One occupational health and safety specialist, 16 offices across Estonia and nearly 500 employees who all have to be instructed in workplace safety. Kaie Arras, occupational health and safety specialist at the Environmental Board, explains why a formal tick in a box was not enough, and what changed once the instructions came with questions that had a catch.
When a signature does not yet mean it was read
Every safety specialist knows the feeling. The instruction has been sent, the confirmation has come back, there is a tick in the spreadsheet. But did the employee read it?
That is exactly the question that kept nagging at the Environmental Board.
“Before VITS I introduced the safety instructions through our own system, but it was rather formal, because I had no way of knowing whether the employee actually engaged with the content of the document or not – meaning they simply gave their confirmation,” the Environmental Board’s safety specialist describes the situation before VITS was adopted.
Formally everything was in order. In substance, a big question mark remained – and in occupational safety it is exactly that question mark that matters.
The solution: questions that force you to engage
The Environmental Board’s solution is simple and surprisingly effective. Every instruction now comes with a test – and those questions are not designed to be easy to pass.
“It was important for us that both existing and new employees WOULD REALLY ENGAGE with the content of the document. I have now added a test to the instructions, and if the answers are still all wrong, I send it back to be reviewed again. I have written the questions so that they have to read the content – meaning slightly difficult ones, with a catch.”
The system reports when an employee has reviewed an instruction and completed the test. The specialist immediately sees whether the answers were correct and can send the instruction back for another read if needed. The tick in the box has become a feedback loop.
Three modules that carry the daily work
The Environmental Board did not adopt everything VITS offers at once. Three things carry the daily work:
- Instructions module – instructing both new and existing employees, together with tests.
- Risk assessment module – more precisely, sending the remote work risk assessment to employees who work remotely.
- Competencies module – automatic reminders about documents that are about to expire.
The remote work risk assessment deserves a separate mention, because it solves a problem many employers are struggling with today. “It gives the assurance that the employee assesses their remote workplace objectively and understands that staying in a home office is only possible if the workplace is suitable,” the specialist explains.
The competencies module in turn keeps track of documents whose expiry dates would be almost impossible to remember manually: first aid certificates, seafarers’ health certificates, weapons permits.
One query, one overview: the ATV training example
The value of the system shows most clearly when an answer is needed right away.
“A concrete example of quick help from VITS came recently, when our field staff were given ATV driving training and we needed to know who had completed the theory before the practical training. One query and the overview was there, and those who had not yet reviewed it I sent back to read.”
Without the system this would have meant collecting lists, exchanging emails and hoping that nobody slipped through the cracks. With practical ATV training, however, that is not an administrative detail but a safety question.
Field staff are not left out
Environmental Board employees are spread across 16 offices and a significant share of the work is done in the field. Do the instructions reach them as well?
“The Environmental Board does not have 100% field workers, but the employees who do field work also have a computer and an account, and I send them the necessary information by email. Field workers may take a little longer to review an instruction, but they are able to review it. It is also possible to read the instructions on a phone.”
A supervisory authority has to set the example itself
The Environmental Board carries out supervision itself. Does that change the expectations in its own house?
“It makes us follow the rules even more closely, so that everything is correct on our own side. In my eyes above all the instruction part, because an employee who has been instructed does their work well.”
That one sentence sums up the whole point of occupational safety. Instructing people is not document management – it is the precondition for someone being able to do their work well and safely.
The specialist speaks about the time saved modestly, but clearly: “If I had to do the instructing in the old system again, it would be several steps backwards. The convenience I have gained has freed up time to deal with other HR work that I would otherwise not get around to.”
Advice for others: start small
Finally, we asked what the Environmental Board would recommend to another public authority considering a similar step. The answer is soberingly practical – and certainly not what you would expect from a software vendor.
“VITS offers many different modules, of which the Environmental Board currently uses only a few, because some areas are already covered and working for us (for example health checks), but the ones I do use make my work much easier. I can also be sure that VITS keeps the information up to date (for example the accident report). I would recommend taking fewer modules into use at first – life itself will show what to add next.”
We completely agree. The best rollout does not start by switching on every button at once, but by solving one genuinely painful spot. For the Environmental Board that was the question of whether the instructions actually get read.
