of technology streamlines processes and lays a solid foundation for enhanced recordkeeping and inspections. 

Fire inspection software platforms like GoCanvas facilitate efficient, accurate, and real-time management of safety procedures. The reliability, accessibility, and timeliness of safety records—which are crucial for upholding high safety standards in the face of oil and gas worksite hazards—are significantly improved in dynamic and hazardous environments.

Using Mobile Technology to Enhance Communication and Response in Remote Areas

One significant advantage of mobile technology over traditional methods is its ability to improve communication. In remote areas where clear and consistent communication is crucial, mobile technology offers reliable connections. This capability is essential for maintaining safe and efficient operations, especially in areas where traditional communication methods are inadequate or nonexistent.

Utilizing Data for Quick, Informed Decision-Making

The ability to instantly access accurate safety data is a critical advantage of mobile technology. In emergency situations where rapid decision-making is required, having the latest safety rules and information available on mobile devices is invaluable. This capability significantly reduces risks and enhances the management of incidents, making mobile technology a game-changer in risk mitigation.

Embracing the Future of Safety in Oil & Gas Operations

The integration of mobile technology into fire and explosion risk management marks a turning point in the oil and gas industry. This evolution is more than a step toward enhancing worker safety; it’s a leap in operational efficiency and adaptability. As the industry navigates new challenges and continues to evolve, mobile technology is positioned to be a key player in elevating safety standards and is expected to serve an increasingly vital role in the industry’s future. This technology is not just keeping pace with industry needs but shaping a safer, more efficient future for oil and gas operations worldwide.

Drill Deeper Into Technology’s Role in Oil and Gas Safety

Our e-book, “5 Common Hazards in Oil and Gas Extraction and How to Address Them,” is packed with insights to help prevent fire and explosion risks at your worksite and ensure the safety of your workers.

What will you find in this e-book?

  • In-depth analysis of the most prevalent safety hazards in the oil and gas industry
  • Guidance on evaluating the safety design of your rig or well, with an emphasis on safety training and equipment maintenance
  • Practical tips for leveraging mobile technology to analyze and enhance your existing safety systems

This e-book is an essential resource for anyone looking to fortify their safety measures in the oil and gas sector. Don’t miss out on valuable insights — download your copy now and take a significant step toward a safer, more technologically advanced worksite.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Oil and gas companies are getting smart about using the data they collect to gain insights and manage people, equipment, and worksites more effectively…

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Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

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What You Should Know About Job Safety Analysis

Posted on by Danny Kanev

What You Should Know About Job Safety Analysis

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Safety is a vital part of the construction industry. Your construction company has to put measures in place to ensure the safety of workers at the construction site. This requires you to implement the Job Safety Analysis (JSA), which ensures all workers observe all the stipulated safety measures.

Here is everything you need to know about JSA, and why it’s important to the construction industry.

What is JSA?

JSA, or Job Safety Analysis, is a step-by-step procedure that splits each job into manageable training tasks, identifies the safety components in each task, and trains employees on how to avoid safety hazards.

Job safety analysis pinpoints specific areas that have potential safety risks and helps you keep your workers safe. It also helps your company become compliant with safety guidelines thus reducing your employee turnover and instilling trust in your customers. JSA is sometimes referred to as Job Hazard Analysis or JHA.

How job safety analysis works

Job safety analysis works by deconstructing jobs into simple tasks and analyzing the safety concerns in each task. It requires you to compile a JSA report using a series of steps. These steps make fulfilling JSA requirements quick and easy.

Once the report is complete, you can train your employees on laid down safety procedures and make sure they stay safe. This will greatly reduce the risk of injuries during construction.

What are the steps in a job safety analysis?

Since a job safety analysis is a step-wise procedure, there are five steps to get a successful JSA.

Choose a job to analyze

An effective job safety analysis starts by identifying a job and noting the hazards and injuries associated with it. It is important to point out the hazards before they occur. You will need to perform a job safety analysis on every task done on the construction site.

