According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are about 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the United States each year across various industries. The BLS categories include several industries that fall under the field service umbrella. Given the type of work field service professionals do daily, it’s no surprise that employees can get injured. Field service companies with a “safety always” mindset intentionally look for ways to ensure employee safety. This extends to every aspect of project management, from staffing to assets and equipment. Project safety depends on coordination at every level of a field service operation.
Field service management software can help to achieve safety goals, among many others. If you’re looking for new ideas to safeguard your employees’ well-being, read on. Here are four unique ways to complete projects safely with field service management software (FMS).
The only thing worse than showing up to a job without equipment is showing up with the wrong equipment. Using ill-suited tools or materials can put employees in danger. With technicians coming in and out of the shop all day, keeping tools in stock can be tricky.
Thankfully, many field service management software solutions have asset and inventory management modules that can help. You can seamlessly assign assets to specific technicians through the system. The same system tracks those assets to confirm nothing is misplaced. Consider inventory management for other assets and not just tools for a specific job. This same module can certify that protective equipment like eye coverings and hard hats are always available.
As part of the “safety always” mentality, it’s likely that you continually offer your employees tips and best practices. With employees in different locations at different times, reinforcement and follow-up can be a challenge. Field service management software can help address this.
Work order modules built into the software allow for comprehensive start-to-finish job tracking. As part of that process, leadership can leave specific safety instructions and checkpoints within the work order. These checkpoints can require a specific action or acknowledgment by the employee. Checkpoints can include things like a signature, a photo upload, or checking off step-by-step instructions. Such digital assistance plays two roles: reinforcing safe procedures and providing helpful nudges and on-the-job training.
At some point, that variation in skill goes beyond a proficiency issue. It becomes a project safety issue as well. Remembering exactly which techs are capable of performing which tasks, the software provides a place to store valuable nuggets of information.
Schedulers and leadership can create custom profiles for each technician. These profiles track what types of tasks they can tackle and any professional certifications or licenses they may hold. Armed with those insights, schedulers can keep techs safer by only assigning them tasks they are equipped to handle.
“Capable” refers to both skill level and general health but when techs are overworked and fatigued, they’re more likely to cause harmful mistakes. Field service software makes it easy to avoid sending overworked technicians and/or those with skills that don’t match the job. With the time and expense module in the software, leadership can more closely monitor the hours workers are putting in.
This type of high-level oversight helps the company keep employees safe while also helping to control the budget. Tracking workers’ time, fuel, and other asset expenditures keeps projects running as expected. It’s easier to follow the company, state, and federal overtime regulations with accurate time tracking.
There are many reasons why field service companies in industries like utilities, construction, and home services turn to EnSight+ for field service management software. One of the most significant is that our solution can keep projects (and employees) safer. Our robust software includes modules for asset and inventory management, work order management, scheduling, routing and dispatch, time and expense management, and more.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can keep your employees safer, book a demo today.
All monitored by you, in real time. Are you ready to take control?