Not every HR, employee-management, training, or workplace software product is a compliance tool.

Compliance Stack focuses on products that help organizations meet, manage, monitor, document, or demonstrate compliance with occupational health, workplace safety, occupational health, or workplace regulatory requirements.

This can include software for:

• Occupational health and safety

• EHS management

• Workplace safety

• Risk assessments

• Hazard identification

• Incident reporting

• Injury and illness management

• Near-miss reporting

• Workplace inspections

• Safety audits

• Corrective and preventive actions

• Job safety analysis

• Permit to work

• Contractor safety

• Safety training

• Compliance training

• Safety certifications and credentials

• Occupational health programs

• Medical surveillance

• Industrial hygiene

• Exposure monitoring

• Chemical safety

• Safety Data Sheets

• Emergency preparedness

• Regulatory reporting

• Compliance calendars

• Legal registers

• Audit trails

• Safety documentation

General HR software, employee engagement platforms, payroll systems, benefits software, recruiting platforms, or generic learning-management systems are not included simply because they are used by employees.

To qualify for this category, a product should provide a meaningful workplace health, safety, occupational health, EHS, or regulatory compliance function.

Workplace health and safety compliance is the process of ensuring that an organization identifies and manages workplace hazards and follows the occupational safety and health requirements that apply to its operations.

Depending on the business, this can involve:

• Identifying workplace hazards

• Assessing and controlling risks

• Providing required safety training

• Conducting inspections

• Reporting incidents and injuries

• Investigating incidents

• Managing corrective actions

• Maintaining safety records

• Monitoring worker exposure

• Managing occupational health programs

• Meeting regulatory reporting requirements

• Preparing for inspections and audits

Requirements vary by country, jurisdiction, industry, workplace, workforce, and the hazards associated with the organization's activities.

Businesses operating across multiple countries may need to manage different workplace safety requirements at different locations.

Health, Safety & Workplace Compliance FAQs

Workplace safety compliance means following the laws, regulations, standards, and internal requirements designed to protect workers from workplace hazards.

It can include:

• Hazard identification

• Risk assessments

• Safety procedures

• Employee training

• Workplace inspections

• Incident reporting

• Injury and illness records

• Corrective actions

• Emergency procedures

• Regulatory reporting

The specific requirements depend on the jurisdiction, industry, workplace, and activities involved.

Businesses with employees, contractors, or other workers generally have workplace health and safety responsibilities, although the specific requirements vary by jurisdiction and workplace.

Requirements can depend on:

• Number of employees

• Industry

• Workplace location

• Type of work performed

• Equipment used

• Chemicals or hazardous substances

• Physical workplace conditions

• Worker exposure risks

• Local laws and regulations

Businesses operating in higher-risk industries such as construction, manufacturing, energy, chemicals, transportation, and healthcare may have particularly extensive safety requirements.

EHS stands for Environmental, Health and Safety.

EHS software helps organizations manage programs related to workplace safety, occupational health, environmental compliance, and associated risks.

Common EHS capabilities include:

• Incident management

• Risk assessments

• Inspections

• Audits

• Corrective actions

• Safety training

• Compliance tracking

• Occupational health

• Industrial hygiene

• Environmental compliance

Compliance Stack includes EHS platforms when their health and safety or regulatory compliance capabilities are a meaningful part of the product.

Occupational health compliance involves managing workplace health requirements and programs designed to protect workers from work-related health risks.

Depending on the workplace, this can include:

• Medical surveillance

• Employee health assessments

• Exposure monitoring

• Occupational health records

• Workplace health programs

• Immunization programs

• Industrial hygiene

• Health-related regulatory reporting

Software can help organizations manage these programs, maintain records, and monitor compliance requirements.

A workplace risk assessment is a structured process for identifying hazards, evaluating the risks they create, and determining appropriate controls.

A typical assessment can involve:

1. Identifying hazards

2. Determining who may be affected

3. Evaluating the likelihood and potential severity of harm

4. Identifying control measures

5. Assigning actions

6. Monitoring whether controls remain effective

7. Reviewing the assessment when circumstances change

Risk-assessment software can standardize these processes and maintain an auditable record.

Incident management is the process of recording, investigating, and responding to workplace incidents.

