Health & safety is drowning in documentation, procedures and processes.
In the next edition of Safeguard magazine we are taking a look at how to reduce this 'work of safety' load.
If you have had a successful crack at reducing safety paperwork at your workplace and would like to write a brief piece about it in the magazine, please let me know via email to peterdotbatemanatthomsonreutersdotcom
We were previously owned by an American company which entailed serious chopping down of trees (paperwork)!!. The paperwork was incredible and a lot of it added no value or was already covered in multiple other checks, procedures etc. I had a 6 page “check the checklist” document for each month’s checks. I am now sorting my way through the fluff and decluttering.
Currently tracking document access and questions asked that did not have an online answer that solved the issue. It highlights what is only used by the person who completed it.
I experienced a manager who just decided to not do anymore paper work, he just didn't do it. No reviews, no writing new documents and dumped 3 years worth of paper into the bin, all this 'proof' stuff straight to docx destruction. He assumed if we really wanted it and it was important it would have an electronic stamp somewhere. If I were the manager I would have freaked out and never done anything like that. I was part of the team 'documentation is King' brigade. Now i'm really grateful for the having been through the experience and don't freak out at all in lack of safety paperwork, or reducing further So how we reduced paperwork - Just stopped, just cold stopped. No approval, no talking about it, just stopped. There are a few core docx. we astutely maintain, and have been able to prove systems and processes for a couple of different audit types so far and can still satisfy the senior leadership of where we are in control and where needs work with about 25% of the former safety paper load.