Welcome to 2020! You may be wondering what is in store for the next decade when it comes to EHS and compliance. Although no one knows for sure exactly what the future will bring, it’s safe to say that these five trends will have a big influence on the field. These trends come from OSH and are summarized below:
Trend #1: EHS Professionals Continue to Wear More “Hats”
Remember during the last decade when the safety or environmental professional focused on one or two areas of EHS accountability? Seems like it was just yesterday. The trend has now changed to professionals wearing more “hats” than ever, and the era of the specialist is fading in favor of generalists. With more centralized systems and groups now in place, and a more pronounced emphasis on efficiency, the trend is now focused on utilizing generalists’ skill set and giving them multiple areas of responsibility. In other words, that EHS professional working on the ergonomics or air program likely has responsibility in data science, analytics, operations and more. It’s a vitally important opportunity for our industry to steer EHS professionals toward tools and resources that they can integrate into the workplace and help improve workers’ lives. RegScan understands this growing trend, and provides its clients an automated, accurate and efficient means of providing compliance information to help centralize and streamline EHS processes most important to your organization.
Trend #2: Changing Demographics in the Workforce
Did you know that millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce? Yep, they are, and they have different expectations for their work, and everything related to it. What does this mean for the EHS field? Well, for one thing, attracting younger generations to pursue EHS as a profession will be critical as much of the current workforce will soon be near retirement. In fact, according to the Safety+Health Magazine 2019 Job Outlook survey, 62% of respondents reported that they had observed a shortage of qualified professionals in the field, and 65% believe these voids will be filled with internal candidates with little to no experience. But no need to fear – RegScan helps fill this void with easy to use, accurate and streamlined solutions to help all backgrounds and personas along the compliance journey.
Trend #3: High Tech EHS Programs
High tech tools and methods have taken over the world of not only EHS, but also the work environment in general. More than ever before, there are online, connected tools that allow organizations to have more visibility in their everyday operations. The convergence of people, processes and technology is now the norm and the EHS world continues to adapt to these edge technologies. There are now real-time apps, training programs and VR/augmented reality solutions to ensure compliance is at the highest priority. Expect to see more EHS programs incorporating both technological and personalized solutions with coaching and aids to put users in the driver’s seat of compliance. RegScan helps with this trend by providing automated, web and mobile friendly solutions to give its users transparency and real-time monitoring of compliance.
Trend #4: New EHS Concerns with an Ever-Changing Work Environment
Does telecommuting sounds familiar? Do you notice your workforce is no longer attached to their cubicles or in some cases not on-site? Welcome to the new way we work. The workplace of today looks nothing like the workplace of 50 years ago. The rise of telecommuting, flex schedules, the gig economy have created EHS concerns and new liabilities for organizations. This new workplace calls for new methods to assess risk, train employees and create a new culture of safety that reaches beyond the cubicle walls. RegScan is aware of this dynamic change and provides virtual solutions to help organizations access EHS and safety culture through smart checklists, standards and regulatory content tailored to an organization’s unique needs.
Trend #5: A Focus on Total Worker Health
Continuing with 2020 trends, there is continued momentum towards a more holistic approach to health and well-being. NIOSH’s Total Worker Health concept is a holistic approach to employee well-being that integrates safety and health protection with injury and illness. This multi-faceted approach includes social, emotional, financial and environmental dimensions of health. Indeed, work life is a major factor in overall health and with that, more than ever, employers are expected to take care of their employees.
Conclusion:
2020 is not only the start of a new decade, but the start–and in some cases—a continuation of progress and innovation for the EHS world. Let RegScan help you meet and exceed your compliance goals by being your trusted partner as you mature your EHS programs into the new decade. Learn more about RegScan’s best-in-class EHS compliance and monitoring solutions at www.regscan.com.