Hi firesafety - congrats on the possible opportunity for employment.

We all work best in different ways and I have always striven to present the least barrier to effective communication with those being audited/inspected/assessed etc because especially with modern tools [although the clipboard as well] it is too easy to create unnecessary barriers to communication and I simply detest being treated like that myself.

I have always adopted an open approach, and if there's a need to make notes/enter a value I attempt to either not do it in front of the individual; or if unavoidable, explain what I'm doing and why.

The use of electronic information gathering and recording devices really can get in the way of presenting a "human" face to those being inspected/audited etc and it's far too easy for indivuals to use their information recording device as a shield &/or barrier and especially to be too engrossed in their electronic device to see much of what's happening around them as a result of their own behaviour.

This is a major hurdle to a great number of otherwise comptent HS&F professionals actually being seen as "human" or even "one of us"; both of which will generate far more understanding, respect and [surprise!] compliance than most other means of self-projection.

To sum up - use it, but don't let it get in the way of the 2-way interation that's essential.

Frank Hallett

My employer's managers think much the same - which is why I grow increasingly disillusioned with my job.

My tablet can take hand-written text; it even manages to decipher my scrawl. This prevents box ticking as responses are written long hand.

LB

Not sure if it is the way forward or not to be honest. Agree with a lot of comments about technology being so non-human. I guess like everything else in life it's about everything in moderation. Personally I find my iPad a real bonus for things like Fire Risk Assessments & Major Audits, e.g. 18000. It has fabulous voice recognition - which believe me if you saw my scrawl really helps me at the end of the day - and taking photographs are immediately added into the report. At the end of the day I actually spend more face-to-face talking time with the client than with the paper-based system. It also save me a lot of time in writing it up at the end and subsequently the client in terms of cost. However, I make sure I check with the client / end user first. Paper STILL has it's place.

Love I auditor, its free, you create your own format, pictures, sigs, references. And then creates a report. Simples!

Use of such devices requires new skills. We take for granted our learnt skills re writing and use of paper based systems. If we don't have a similar level of skill with using IT kit and specific software then that lack of skill will get in the way at the start. However as skills develop the barriers become much lower.

I recall my first attempts and looking back I can't imagine how I got away with it really. There must have been some very understanding folk out there. Struggling with learning the software and best use, learning about using the physical aspects of the device etc etc. One simple example, using a paper based system I knew exactly where on which page the question that someone had just answered (unknown to them of course) was. On the software....pregnant pause whilst I get distracted into questioning the tablet and not the person in front of me..doh!

If I look back to the days of carrying clip board, SLR camera, reference documents, spare pens et al and compare it to a single piece of IT kit= no going back! No wonder we needed corduroy jackets with plenty of pockets and elbow pads:-)

So I agree embrace the technology, it is not the barrier you think at the start. And as the world moves forward we will soon have more and more employees who have grown up with such systems as an everyday part of their life and would almost expect the use of such kit to be the norm.

p48

it beats a quill any time.