The rise of remote work in recent years and the expansion of operations across various regions have reshaped how organizations approach environment, health and safety (EHS).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 35.5 million people in the U.S. teleworked or worked from home in the first quarter of 2024. That’s nearly 1 in 5 workers. Meanwhile, 99% of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 executives foresee an increasingly distributed work environment in the future. These figures reflect a widespread shift toward decentralized and distributed workforces, making it more important than ever to adopt EHS strategies that are flexible, scalable and configurable.
But as businesses grow and workforces become more geographically dispersed, ensuring consistent EHS practices and cultivating best practices across offices, field sites and home-based work settings becomes significantly more complex. In this article, we will explore the challenges facing distributed workforces and provide a roadmap to success.
Distributed teams often face communication challenges. Organizations operating across various geographical locations may encounter language or cultural barriers. This, along with communications gaps across regions, leads to inefficient or nonexistent feedback loops. Without clear communication, safety messages may be misunderstood or overlooked entirely.
Proper EHS training is a vital step in creating a safe working environment. However, across remote and distributed teams, traditional in-person training is nearly impossible. Safety training not standardized throughout operating locations may provide inconsistent safety practices, creating gaps in knowledge and causing a loss of cohesion.
Navigating regulatory requirements across multiple regions and jurisdictions can be difficult and time consuming. Large organizations need a streamlined way to keep track of changing regulations and provide data to meet a variety of stringent EHS&S requirements.
Data silos and fragmented reporting systems make it harder to track safety trends, measure performance or respond to incidents quickly. When safety data is stored in separate systems across teams or regions, it limits the organization’s ability to make informed decisions. Large organizations require a centralized database where safety information can be stored and easily accessed by global team members.
One of the most critical challenges of managing a distributed workforce is the lack of real-time visibility into EHS risks. When teams operate across different regions, worksites or from home, it becomes difficult for safety leaders to understand the various risks and hazards present. Limited insight means that emerging risks may go unnoticed and unsafe conditions can persist without intervention.
Keeping remote and field-based workers engaged in safety programs can be difficult. Employees must not only subscribe to the EHS initiatives set by the organization, but also actively participate in health and safety best practices. This may be challenging if employees feel disconnected from the larger organization or lack regular interactions with EHS professionals.
As you begin to evaluate your current EHS process in your organization, ask yourself the following questions to gauge your current stage in the EHS maturity model:
Are safety messages and updates reaching all employees?
Are employees encouraged and empowered to speak up about safety issues?
Is EHS training effective and flexible enough to meet the needs of remote, hybrid and field-based workers?
Do teams have the tools they need to report incidents, access documentation and complete inspections in the field or remotely?
What is the risk visibility at each site or job location, including home-based or mobile workers?
Is the organization maintaining consistent compliance with regulations?
How does the organization address unique challenges facing remote or distributed teams?
How often are EHS practices regularly assessed to ensure they remain relevant for a distributed workforce?
Reflecting on these questions can reveal gaps that might otherwise go unnoticed. Once you have a good idea of areas for improvement, brainstorm how you can adopt the following best practices to build a more connected, consistent and proactive approach to EHS.
While policies and tools are essential, leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping and sustaining safe operations in a distributed workforce. According to a study commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), remote workers are not effectively influenced by traditional EHS role modeling or top-down messaging. Instead, they are more likely to adopt safety behaviors modeled by their immediate managers.
Strong leadership means more than enforcing compliance; it means modeling safe behaviors, encouraging open dialogue and reinforcing the importance of safety at every level. When leaders demonstrate commitment to EHS, it creates a ripple effect that can lead to improved morale, increased engagement and better accountability.
Centralized EHS technology is essential for maintaining consistency and communication across locations. Mobile EHS software makes incident reporting, inspections, audits, documentation and communication widely accessible, reducing fragmentation and encouraging participation in health and safety processes. Mobile applications also provide real-time dashboards to give EHS leaders the insight needed to act quickly and strategically.
Safety training must evolve to meet the needs of a dynamic workforce. A digital learning platform allows employees to access training content anytime, anywhere to support varied schedules and responsibilities. Translating e-learning content into multiple languages also helps ensure every team member can understand, engage with and apply what they’ve learned in the training material.
On-demand training modules also make it easier to deliver updates in response to regulatory changes or emerging risks. By providing consistent, up-to-date learning experiences across locations, organizations can ensure all employees are equipped with the knowledge they need to work safely.
Data collection is only one part of the puzzle. To drive real safety improvement, organizations must analyze and act on the information they gather. A centralized EHS software system can identify trends and patterns across multiple facilities to prevent future incidents, enhance operational efficiency and move toward proactive risk management.
Inconsistent EHS policies and procedures pose a major risk factor. Standardizing safety systems ensures all employees, regardless of location, receive the same guidance and expectations, helping eliminate knowledge gaps and reduce workplace accidents and injuries. It is imperative to house these policies in a centralized, digital repository that makes them easily accessible from any device and location.
Make it easy for employees to report incidents, near misses and hazards by implementing streamlined reporting tools. Mobile-friendly platforms allow workers to report from remote locations and field sites, encouraging better data collection and faster response times. When employees see their reports lead to meaningful action, they are more likely to stay engaged and invested in safety initiatives.
In a distributed environment, it’s easy for frontline voices to go unheard. Establishing structured feedback loops gives employees the opportunity to share their thoughts and opportunities for improvement. This can be done through surveys, regular check-ins or digital suggestion boxes.
Supporting a distributed workforce means rethinking how we approach health and safety. By identifying common challenges, asking the right questions and embracing technology and leadership as strategic enablers, organizations can embed safe operations at the heart of their business, even among the most distributed workforces.
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