"TÜV certification: Compliant with standards and safe with the sam® risk assessment - online at secova.de"
What is the reason for the TÜV certification of the risk assessment and what does it mean for sam® users?
As part of its continuous improvement process, secova regularly updates and expands its modular EHS solution system sam®. The sam®-GBU (like all other sam® function modules) is not a finished product, but an ongoing development process. As a result, this process delivers appropriate adjustments to the individual modules at intervals – which are then incorporated into the regular sam® updates.
TÜV Thüringen has examined the process quality and standard conformity of secova’s sam® risk assessment (GBU) in a certification procedure. He was able to determine the audit objective – “the effectiveness of the process for creating risk assessments” – and therefore subsequently confirm the successful TÜV certification. “As a result of the audit carried out,” TÜV summarizes, “the reviewed management system is assessed as fully effective in accordance with the underlying standard requirements on the basis of the documents inspected and processes audited.”
How exactly does the development process for the sam® function module “Risk assessment” work?
Does this electronic solution provide me with a suitable tool for creating a GBU that meets all legal requirements and conforms to standards?
These are the key questions that the TÜV inspectors examined during their investigation. The result of the audit: The sam®-GBU has passed the TÜV certification without any defects!
Review of the functional module of secova's EHS software results: Fully compliant with standards and completely effective
The review of the individual steps and processes did not reveal any deviations (neither critical nor non-critical). The auditors emphasize several positive aspects. These include a “high degree of maturity of the established management system” and the “exemplary working environment and organizational structures”.
The “completely digitalized, paperless processes” and the fact that the “core development process is based on professional project management” are also praised.
The task of the TÜV Thüringen testers was to examine and verify the quality of this process using specific development steps. The project “Further development of the sam® function module GBU” had already been continuously driven forward up to the period under review. The gradual release of individual development results is followed by various test phases and then the final release to make an update available to users. TÜV has tracked this process flow using the 5.12.1 update: “In progress, paused, testing, acceptance ready, test summary, with corresponding tickets and responsibilities, all fully electronic (no paper-based documentation), final self-check (04.02.)” The entire revision process was viewed.
Risk assessment with modern tools
The developers at secova have specified and expanded the process quality of the sam®-GBU to include key aspects. These include:
- Extension of the selectable work equipment
- Extension of the selectable risk factors
- Maintenance of user-specific, individually definable checks (not event-related) new: can be set as an interval (separate window)
- Design of an electronic release process, release tool with reminder function for updating the GBU (automated or individually selectable)
- Application of the risk matrix including legend, course/history of the indication and implementation of measures
- Extension of the role assignment: New role “Person authorized to inspect”
- Introduction of a plausibility check (final self-check) as a mandatory component before the respective GBU comes into force
sam®-GBU integrates legal principles
Step by step, secova presents “the new sam®” – with a fresh, even clearer design, further optimized functions and the very latest software architecture. The “new” sam®-GBU also contains two other main features: secova has now integrated the legal basis for various aspects of risk assessment into the GBU module – as a PDF or direct link to the source. These include the
- Guideline on risk assessment and documentation
- Guideline on the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health LV35
- Catalog of fines for the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health LV 62
The standards, regulations, etc. supplied are also updated when relevant changes are made. The GBU admin can then decide whether the changes need to be adopted and reconsidered for their company.
These features entail various small improvements. These include:
- Inheritance of templates to work equipment
- Write protection for hazard factors
- Management tool for managing current and past revisions of risk factors
When preparing a GBU, sam® users are now also informed about possible organizational faults (instruction fault, selection fault, monitoring fault) from the catalog of fines for the Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance LV62 in order to avoid legal cases. Companies must take appropriate measures to protect employees and other persons from hazards in the vicinity of systems requiring monitoring.
Extensive audit scope comprises 21 audit points
For the certification, TÜV Thüringen delved deep into the breadth and depth of the risk assessment function module. The auditors listed 21 different aspects of the sam® GBU in their audit report – here are their key findings:
- “LASI Guidelines on the Joint German Occupational Health and Safety Strategy (GDA)” serves as the basis for initiating and implementing the GBU
- “Organizational structures” can be represented individually and differentiated in sam®, workplaces and activities with similar working conditions or hazards can be meaningfully combined
- “Definition of responsibilities” individually by the user, with the option of creating activity profiles and assigning authorizations
- Properly appoint “authorized persons” – is included as a standard checklist item in the plausibility check
- “Liability and risk protection” – users are made aware of their obligation (according to BetrSichV) to insure against risks
- “Qualifications and professional suitability of the responsible and authorized persons” can be taken into account
- “Competence maintenance” is supported by sam®, for example through training management with verification and storage of electronic documents
- “Particularly vulnerable persons” can be taken into account and individually defined
- “External company deployment and external persons” – here their activities can be managed in sam® and integrated into the GBU by the user
- “Work equipment, work processes and working materials” – various forms of inclusion, recording and management – ideal link with sam® module “Hazardous substance management”
- “Description of the work processes”:
“sam® offers the user the prerequisites for mapping individual and differentiated organizational structures and the activities carried out there. The user is responsible for the work areas and processes to be entered in sam® , which form the basis for initiating risk assessments.”
- “Recording and consideration of special indicators and key figures” for initiating and updating the GBU. Ideal in conjunction with sam® incident management for documentation, initiation and tracking of measures plus effectiveness checks in the event of accidents, near-accidents or work-related and occupational illnesses.
- “Faults and deviating operating states” can be taken into account for GBU updates. With the sam® modules Incident Management, First Aid Book and Inspection Book, incidents can be managed, documented and tracked in compliance with data protection regulations
- “Documentation and filing organization risk assessment” can be called up at any time and to any extent as required. System contains electronic and traceable release process, changes and versions are clearly identifiable
- “Legal, trade association and official requirements” are taken into account – including regular updates – and made available to users in the “reading room”
- “GBU before first use of work equipment” is taken into account by sam®
- “Inspections of work equipment and periodic inspections” is also possible. Each item of work equipment can be stored in sam® (including the associated operating instructions) and evaluated, and inspection intervals can be defined individually. sam® test book as an optional extension
- “State of the art technology, occupational medicine, hygiene and scientific knowledge” always up to date, the continuous technical input of changes was verified in the audit
- “Monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of occupational health and safety measures” – The “Measure management” tool can be used to individually define the initiator, person responsible, implementer and controller for each measure. The entire process is documented in a comprehensible manner from recording to effectiveness control
- “Reaction to changes in operational circumstances” – the process mapped in sam® takes into account the criteria for corresponding updates
- “Information chain and employee information” can be individually set and triggered by the user, delivery by e-mail, view via dashboard
TÜV Thüringen certification - sam® risk assessment
Against the background of extensive extensions, secova had itself tested and finally certified by TÜV Thüringen: The process that a customer follows when creating a risk assessment with sam* meets the legal requirements for a GBU.
For the TÜV certification, development planning and process flow, the individual process phases (such as reviews and release steps), the communication structure and the documentation were examined.