The ROI of EHS: How Investing in Safety and Compliance Can Boost Your Bottom Line

Your bottom line is always top of mind. You're constantly looking for ways to streamline processes, reduce costs, and increase profitability. While it may not immediately come to mind, your investment in environmental, health, and safety (EHS) software can significantly improve your financial performance. Let’s explore the financial benefits of EHS software and how it can boost your bottom line.

The Financial Benefits of EHS Software

First and foremost, EHS software provides essential safety benefits that protect teams and promote a safer work environment. As a result of this improved safety, construction companies can also expect to see financial upsides. By implementing EHS software, teams can streamline processes and avoid regulatory fines, ultimately boosting your bottom line.

Here are some examples of the financial benefits of EHS software:

• Lower claims risk and reduce insurance costs: EHS software allows you to accurately track training to ensure everyone onsite is qualified to perform their job and reduce your risk of accidents and injuries. Proactive process management and compliance visibility across leading and lagging indicators improves safety performance and can provide insurers with confidence that you are sufficiently managing risk. Nowadays, it’s possible to negotiate lower premiums if you have a comprehensive EHS platform, with reductions sometimes reaching up to 20%.

• Minimised legal fees: Keeping up with complex and constantly changing regulations is a substantial undertaking. EHS software can help you stay compliant with regulations, reducing your risk of fines and legal fees. This is especially important for larger construction companies with more complex operations that are more susceptible to regulatory violations and fines.

• Improved project efficiency and profitability: EHS software removes paperwork and improves the visibility of critical safety data. This allows teams to proactively manage the jobsite instead of compiling reports and managing paperwork. Streamlining and digitising safety processes helps to mitigate delays, prevent accidents, and minimise downtime, leading to more efficient and profitable projects.

Improved team communication and collaboration can also increase project efficiency and profitability. EHS software provides a central platform for team members to share information and track progress. By having access to real-time data and analytics, construction companies can confidently make informed decisions about resource allocation, project scheduling, and risk management based on accurate information.

Calculating the ROI of EHS Software

It’s logical to consider the return on investment (ROI) of EHS software before making such a significant financial decision. To learn more about calculating the ROI of EHS software and discovering which platform is right for your construction company, request a demo. Experience the software firsthand to begin to understand the benefits and if the cost is warranted. A qualified expert will provide a comprehensive analysis of your company’s safety and compliance needs and help you determine the potential ROI of investing in EHS software.

Choosing the Right EHS Software for Your Construction Company

When it comes to choosing the right EHS software for your construction company, it's important to consider several factors, such as:

• Features and functionality: Does the EHS software offer the features and functionality that your construction company needs? For example, does it include tools for hazard identification, incident reporting, and safety compliance tracking?

• Integration: Can the EHS software integrate with other construction software systems that you are already using? This can help streamline processes and improve data sharing across different systems.

• Customisation: Can the EHS software be customised to meet the specific needs of your construction company? This may include custom reporting and analytics, as well as branding and user interface customisation.

• Implementation and training: What is the implementation process for the EHS software, and what kind of training and support is offered to users? Sufficient training is an important factor in ensuring the successful adoption of software by your team.

To help you choose EHS software with the right capabilities for your unique needs, our free buyer's guide offers a comprehensive list of questions to ask when evaluating different platforms, as well as an overview of the key features to look for. Download our free buyer's guide to learn more about choosing the right EHS software for your construction company.

The software suite that HammerTech offers significantly reduces the time required to generate meeting minutes, safety audits, corrective actions from safety audits, tool box training, and most significantly, reduces the time to conduct safety orientations by enabling workers to complete this prior to walking onto the project site.  Additionally, all paperwork is eliminated and the cost of printing, copying and collecting paper is gone.

TOM LIPPERT,

Vice President of Safety and Quality Assurance at AMHigley

Hard Cost Savings of EHS Software

In addition to the financial benefits mentioned above, EHS software also offers hard cost savings for construction companies. Here are some ways you can save on hard costs by implementing EHS software:

• Paper and ink savings: EHS software helps reduce the need for paper-based processes, such as incident reporting and safety checklists. By moving to digital processes, you will save money on paper and ink, as well as reduce the administrative burden of managing paper-based systems.

• Time savings: EHS software helps streamline processes and reduce the time required to manage safety compliance and incident reporting. This can lead to savings in administrative time and resources, allowing your team to focus on more meaningful tasks.

• Reduced equipment costs: EHS software can help identify potential hazards and safety concerns on the job site, allowing you to address them before they become costly accidents. Just as not going to the dentist when you have a cavity can lead to significant problems down the road, neglecting construction equipment can also result in more costly repairs or replacements in the future. By reducing accidents and equipment damage, you may be able to extend the lifespan of your equipment and reduce the need for costly repairs or replacements.

• Reduced Transportation Costs: With EHS software, you can digitally manage job sites, significantly minimising the need for regular on-site visits for safety checks and incident reports. This cuts down on the associated costs of transportation such as fuel, vehicle maintenance, and the time spent on the road. Fewer trips to job sites mean less money spent on gas and more productive hours in the day.

• Savings on Physical Storage Space: Relying on paper-based processes often demands physical space for storage and archives. With the shift to EHS software, you can digitalise your processes and documents, thus eliminating the need for physical storage. This can result in considerable cost savings in terms of office space, as well as improved organisation and accessibility of important documents.

By realising hard cost savings through the use of EHS software, you can further boost your bottom line and improve profitability for your construction company.

Conclusion

Investing in EHS software offers significant financial benefits, in addition to improving your overall safety program. Construction companies that have adopted an EHS platform see lowered insurance premiums, improved project efficiency, and reduced hard costs. These factors and more contribute to a boosted bottom line that allows companies to allocate more hard-earned dollars toward retaining top talent, pursuing new projects, or investing in advanced technology to bolster productivity and competitiveness.

To learn more about the financial benefits of EHS software and discover which platform is right for your construction company, contact HammerTech for a free, comprehensive evaluation and analysis of your specific needs and circumstances. Additionally, download our free buyer's guide for more information about calculating the ROI of EHS software and choosing the right EHS software for your construction company.