There may be several tasks to be accomplished and a limited time to analyze the safety hazards in each of them. It is important to prioritize the jobs to analyze first using the criteria below:

  • Accident frequency: You need to perform a job safety analysis on tasks that are prone to accidents or illnesses.
  • Accident severity: Jobs with fatal or near-fatal accidents need immediate safety attention. They include jobs with high risks of falling from great heights, handling hazardous materials, or risky machinery.
  • Jobs prone to human error: These are tasks that have complex written instructions, or where one simple human error can cause injury, permanent disability, or death.
  • New jobs: Jobs that are new to your operation or that have undergone changes in processes and procedures need to undergo a job safety analysis to determine their necessary safety procedures.

Identify job site needs and break down jobs into tasks

After you choose the job to analyze, you will need to break it down into a series of tasks that need to be accomplished for the job to be done. You need to list each task from the beginning of the job to the end.

An example of a job is hoisting construction materials to a high floor using a crane. This job can be broken down into several tasks as follows:

  • Preparing for the job by collecting the equipment you need.
  • Turning on the crane.
  • Loading the building materials to be carried by the crane.
  • Turning off the machine.
  • Cleaning up.

This may seem like a laborious process to complete for every job on the site but it is crucial for analyzing the risks associated with using a crane. It will let you compile the safety measures needed and PPEs associated with the job. It is vital to analyze each of the steps that make up a job and get a full picture of any hazards that could occur before they do.

Identify the hazards and risks

This is the main aim of a job safety analysis. Once you’ve determined the steps required to complete a task, you can see the risks in each step. It is important to examine the entire environment to determine the existence of any possible hazard. This means that dangers exist in the task being performed and in the environment in which they are performed.

When assessing hazards, you need to determine the risk and degree of injury associated with each safety hazard. You can do this by addressing the following questions:

  • What type of hazard is present?
  • What is the level of risk in this safety hazard?
  • What is the probability of this hazard occurring?
  • Can this hazard cause injury?
  • If yes, how severe can the injuries get?

To get answers to these questions, you can consult employees with extensive field experience. Some professionals use software for risk assessment to determine the levels of risk with each task.

Develop preventive measures and residual risk.

This step involves you coming up with ways to prevent the hazards that you previously outlined. This involved documenting any personal protective equipment needed and measures to mitigate the risks involved with a job.

Once these are taken into account, you need to conduct another risk assessment of each task to find any residual risk or amount of risk remaining. This can be achieved by using the methods you used before to determine the initial risks.

If you see that you cannot eliminate risks, you can try to change the job procedure to limit the risks as much as possible. This includes providing Safety Data Sheets or SDSs that give information on safety protocols and give details on a possible hazard.

Once all risks and residual risks have been compiled, you will be able to determine the overall risk associated with a job. This information will help you identify the jobs that pose the biggest risks to your workers even with preventive measures.

The data collected on this exercise will help you see if additional preventive measures are necessary to further reduce the risk of injury.

Compile a job safety analysis report

Once you complete a job safety analysis, it is important to compile, document, and share your findings with your employees in a report. Every worker associated with the job must be made aware of the risks associated with it and the measures they should take to ensure their safety.

The report should be accessible to every worker and easy to understand. When an employee is training for a specific job, the JSA report associated with the task should be given to them.

The company should confirm that the worker has read and understood the report. This will ensure that the employee knows what to do to avoid injury and provide accountability in case of any incident.

Why is Job Safety Analysis important?

A successful JSA ensures consistent and safe work methods. The safety measures stipulated by a job safety analysis make the job site safe for workers and site visitors. It also makes employees feel confident while working because they know all the risks associated with their jobs.

It reduces the risk of injuries to construction workers by helping them know how to best perform a task without the risk of injury. A JSA form provides official documentation that regarding an employee’s knowledge of the safety protocol associated with a job.  

Why do construction companies need JSA?

Construction companies need job safety analysis more than any other industry because of the many safety and health hazards at construction sites. Here are reasons construction companies need JSA:

Meet safety standards and avoid lawsuits

A job safety analysis lets companies meet safety standards stipulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Industry. In addition to keeping your workers safe, a JSA makes your company compliant with national safety standards and helps you avoid negative legal and financial repercussions.

Clear communication

A JSA helps construction companies improve communication through multiple levels of leadership. This is because it needs input from representatives in multiple levels of your employee team.

The review and comment process allows the company to have open communication and get feedback from all its employees. It also lets the company see any safety issues they may have overlooked.

