The digital age is upon us. The old paper-based approach and non-integrated software products just does not produce the results employees and management strive for.
ATK IT, a provider of business efficiency solutions, has developed technology that contributes to the streamlining of business operations, including the ability to integrate the latest health, safety and environmental (HSE) compliance software.
The development of ATK IT’s HSE compliance and business optimisation software began when head developer Adrian Damant identified the need to provide cost-effective, practical solutions to one of the biggest quarries on South Africa’s north coast.
Due to the stringent legislative and administrative pressures of South African mining legislation, many companies struggled to manage and control compliance with the legislation without high levels of manpower. Having identified this area of concern, ATK IT developed an integrated mobile electronic format of the health and safety system.
Software customers have realised the benefits of implementing an integrated HSE compliance and business optimisation system, eg:
- All risk assessments, safe work procedures, codes of practice and standard procedures are available through a cloud-based design, making reference and ease of access paramount.
- Annual reviews of all assessments are undertaken online and authorised immediately, reducing administrative time and paper wastage.
- HSE compliance software tracks individuals’ training, medical requirements, letters of appointment and equipment issued to those individuals, reducing employee downtime and medical issues.
- The software’s task-based approach can remind relevant staff when certain inspections need to be performed. Tasks are sent automatically, as determined by the scheduling undertaken in the task management, to the appropriately identified person, enabling them to undertake the inspection on their device with photographic and signature evidence that the task has been performed. This information is then stored on the client’s database, which can be accessed from anywhere.
The South African construction materials industry has already expressed its support for ATK IT’s product solutions, including Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (ASPASA) director Nico Pienaar. “We welcome the initiative shown by ATK IT in moving the industry forward,” he said. “This technology will enhance our industry’s ability to exceed the expectations placed upon us by the regulatory bodies.”
Many companies believe the financial cost of implementing such a system is too high, but all the packages ATK offers are tailored to the number of users and work sites. In the company’s experience, the reduction in printing costs and hours of management review time allows the user to quickly recoup their financial investment.
As with all new habits, staff require a shift in thinking about the performance of their tasks on a digital device, and management has the ability to review in real time. Companies should allow for training time to ensure all staff are utilising the software system effectively.
The latest integrated innovations include:
- Near frequency communication (NFC), which assists in the management of assets, eg the use of NFC tags on equipment, where prior to an employee using that equipment on-site a pre-populated checklist that is integrated with NFC tags is required to be completed.
- Bluetooth technology, which allows management to register employee hours worked on-site and produce a complete breakdown of the individual’s timetable.
- Vehicle tracking, which disallows vehicles or machines from being started unless the required pre-starts or start-up procedures are performed.
The digital age is disrupting every single industry, mining included. The question each organisation should be asking is: how soon can we implement a digital and paperless business solution to gain a competitive advantage?
Source: ATK IT