EHS software cost varies depending on the functionalities that a business requires, the number of users they plan to onboard, the customization options they choose, and the payment plan that they opt for. Companies can expect to choose from freemium plans, monthly or annual subscription plans, as well as quote-based subscription plans during their search for a platform.
Sustainability and going green are the trends these days—workers, stakeholders, and the public demand that companies become more accountable for their environmental impact. Not only that but there are also watchdogs who keep an eye on organizations regarding their workers’ health and safety practices.
These are challenges that businesses have to surmount to be in the good graces of the public. After all, the masses can affect their business. And when they decry atrocious practices, companies’ standing with regulatory bodies could be jeopardized.
That is why it is important to have proper environment, health, and safety policies in place. Of course, this is not enough. Those have to be put into practice. It may not be easy but with an EHS software, it can be better. Pricing for this kind of solution can be costly, though there could be economical alternatives. This article takes a look at EHS software pricing and provides examples of each tier.
EHS Software Pricing Table of Contents
Even before the advent of COVID-19, companies have already been implementing EHS policies, if they did not have them in place already. Often, they have specialists who spearhead their efforts in that area. In fact, there are more than 7,230 EHS specialists in the United States alone. And, interestingly, many of them are concentrated in Fremont, California. This is likely because the city is considered as the “hardware side” of Silicon Valley and is home to nearly a thousand advanced manufacturing companies. Thus, people who are well-versed in EHS are needed.
Yet, although they are experts, EHS professionals also need tools to help them in their day-to-day tasks. This is where environment, health, and safety software come in. It is highly significant for many companies, even those outside of manufacturing and health. This is because the pandemic had pushed many organizations to up their EHS game. Feeling safe in the workplace is of utmost importance to many employees, 75% of them, in fact. However, 45% of employees are uncomfortable about raising EHS issues to their colleagues or supervisors though this is something that can be remedied with leading communications software. This could greatly impact the compliance of an organization if even a small thing is overlooked.
That is one of the few pain points that an EHS software solution can resolve, among many others. But if you are unsure about whether to invest in a paid platform or go for a free one, this guide on the cost of EHS platforms is here to offer a helping hand.
EHS Software Pricing
Free or Freemium Plans
As the name suggests, free plans are completely costless. These are suitable for organizations that are just starting or only have a small team. They have basic EHS features such as forms and checklists. These can get you started towards being in line with regulations. Thus, despite the small size of your organization, you can say that you are completely compliant.
Meanwhile, freemium plans are those that start free but can be upgraded to paid plans. These are similar to free plans although they offer the flexibility to move up to a higher tier. In this way, you do not have to change platforms when you start needing advanced tools. As such, freemiums are ideal for growing businesses.
Examples of Software with Free or Freemium Plans
Safety Culture
SafetyCulture is a scalable solution. It is free for small teams that want to digitize their inspections. But there are also paid plans for growing teams that want to elevate and scale up their operations. Apart from digital inspection checklists, SafetyCulture offers reports that let you see everything at a glance. Moreover, inspection officers can capture issues on the spot to make sure they are addressed at the soonest possible time.
Capptions
Capptions lets you elevate your EHS and quality practices by making inspections easy and not dreaded. Even if you conduct organization-wide EHS surveys, you can finish faster than you used to. This is possible with the solution’s mobile app. Your employees can note down observations together with their usual inspections for corrective actions.
Safety Champion
Safety Champion is a smart work health and safety software with an intuitive layout and easy-to-use controls. It has a light version that is 100% free to use. There is a premium option as well for those that are scaling up their organization. Although the former is limited to five modules, these are more than enough for a team with a small scope. With these, you can already capture and log incidents. On top of that, you will have access to monitoring and reviewing features as well.
SafetyCulture is a good example of a freemium software that can easily scale up to the EHS needs of growing businesses.
Subscription Plans
EHS software pricing can come in subscription plans, too. In fact, this may be the most common approach not only in EHS but for other business platforms as well. This means that you subscribe to the software monthly or annually. Some vendors even have quarterly plans or 2- to 3-year subscriptions.
However, you have to be mindful of other factors that may affect the EHS software cost. This is because it is also common for software development companies to charge by the number of users. It is also likely that the price you have to pay each month or every year can vary with the modules you chose.
Examples of Subscription-Based Software
InspectCheck
Inspectcheck is both a software and mobile app that lets you go completely paperless. It focuses on property inspections, which allow property managers to do their due diligence. This means they will have an easier and faster time checking properties before clients move in and after they move out. Additionally, they have truly customizable forms so you can create checklists or questionnaires that are most applicable to you. It has per user, per property, and per inspection pricing. With these, you have the flexibility to choose which is the easiest on the pocket. This is similar to top field service management software that have forms and checklists.
Safety Sync
Safety Sync, now called Workhub, lets you manage everything, from training and certificates to incidents and procedures in a single window. The hub has more than 50 courses to help your workers learn about safety on site. There is also a worker competency module that checks whether workers are good for the tasks assigned to them. This solution has multiple modules to choose from that can simplify safety. You can access a few of those for free or unlock them all when you pay a monthly price for a minimum of three users.
