The central goal of any electronic safety inspection software platform is the accurate and efficient assignment of corrective actions from systematic audits. However, assigning actions to users is only one step towards this goal. One of the biggest and most crucial challenges that any safety professional faces is making sure that each action is completed on time and appropriately. As any audit follow up typically includes a significant number of assigned corrective actions, a software platform to do some of the work for you is extremely beneficial. SafetyStratus has developed the Tiered Escalation Notification feature for the Inspections and Observations Module to accelerate the effectiveness of safety audit programs. In this edition of Feature Spotlight, we’ll take a closer look at this addition.
Why Tiered Escalation Notifications?
Institutions or organizations that perform a significant number of safety-related audits through the course of the year usually generate an equally significant number of corrective actions. These actions vary in nature, complexity, and severity, so keeping track of each can be challenging, regardless of a safety department or program’s size and personnel. An important aspect of success in inspections is that none of these actions get lost in the shuffle and that each is pushed through to an appropriate and on-time completion. The Tiered Escalation Notification feature schedules reminders of actions to assignees and can include other parties (area managers, department heads) to “escalate” the issue in the event of an overdue assignment, minimizing the margin for error.
How Does SafetyStratus Inspection Review Work?
For any inspection question, administrators can prescribe a severity level and determine how many days will be given for the completion of generated corrective actions. Tiered Escalations include a total of (4) levels of preset notifications. The following is an outline of how these levels progress (left side) along with an example setup (right side):
Several important options exist within the Tiered Escalation Notification feature:
- The timing (number of days) between notifications for each severity type can be altered to meet user needs. For a less severe/minor action, users may choose 7 days between each notification, but a severe/critical action may warrant a quicker turnaround of 1-2 days between each email.
- The content of each tiered email is fully customizable. If the user desires to differentiate the wording of Tier 3 or 4 emails to convey a sense of urgency or note that other parties have been copied on an email, that may serve to appropriately escalate matters.
- Finally, other parties may be included as email recipients at any tier level. In the difficult case where multiple notifications have been issued with no response from the assignee, copying supervisors, area managers, or department heads is one of the best ways to accelerate the corrective action completion process.
The Tiered Escalation Notification feature allows inspectors and safety teams to automatically remind assignees of overdue corrective actions and, when necessary, elevate the urgency of these issues by invoking greater accountability. In performing this task, this feature helps ensure that a backlog of incomplete/overdue corrective actions does not accumulate. The ability to identify safety-related issues is only as successful as the ability to make sure that those issues are succinctly and comprehensively addressed.
AUTHOR BIO
Joe comes to the SafetyStratus team with over 15 years of experience in the biological sciences and laboratory management and safety. At the University of Connecticut, and later at the University of the Sciences, Joe managed multiple high-volume biology teaching laboratories. He also worked as an Aquatic Biologist for the Philadelphia Water Department’s Office of Watersheds. Most recently Joe held the position of Laboratory Safety Manager in the University of the Sciences’ Environmental Health & Safety Department, overseeing all aspects of safety inspections and compliance in over 150 campus teaching and research spaces.
Originally from Connecticut, Joe has lived in the Philadelphia suburbs for the last 10 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Biology from the University of Maine at Fort Kent. In his free time, Joe enjoys working out, taking in a good football game or movie, and traveling with his wife to sunny Caribbean destinations whenever possible.