This can include:

• Injuries

• Illnesses

• Near misses

• Property damage

• Hazardous events

• Safety observations

• Environmental incidents

Incident-management software can help organizations collect information, investigate causes, assign corrective actions, track completion, and produce reports.

A near miss is an event that could have caused injury, illness, damage, or another harmful outcome but did not.

Near-miss reporting allows organizations to identify hazards before they result in an actual incident.

Software can provide employees with simple ways to report near misses and allow safety teams to:

• Review reports

• Investigate contributing factors

• Identify recurring hazards

• Assign corrective actions

• Track resolution

• Analyze trends

Safety inspections are structured checks of workplaces, equipment, processes, or working conditions to identify hazards and compliance issues.

Inspections can cover:

• Equipment

• Work areas

• Emergency systems

• Personal protective equipment

• Machinery

• Safety procedures

• Hazardous materials

• Workplace conditions

Inspection software can provide standardized checklists, capture evidence, assign actions, and maintain records for future audits.

Safety training compliance involves ensuring that workers receive the training required for their roles, workplace hazards, and applicable regulations.

Depending on the organization, training can cover:

• Workplace hazards

• Emergency procedures

• Equipment safety

• Hazard communication

• Personal protective equipment

• Job-specific safety procedures

• Regulatory requirements

Compliance-training software can track assignments, completion, certifications, expiration dates, and training records.

Workplace safety regulations are laws and rules designed to protect workers from occupational hazards and unsafe working conditions.

Requirements differ between countries and jurisdictions. They can cover areas such as:

• Workplace hazards

• Safety equipment

• Employee training

• Hazardous substances

• Machinery

• Emergency procedures

• Workplace inspections

• Injury and illness reporting

• Recordkeeping

• Occupational exposure

For example, businesses operating in the United States may need to comply with requirements administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), while European businesses may be subject to national laws implementing European occupational safety and health requirements.

Businesses operating internationally should identify the requirements that apply in each country and workplace where they operate.

ISO 45001 is an international standard for occupational health and safety management systems.

It provides a framework organizations can use to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an occupational health and safety management system.

Organizations may use ISO 45001 as part of their broader safety-management and continuous-improvement programs.

Industrial hygiene is the practice of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace conditions that may cause illness or injury.

Potential exposures can include:

• Chemicals

• Dust

• Noise

• Radiation

• Biological hazards

• Heat

• Ergonomic hazards

• Other workplace exposures

Industrial-hygiene software can help organizations manage exposure assessments, sampling, monitoring, health surveillance, and related records.

Chemical safety compliance involves managing the risks and regulatory requirements associated with hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

Depending on the jurisdiction, businesses may need to manage:

• Chemical inventories

• Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

• Hazard classifications

• Labels

• Employee training

• Storage requirements

• Exposure controls

• Emergency procedures

• Regulatory reporting

Chemical-safety software can centralize chemical information and help organizations maintain documentation and compliance workflows.

What is contractor safety compliance?

Contractor safety compliance involves ensuring that contractors and other third parties meet applicable workplace safety requirements while performing work for an organization.

This can involve:

• Contractor qualification

• Safety documentation

• Training

• Certifications

• Insurance

• Risk assessments

• Site access requirements

• Permit requirements

• Incident reporting

• Ongoing monitoring

Contractor-management software can help organizations verify qualifications and maintain records before and during work.

What should businesses look for in health and safety compliance software?

The right features depend on the organization's industry, workforce, locations, and regulatory obligations.

Relevant capabilities can include:

• Incident and injury management

• Near-miss reporting

• Hazard reporting

• Risk assessments

• Safety inspections

• Audits

• Corrective and preventive actions

• Job safety analysis

• Permit to work

• Contractor management

• Safety training

• Certification tracking

• Occupational health

• Industrial hygiene

• Exposure monitoring

• Chemical management

• Regulatory tracking

• Compliance calendars

• Legal registers

• Regulatory reporting

• Document management

• Audit trails

• Dashboards and analytics

• Mobile reporting

• Multi-site management

Businesses should evaluate software against the specific workplace health and safety requirements that apply to their operations.

More Health, Safety & Workplace Compliance Tools

EHS Insight

https://www.ehsinsight.com/

EHS Compliance & Safety Management

EHS Insight provides software for safety, compliance, incident management, risk, inspections, corrective actions, and regulatory tracking.

Best for: Organizations looking for a configurable EHS platform with a focus on safety and compliance management.