Helps train new employees

Job safety analysis helps train new employees. When you hire a new worker, you need to orient them to the job as soon as possible. A JSA is a quick way to get a new employee accustomed to all your safety procedures. This will greatly reduce human error due to inexperience because of the teaching aids created by the JSA process.

The company can avoid hazardous conditions

A job safety analysis lets a construction company avoid dangerous work conditions as much as possible. It prevents accidents on a construction site. While OSHA standards help avoid many dangerous incidents, they are not enough to avoid every potential hazard on the work location.

Using mobile forms for JSA

The job safety analysis mobile form is designed for construction companies. It covers wide aspects of safety procedures on construction sites, including personal protective equipment, safety training, and machinery safety. The construction safety analysis can be customized to suit your unique company needs.

If you are looking to streamline your processes and push your business to greater levels of growth, you may consider partnering with us at GoCanvas for innovative technology solutions. We will help you to work safer and smarter while saving more through our automated data collection tools that integrate seamlessly with your existing systems.

Sign up for a free trial today and see how GoCanvas can impact your business.

No fees, no obligations!

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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7 Immediate Steps to Take After an Injury

Posted on by Danny Kanev

7 Immediate Steps to Take After an Injury

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Employee safety matters a great deal and the last thing anyone wants is to see a coworker hurt. However, the reality is an injury can happen to anyone at any time and without notice. The most important thing is to have a plan in place before an incident occurs. It should be easy for your team to follow your safety process. This way your organization can spring into action and help those who are hurt. It’s also important to ensure your organization is in compliance with federal safety regulations. We compiled a seven-step action plan to help get you started:

1. Care for the injured employee 

The first step when an injury happens in the workplace is to assist the injured employee and prioritize their immediate needs. You will want to ensure the employee receives the proper medical attention and you will need to determine what type of care is appropriate given the severity of the incident.

Minor injuries like a cut or a sprain may not require medical assistance, whereas more severe injuries may require you to call for an ambulance or provide transportation to a licensed medical professional. You can either consult the medical provider designated by your workers’ compensation carrier, or you can bring the employee to an urgent care facility nearby.

2. Notify management and other team members

Once you have attended to the immediate needs of your employee, the next step will be to contact your management team to communicate that the incident has happened and communicate the pertinent details.

You will want to make note of the location, the people that were involved, the injuries sustained, and the medical treatment that has been administered. Communicating this information to your management team allows them to then notify other team members that need to know, and it allows them to take the proper steps for ensuring team safety going forward.

3. Secure the scene

Once an employee is on their way to receive medical treatment for injuries, you should secure the scene of the incident as quickly as possible. Blocking access to the location of the event ensures the safety of your other employees and prevents a repeat incident from occurring.

Securing the scene of an accident is crucial for both safety and reporting purposes. By limiting access to the area of the incident, you will preserve the scene and this will allow you to have more accurate and thorough incident reporting. With less people on location,  you have a greater chance that the scene is left untouched, and this can give you a more accurate picture of the events that contributed to the incident.

4. Complete the incident report

Beyond ensuring individual employee and total team safety, completing an incident report is one of the most critical steps to take after someone has sustained an injury at work.

OSHA requires employers to keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses using their formal documentation. You should complete and file the incident report within 24 hours of the accident. Gathering witness testimony within a day of the accident can help improve the accuracy of the testimony because the incident will still be fresh in the minds of your witnesses.

Additionally, prompt incident reporting produces better outcomes for both the employee and the company. It’s vital that you waste no time in completing the incident report so that insurance companies can quickly process the claims and your employees can receive the treatment they need.

Claims placed on hold because of delayed incident reports typically also cost more than claims that are reported promptly with the completed paperwork. Delayed claims can cost businesses thousands in increased premiums or penalties for late reporting.

5. Implement safety protocols

After an accident happens at work, you will want to do everything you can to ensure it never happens again. Employers hold a unique position that allows them to influence their entire organization for the better and they can cultivate a culture of safety in the workplace by implementing safety protocols and safety education for all team members. 

Leadership teams can show employees that safety is paramount to the organization by prioritizing safety, providing education and training, and praising good safety practices. You can use the incident as a learning tool by asking yourself what could have been done to prevent the injury and by asking yourself how the response could have been more effective. By locating the gaps in workplace safety, you can implement changes to address those gaps and prevent other lapses in security and safety.

