Ensuring the safety of your employees is essential in any workplace. Accidents can mean expensive medical bills, reduced workers and can even lower team morale. Having a workplace safety culture will make employees feel more motivated, lower the risk of accidents happening and improve relationships between management and workers.

A great way to improve workplace health and safety is through safety checklists, custom safety books, Take 5 Checklists and customised risk assessments. And, in a world where everything is becoming digitalised, it’s no wonder you’re thinking about the possibility of a digital safety checklist too.

We’re going to take you through the pros and cons of digital and printed safety checklists so that you can make the best decision for your company and workers.

Digital vs Printed Safety Checklist – What Are The Differences?

Printed Safety Checklist

At UniPrint, we're pretty well known for our Take 5 Safety books. But we also have checklists like our Pre-Start Safety Checklist Books which help you to track and maintain the condition of machinery and your workplace. Employees can fill out our detailed checklists to ensure there are no potential hazards or service issues. 

They include repair logs and both daily and weekly pre-start inspection forms. We can also provide you with custom safety books that include individual procedures, your company’s logo and brand colours, and useful OHS measures. Employees are more likely to take health and safety seriously when the checklists are designed specifically for their use.

Printed checklists are printed on regular or stone paper and can have water-resistant covers for wet working environments.

Digital Safety Checklist 

A digital safety checklist is either in web or app format and needs to be filled out on a mobile device. They, too, can include Take 5 Checklists, risk assessments and safety checklists but rather than printing them out, employees are asked to complete forms on a device. They’re a good way to standardise processes and procedures so that health and safety is taken seriously in the workplace.

The Pros and Cons of A Printed vs Digital Safety Checklist

There are benefits to both digital and printed checklist formats. Let’s have a look at which would suit your company best.

Pros of Printed Safety Checklists

Easily Accessible to All. One of the best things about our printed Take 5 Books and safety checklists is their simplicity. Everyone can fill them out regardless of whether they’re good with apps or computers. Our unique design makes them clear and easy to follow so that they can be filled out whenever necessary.

Customised for Your Company. We offer an extensive range of fully customisable safety checklists and Take 5 Books. You can choose from:

• Customisable front cover
• Customisable front and back cover
• Fully customisable book (including safety procedures, hazard reporting, meeting points etc)
• Multiple languages including French, Spanish and Arabic

Lower Costs. There are many benefits to buying wholesale safety books but a huge one is lowering the price per safety checklist. Your employees will have a constant supply as and when they need them and you’ll be paying less per checklist, book or safety poster. 

Cons of Printed Safety Checklist

Paper. Paper isn’t the most durable material in the workplace and checklists and books can be damaged. Luckily we also offer the option of water-resistant covers and having your materials printed on stone paper. This ensures that they’re durable and can be used in most working environments without getting damaged.

Pros of Digital Safety Checklists

Convenience. Most of us carry our phones around with us each day. Having a digital checklist already on it is one less thing you need to remember to take with you to work. There’s no need to carry around printed books or checklists.

Cons of Digital Safety Checklists

Can’t Always Be Customised. Customising your safety books and posters helps convey the importance of health and safety and makes employees know it’s a priority for management. Adding logos, brand colours and specific procedures related to your workplace and machinery help to standardise procedures. Without these, workers may not keep safety solutions front of mind.

Higher Costs. With digital safety checklists, you often need to pay per user per month. This can make them much more expensive, especially for large companies that will need to pay per employee.

Issues With Apps. We’ve all been there. How frustrating is it when you enter an app but then need to wait for it to update? Or it takes forever to load? Or there are problems using the app across different devices. This may be less of an issue if you have a good in house tech team or business it support company. However, when it comes to health and safety, procedures need to be quick and efficient so everyone can get back to work safely.

Phones. It’s not always practical or convenient to get a phone out in the workplace. Machinery and gloves mean devices can easily get dropped or broken. It’s often more convenient to have a durable and printed safety checklist that can’t be damaged so easily.

Ready to Order Your Custom Safety Checklist?

At UniPrint, we offer a wide range of safety checklists, Take 5 Books and safety posters to keep your employees safe at work. They can all be customised to your company and printed on durable stone paper with a protective cover. We also offer wholesale options to minimise costs and cut out the middleman.

Our safety checklists are simple, efficient and easy for anyone to use. They ensure workers are focused on health and safety and minimise the possibility of accidents in the workplace. Get in touch with the team at UniPrint to see how your workplace could benefit from customised checklists.