Skip to content

    Contents

    Good data vs. Bad data

    6 March 2014 - Evotix

       

    Data drives the operations of today’s largest organisations and the mantra ‘what get’s measured gets managed’ has never been more important to health and safety management professionals. With new safety management software technology comes the opportunity to collect, analyse and compare data on near misses, the relative safety performance of branch sites and facilities, staff training levels and much more. Collecting great data leads to great safety management systems.

    But collecting data is one thing; acting on it another thing entirely, and you can’t act on it if you’re not collecting the right data in the right way. If you’re not using a database, instead relying on a Word or Excel health and safety management system, then I’m afraid you’re in no position to build a safety strategy around data.  SHE Software often meets with customers that manage data via lists in Word, tasks in Outlook with backup from Excel for reporting purposes. Word is great for documents and Excel is a titanic calculation or reporting tool, but neither comes close to what’s known as a relational database.

    Relational databases can track just about anything and relate one set of data to another, unlocking the door to in-depth analysis of trends and variations that are otherwise hidden from view. That makes for an extremely powerful safety management system.

    We’ve only ever come across a handful of company safety management systems using Word to manage workplace safety data but Excel is used much more commonly. However, while Excel is not really fit for purpose in the first place it is made less so by users putting too much information into a single cell. By segmenting data into separate fields it is of far more use, allowing for the sorting, querying and grouping of information for analysis and trend-spotting. This is exactly what a relational database does. Proper segmentation allows for potentially very powerful calculations to be made and there are not many limits on what can be done as long as data is accurately entered and correctly linked together – and this is the case for good data versus bad data.

    There is a famous maxim in the software world, if you like that kind of thing (and we do!): rubbish in = rubbish out. Similarly there is a world of difference between a health and safety management systems software with bad data and one with good. A purpose built database system for safety professionals will provide a lead on what data is useful and what isn’t, especially if it has been produced in partnership between the user’s organisation and the developers. This way you end up with a database that helps you to successfully direct your safety strategy – and your valuable time – to the proper places, where it can actually do some good.

       

    RELATED BLOGS

    A Farewell to Manual Processes: Why You Should Ditch Them For Health and Safety

    18 November 2021 - Evotix

    One of the great classics in American literature is A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. In the title, “arms” naturally means weapons, but it got us thinking about human arms—the ones attached to..

    Safety Data and Analytics, Operational Efficiency, Safety Priorities, EHS Management Software, EHS, Workplace Safety Tips
    Read Article

    Tips for Managing EHS With an Aging Workforce

    18 April 2023 - Evotix

    The concern around the impact an aging workforce has on the EHS space has been growing greater in recent years. As more workers approach retirement age and continue working into their 60s and 70s,..

    Morale and Engagement, EHS, Safe Operations, EHS Compliance
    Read Article

    NSC Safety Congress & Expo

    5 October 2022 - Evotix

    Our team has recently returned from The National Safety Council’s biggest event, the NSC Safety Congress & Expo, held this year in beautiful San Diego. The expo is held each year to help health and..

    Morale and Engagement, Evotix, EHS Management Software, EHS
    Read Article