Including your employees in safety protocols will encourage them to take ownership of their safe conduct and you can provide incentives for following safety guidelines and for taking proactive steps to pursue safety at work. The bottom line is that when your employees are safe, they’re healthy, happy, and more productive.

6. Establish a return-to-work program

Many workplace injuries result in time lost on the job. As an employee spends more time in recovery, the return to work can feel physically and emotionally daunting. To set your employee and the rest of the team up for success, establish a return-to-work program or plan.

If an employee has a long-term injury, you can set up a transitional or modified job so they can return to a work routine sooner rather than later. These transitional roles can be temporary and don’t necessarily need to be the same as before the injury occurred.

Providing a program like this enables workers to regain their footing as an employees while allowing them to maintain an income and continue their connection with the company.

7. Follow up with your employee

At the end of the day, your employee is more than just a number. They are a vital part of your team and you want to communicate the value they hold on a personal level. 

A good employer should do more than take care of the logistics after an injury. They should also follow up with employees to ensure they are emotionally and physically healing. Using clear and compassionate communication with your employee can show them that you care and that you can work together to create a realistic plan of return.

This type of care demonstrates to the rest of your team that you value them, and it can help to improve your employee retention rate and worker satisfaction in the long run.

Creating a company culture of safety

No employer wants to see one of their workers injured. But if it happens, you now have an action plan to follow for handling these incidents professionally and with care.

Quick responses, thorough reporting, and compassionate care will build your employer brand and create a company culture of safety that will benefit your entire team. Sign up for our free trial to get started today!

Sign up for a free trial today and see how GoCanvas can impact your business.

No fees, no obligations!

 

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Jobsite Safety Checklists for Construction – Examples & Templates

Posted on by Danny Kanev

Jobsite Safety Checklists for Construction – Examples & Templates

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Worker safety is a top priority for everyone in the construction industry. It’s in the best interest of workers and employers to comply with all regulations set by OSHA and to follow all of the best practices for safety in the workplace. 

Having a robust safety program is good for workers, helping to limit accidents and incidents, and strengthening employee trust in the company. Companies with robust safety management programs benefit from satisfied workers, lowered costs, and greater productivity and efficiency.

Construction project management software is widely used in the construction industry as a way to collect important information about different components of the job and tasks at hand. A simple inspection formcan be used by workers on the job to determine potential hazards and mitigate risks. 

3 Types of Jobsite Safety Inspection Forms in Construction

A jobsite safety inspection form is an essential tool used in safety management programs and there is a wide range of use cases for safety forms. This article reviews some of the most commonly used safety forms and templates that construction firms and contractors can use to get started for free. 

Construction Safety Inspection Forms – The 10 Most Common OSHA Hazards

OSHA shares data with companies that details the top 10 OSHA violations each year.  This data is shared to create awareness around the top preventable hazards in the workplace, so employers know where to focus their efforts to address the most common health and safety issues. 

In 2020, the top violations included:

  • Fall Protection
  • Hazard Communication
  • Respiratory Protection
  • Scaffolding, Ladders
  • Lockout/Tagout
  • Powered Industrial Trucks
  • Eye and Face
  • Machine Guarding

Construction companies routinely use safety inspection forms to monitor these problem areas, with a safety inspection form designed specifically for each type of hazard. These types of safety forms are designed around one specific hazard and the corresponding list of items to review.

In general, safety inspection forms are meant as a way to evaluate tools, personal protective equipment, fire extinguishers, forklifts, work areas, and other elements for potential hazards or mitigators for hazards. These can be checked as frequently as deemed necessary, whether it be on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis.

Examples and Templates for Safety Inspection Checklists:

  • Fall Protection
  • Hazard Communication
  • Respiratory Protection
  • Scaffolding
  • Ladders
  • Lockout/Tagout 
  • Powered Industrial Trucks
  • Eye and Face
  • Machine Guarding

Safety Audit Form

A safety audit form is similar to the safety inspection form listed in the previous section, but instead of examining one component of safety, the safety audit form typically examines the entire Jobsite, looking holistically for hazards in the workplace. This type of inspection form is used to understand all of the safety and health hazards so that they can be addressed before an accident or incident happens. Construction firms should update their safety audit forms regularly to ensure that they are keeping up with changing OSHA standards in the workplace. This type of safety audit or Jobsite inspection checklist may only be used on occasion in the workplace, in order to assess the overall safety of a work zone. 

