A company’s EHS program doesn’t often include quality management. However, the two concepts naturally go well together and depend on each other within an organization. Having them in one combined system facilitates communication and collaboration, which we all know is crucial for a happy future. So why should EHS and quality management be integrated into one EHSQ system, and what would it mean for your business?

Efficient problem solving with unified data

Considering quality and EHS often deal with similar problems, having them in a unified system avoids answering the same questions or tackle the same issues multiple times. Correlating EHS and quality data might also yield surprising results and new insights. This provides a much more efficient way to tackle problems but also pushes the analyses and consequent ideas and actions beyond what was previously possible. No further questions need to be answered before a problem can be dealt with, as all the data is in one place. An integrated EHSQ system means more control and a clearer overview.

A new way of working together

Separating EHS and quality prevents company-wide collaboration. EHS and quality concern and impact the company from top to bottom, so separating the two entities creates more limitations and miscommunications than anything else. An easy to use integrated platform facilitates this necessary collaboration without adding time-consuming laborious tasks that will prevent employees from doing their jobs, or have them give up on their EHS and quality standards altogether.

Manage compliance and incidents together

Both EHS and quality are areas where compliance, regulations, legal requirements and regional standards require constant tracking and frequent actions. This is where a combined EHSQ platform shines. A single library to track compliance, and automatic updates triggering actions, saves a lot of time and hassle in this area. Compliance checks and audits can then trigger multiple actions across the EHSQ spectrum, making it easier to keep track.

Now that all the data is in one place, an incident or near-miss analysis performed in this way generates the most accurate results as no possible angle is left out. In a larger corporation, incidents could also be managed and analyzed in a more collaborative way. Quality is more universal across sites, whereas EHS is more centered within a specific site and its individual issues. Creating a shared space where EHS becomes a topic to share, at the same level as quality, increases a sense of collaboration where one site is not alone in thinking about tackling issues or preventing incidents.

In short…

An integrated EHSQ system smoothens the management of compliance, by having a centralized database to access compliance documents and audit reports. Taking it to the next level by automating updates, notifications if actions need to be taken, etc. makes everyone’s life easier. You can then imagine managing EHSQ data across different fields such as compliance, supply chain, training, and more. This level of correlation provides the most accurate insights in the workings of your business, which only serves to improve all aspects of it.