You’re Too Busy to Keep Using Paper
It’s amazing how something seemingly small and insignificant in the short term can become surprisingly significant when viewed over a longer time period. For example, if you buy a cup of coffee twice a day at Starbucks for $2.10, that doesn’t feel like a very big deal. But, amazingly, in just a month you’ve spent $126 and, in a year, $1,533!
The same is true with safety paperwork.  While spending one or two minutes to handle a single piece of paper may seem trivial at the time, the amount of wasted time handling paper becomes significantly more alarming when you evaluate it over a year.
Let’s start with a conservative estimate and say that on average you waste one minute of time for every piece of paper you handle.
- 1 Box of Paper (5000 sheets) – 83 hours
- 5Â Boxes of Paper (5000 sheets) – 416 hours
The reality is, most companies spend more than one minute handling one piece of paper.  For example, take a company doing a Daily Hazard Assessment on a job site.  When you factor in printing, photocopying, dropping forms off on site, collecting forms, and filing them, a company can easily waste over 40 hours filling out one Daily Hazard Assessment form on one job site.
How To Waste 40+ Hours – on ONE Paper Form
- Create Form in Word Editor
- 30 minutes per year
- Print/Photocopy enough copies for 1 year
- 10 – 15Â minutes per year
- Drop off printed forms at job site
- 60 minutes per year
- Carry form back to site trailer after completing inspection and temporarily store/file it
- 5 minutes per form
- 20 hours per year (250 days)
- Bring form back to Head Office
- 1 60-minute trip per month
- 12 hours per year
- File forms at Head Office
- 1 minute per form
- 3 hours per year (250 days)
- Find form after it’s been filed
- average 30 minutes per month
- 6 hours per year
Further Reading
Worker Orientation: Bridging the New Hire Field Gap
Ensure new hires are site-ready with effective worker orientation strategies. Bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and field performance.
The First 48 Hours: Rapid Onboarding Checklists
Ensure operational readiness in 48 hours with rapid onboarding checklists. From electronic processes to compliance, make new hires productive fast.
Ensuring Accurate Safety Data During Winter Operations
Learn how to maintain accurate safety data during winter operations. Discover strategies that improve decision-making and reduce winter risk.
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Safety Consultant Program