Example and Template:

Typically the safety audit checklist will include examine safety threats across the entire Jobsite, including: 

  • PPE
  • Housekeeping and Sanitation
  • Trenching & Excavations
  • Electrical Installations
  • Tools, Ladders, Scaffolding
  • Fall Protection
  • Steel Erection
  • Precast Concrete Erection
  • Roofing Work
  • Aerial Lifts / Scissor Lifts
  • Cranes, hoists, and derricks
  • Rigging, Heavy Equipment
  • Fire Prevention
  • Flammable Gases
  • Welding and Cutting
  • Spray Painting / Fire Proofing Operations
  • Air Compressors
  • Confined Space
  • Lockout / Tagout
  • Concrete, Masonry
  • Fueling Area
  • And More

COVID-19 Workplace Safety and Health Inspection Forms

Many workplaces have started to use the COVID-19 workplace safety and health checklist to ensure measures are in place to protect workers from exposure to and infection with COVID-19. 

In the construction industry, workers have had to continue working as an essential business and this means that workplaces need to take the appropriate precautions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. 

The workplace safety and health inspection form is designed to help job sites stay in compliance with new safety regulations and restrictions that stemmed from the pandemic. 

Example and Template:

covid-19 safety checklist template example

Health screening forms and workplace safety forms will continue to be needed on job sites in the near term to keep workers safe and productive.

Going Digital With Safety Inspection Form

There are many digital tools and forms that can help to formalize your safety program, rather than managing this process on paper forms. The common challenges with paper forms include missing or lost papers, illegible writing, and time-consuming data entry. Using a digital platform like GoCanvas for managing your safety programs will enable your business to gain greater visibility into safety across job sites and make the process seamless for workers to access information from anywhere. The rise of mobile devices has given construction companies the opportunity to leverage apps and forms in the field to both collect and share key safety information with workers. 

You can learn more about the benefits of a safety management program managed with mobile apps and forms in a recent article published here. You can also search the GoCanvas Form Template Library for more examples and resources to use for all your safety forms and safety inspection forms. Sign up for a free trial and see how easy it can be to use our no-code platform for mobile apps and forms for construction.

Sign up for a free trial today and see how GoCanvas can impact your business.

No fees, no obligations!

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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3 Advantages of Automated Safety Reporting

Posted on by Danny Kanev

3 Advantages of Automated Safety Reporting

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Creating a Seamless Safety Process through Automation

An unsafe workplace is not an option worth considering. However, creating a safe environment can be difficult and requires a lot of focus and attention to every detail as a simple oversight can lead to disastrous consequences. Although this may seem like a daunting task, you are not alone! Safety Professionals are finding ways to reduce time-consuming tasks, like data duplication with the help of automation and technology across the globe. This allows them to focus their time and energy on more important matters like proper safety gear and clear fire exits with the peace of mind that compliance and prevention records are all submitted, stored, and analyzed exactly how they want them to be.

As the safety industry continues to become more automated, it is important to understand how this might impact your business and how to stay ahead of industry trends. The movement toward paperless companies and automated systems is becoming more and more important. Recently, OSHA passed an electronic submission requirement for forms, like their OSHA 300  and OSHA 301 report. Automation is the future of the safety industry and is already drastically improving the way safety reporting is currently handled on the field now.

Here are three ways automating your safety reporting processes can improve your business:

1. Consistent Reporting & Improved Accuracy

Simple errors such as misplaced forms, messy handwriting, or incomplete submissions can result in significant penalties. By automating the way reports are completed, you’re able to streamline the way the forms are filled as each field tech is submitting the form through the same channel and including the same information. Automating this process ensures you’re receiving every submission and it is stored securely in the cloud where you can quickly search and access it as a pdf or CSV. you can automate your processes even further and have your data populate a backend system such as QuickBooks, Viewpoint, or Sage.