Inspectcheck is a comprehensive subscription-based platform created to reinforce workplace inspections.
Quote-Based Plans
If you have checked for the pricing of a solution but found a phrase that says you should contact the vendor, then you have encountered a quote-based plan. This is ideal for large companies that have a huge workforce or require custom modules or functions. Additionally, among the benefits of a quote-based solution is that it comes with top-notch customer service. Your tickets will be treated as high priority, thus your problems will be resolved quickly.
Most times, solutions in this category are quote-based due to the nature of many businesses that require heavy-duty EHS. Though the price tag is hefty, you can be sure to have every tool you need to ensure worker health and safety. On top of that, you can be certain to minimize your impact on the environment. And in terms of compliance, you will be assured that you leave no stone unturned.
Examples of Quote-Based Solutions
EHS Insight
EHS Insight is an integrated EHS platform. Apart from safety, compliance, and risk, it also helps you manage sustainability. You can do this from a centralized location, where you can also access a wide array of modules. What’s more, you can look at valuable insights that will allow you to improve policies and procedures to meet, and even exceed, regulations.
Basic Safe
BasicSafe, now called EHS Hero, is an all-in-one safety and compliance solution. It allows you to analyze the safety of jobs and educate your employees regarding safety practices on site. In case there are incidents, you can use the reporting and investigation tools to get in-depth looks at incidents and near-misses. In this way, you can take steps to prevent similar situations. On top of that, there are dedicated tools that help you track policies and regulations. Thus, you can always be on top of compliance requirements.
Quentic
Quentic is a modular software for EHS that integrates ESG. It checks your company’s performance in different areas in real-time. In this way, you can make changes instantly to prevent detrimental issues from blowing up. Plus, it connects all stakeholders so that workflows are much smoother. And as the platform is modular, you can choose which apps you need and not have to pay for the ones that are irrelevant to your organization.
Factors that Influence the Cost of EHS Software Implementation
Price, however, is only the tip of the iceberg in choosing the best EHS software for your company. There are other factors to be considered in your budget for EHS software as well. Some of these can even affect the price of the solutions that are on your shortlist. This may reflect in the upfront cost or they could come up later on during maintenance and upgrades.
Number of Users
One of the things that can make EHS platforms expensive is the number of users that will be using them. There are vendors that charge organizations by how many people will be getting access to the solution. If there are numerous people who need the software to get their work done, such as quality inspectors or floor officers, then you have to brace yourself for a heftier price tag. In some cases, vendors will provide the option for a certain number of power users and administrators and have the rest onboard as guests. This can be beneficial cost-wise if you only need a handful of people to make considerable changes to the software. With other employees as guests, they will have limited permissions, which might restrict them to only editing forms and viewing documents shared with them.
Customization
It is commonplace to customize solutions. But there are different levels of customization. The more complex the customization you are looking for, the steeper the price tag. This is why you have to make sure to request tailor-made features that are truly essential to your operations. To do this, consult with the people who will be using the platform and recheck your budget. Because apart from being more expensive, customization can delay the implementation of the software.
Configuration
If you are looking forward to configuring different aspects of the software to match your needs, then you may be looking at additional costs. This process, which includes but is not limited to altering form fields but infuses additional reports to the dashboard, can be lengthy. Your vendor might charge you more for this. To avoid this, you can find a software that allows you to make such changes on your own. However, there could be developers that will help you configure the solution at no additional cost.
System maintenance and upgrades
Before finalizing your software choice, ask whether maintenance and upgrades are included in the published cost. This is essential, as there are developers that may spring additional fees for these. You can opt to disregard these though they could affect the functionality and security of your system.
Onboarding and training
Software these days are designed to be intuitive so that users can get around them with ease. This is an important design factor, which is a consideration for many when choosing a digital tool. However, there can still be nooks and crannies that only the most perceptive user can discover. This can lead to the organization being unable to make the most out of its solution. Because of this, onboarding and training conducted by the developer are important. Though it may also be pricey if it is not offered free as part of the package. However, you can have a few key users attend the training and let them lead others. In this way, you will not be missing out on consequential features.
How should you decide which pricing tier to get?
EHS software pricing is the most important determining factor in choosing which solution to sign up for. But if your firm is small yet handles sizeable and extra-sensitive operations, you might want to think about getting a mid-tier subscription plan rather than settle for freeware. Likewise, if you are a company that has small-scale activities, it would not make sense to have quote-based software whose modules may have features and tools that might not be applicable to you.
Decision-making, then, is a delicate balance of needs and your EHS software budget. If you want to start free though you expect to scale up your business later, consider going for freemium software. This will allow you to stick with the same solution even when your organization has grown. You will also avoid the pains of configuration, implementation, and onboarding again.
For large companies, it is possible to go with subscription-based solutions. After all, they have pricing tiers that can be suitable and match every requirement. This also gives the wiggle room to scale down and even scale up when needed.
Quote-based plans, though, offer the best flexibility. They will allow you to choose the modules you want as well as add some functionalities that may not be available. This would mean that you would have software that is the right fit for your company in every way.
And in case you have other projects that tie up with your EHS policies, you can keep track of them in one place with the best online project management tools.
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