There are plenty of things that could affect the accuracy of the information reported. By eliminating manual data transfer and the potential for illegible handwriting, you decrease the possibilities for human error drastically. It doesn’t matter how many asterisks or underlines are used, forms still come back incomplete, and often, by the time the office gets it back, it is too late to fix. Automating these forms removes the headache of tracking down incomplete information and ensures top-quality information every time. Accurate reporting relies on having the best data possible. By improving the quality of the data you’re collecting, you can make the best decisions for your business.

 2. Data Visibility

Time and time again we talk to safety managers who are having difficulty tracing their progress quarter to quarter or even year over year. In the safety industry, being able to track where improvement is needed and what is working efficiently is important to the safety of every employee. Whether your company is interested in getting better visibility into employee behavioral reports or motor vehicle inspection data, it is important to be able to easily pull those reports. Manual reporting can be time-consuming and restricts the ability to pull or find this information easily and accurately.

Automating the way data is collected and where the information is sent allows businesses to make critical data-based decisions within minutes. Whether you’re interested in automating your paperwork to have an easily accessible electronic filing cabinet or if you’re looking to create custom safety dashboards data opens the doors to endless possibilities and is the driving force in creating strategic decisions.

3. Minimized Risk of Safety Incidents and Fines

Safety and compliance are important in every industry and business. You may see it as a chore or a necessary evil but we all know how crucial it is to protecting lives and keeping projects on track. Whether you are in construction or the food industry there are a variety of quality measures that need to be met to keep both front-line staff and customers safe on a day-to-day basis. Not meeting these requirements can result in massive fines resulting in the loss of exorbitant funds, or worse, injury to another person. Therefore, it is critical to maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all reports.

Staying compliant doesn’t have to be difficult or time intensive. By automating the way forms like the OSHA 300, JSA/JHAs, equipment inspections, incident reports, and vehicle inspections are filed, you ensure all submissions can be found through a simple search and that all actionable can be dispatched in real-time. Don’t let simple filing errors or lost forms slow your business.

Compliance will always be a crucial part of any safety professional’s career. As the rules and regulations get more and more complicated, make it easier for your company to stay compliant and improve the data you’re collecting. Take your safety standards to the next level by creating real-time results and solutions with GoCanvas.

Now you can easily modernize the way you are capturing information on or off-site.  Whether you are looking to improve your data visibility or simply improve the safety culture on-site, we hope you’ll consider using GoCanvas as your data collection tool. Sign up for GoCanvas free and give our platform a try today!

Interested in learning more?

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Understanding Workplace Safety Hazards: What Employers Need to Know

Posted on by Danny Kanev

Understanding Workplace Safety Hazards: What Employers Need to Know

| |

While the pandemic has brought mainstream attention to worker safety issues, workers and employers in many industries, such as construction, field services, manufacturing, and transportation/logistics, have long grappled with common workplace hazards. Not only do firms have a vested interest in keeping their employees safe from worksite risks, but the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) also requires them to do so. 

However, despite OSHA being the law of the land for more than 50 years, some employers still lack comprehensive safety management plans that address and mitigate the risk of common workplace hazards. Without such a plan, workers (and potentially customers) may be at risk of illness or injury. Further, their employers face potentially stiff financial, legal, and reputational consequences.

What are workplace hazards?

A workplace hazard is a workplace activity or condition that creates the potential for mental or physical harm. Employers are responsible for remediating workplace hazards that they know about or should have known about and keeping a log of all workplace injuries and illnesses that have occurred at the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Agency is tasked with inspecting worksites to ensure that employers provide workplaces free of hazards, and it takes enforcement actions when they are not.

What are the different types of hazards?

While the Act covers specific and detailed General Industry safety standards (as well as those for the Agriculture, Maritime, and Construction industries), OSHA’s general duty clause is broader. It requires employers to ensure their worksites are “which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.” While the list of hazards the Act covers is significant, they can generally be divided into the following categories:

Safety hazards

Safety hazards are workplace activities or conditions that can result in accidents or cause injuries. The list of possible safety hazards is considerable, but common examples include employees:

  • Being provided with broken mechanical or electrical equipment
  • Navigating slippery or cluttered floors
  • Working on insecure scaffolding or not having appropriate fall protection equipment
  • Working inside buildings with a single entrance/exit or blocked fire exits
  • Working schedules that are impossible to fulfill without cutting corners, among others

Biological hazards

These workplace safety hazards can stem from exposure to dangerous materials, such as healthcare and lab workers’ exposure to infectious diseases, or a food processing employee’s exposure to animal materials, in a day’s work. However, biological hazards can also result in all workplaces from neglect, such as in mold occurrences. 

Chemical hazards

Chemical hazards can also result from exposure to dangerous substances and compounds as part of a worker’s routine duties. Employers must ensure that equipment is in working order, employees are provided personal protective equipment (PPE), and that chemicals are handled in well-ventilated places, among other safety measures, to mitigate the risk of injury/illness from a worker’s exposure to chemicals. Employers are required to provide Safety Data Sheets for anyone that manages chemicals in the workplace.

Physical hazards

Workers in certain industries often face a variety of physical hazards. Construction workers may deal with excessive noise, while manufacturing workers may face elevated temperatures. Or an employee at a nuclear plant may deal with radiation exposure. Employers must minimize the risk of employee injury from these and other types of physical hazards.

Ergonomic risk factors

Another type of hazard concerns physical activities that may result in injury. For example, a worker who must repeatedly perform heavy lifting puts themselves at risk for musculoskeletal injury, as would an employee who performs repetitive injuries. Employers should examine processes and workflows that create this type of risk and provide tools, or even automation, to minimize ergonomic risks. 

How to identify hazards in the workplace

Safety-conscious employers can identify workplace hazards through regular inspections of their worksites, equipment, and operations. It’s best to document these inspections to help ensure the appropriate remediation takes place. 

It’s also recommended that employers speak with frontline workers about workplace safety hazards, as they will likely identify some that managers miss. Among other areas of potential danger, employers should examine:

  • Clutter
  • Use of electrical, chemical, or biological materials and equipment
  • Equipment maintenance and operation
  • PPE inventory and suitability
  • Work scheduling and processes
  • Emergency plans and evacuation procedures
  • Fire safety measures

These areas are just a sampling of workplace elements where hazardous conditions may be found. In addition to seeking input from workers, it’s also often advisable for employers to use services from third-party safety experts to help identify all potential workplace safety hazards.

How to prevent hazards in the workplace

Performing regular workplace safety inspections is one way to prevent hazardous conditions. Another tool is training. Employers should ensure that workers at all levels have the fundamental training they need to perform their duties safely and receive regular refresher training that helps keep their skills up-to-date. Further, workers should also be well-versed in their employer’s internal safety practices and procedures to help prevent hazards.

Employers should also encourage a safety-oriented workplace culture. Workers should not only have an outlet to provide health and safety-related feedback, but they should also be actively encouraged to do so. In unionized environments, formal mechanisms, such as labor-management health and safety committees, may be established by contract or past practice. However, all workplaces, union and non-union alike, should establish a mechanism for workers to identify potential hazards without fear of retaliation.

Another way to prevent workplace hazards is by establishing a workplace health and safety management plan.

The benefits of a health and safety management plan

When employers develop a comprehensive health and safety management plan, employers can greatly mitigate the risk of worksite illnesses, injuries, and deaths. They can also save themselves considerable money in the process. When a safety incident occurs at work, the company may be liable for damages from the victim/family or, if the incident stemmed from an OSHA violation, from the Agency. Employers lose the services of an employee, reducing overall productivity. And their insurance premiums may also go up as a result.

But by drafting a plan that includes provisions for workplace hazard prevention, assessment, and remediation and employee training (from leadership on down), employers can avoid high financial costs, productivity reductions, legal consequences, and bad press.

Using GoCanvas to identify hazards and ensure a safe workplace

When incorporating GoCanvas into their workplace health and safety plans, employers don’t need to rely on expensive third-party consultants for periodic assessments. Instead, they enjoy continuous access to a robust safety application that helps employers and employees collaboratively identify workplace safety hazards and incidents in real-time, reducing paperwork and saving time and money in the process. GoCanvas’ robust platform allows you to take advantage of pre-formatted forms for specific industries and use cases or build your own, tailored to your unique business.

Interested in learning more? Try GoCanvas for free or contact us for more information today.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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