Opening the conference was Safe Work Australia, with Dr Peta Miller noting that many Australian work health and safety regulators now use digital technology to send targeted short safety messages, some linked to YouTube.
Continuing the digital theme, safety management software MYOSH’s business development manager Adrian Manessis said that smartphones had become a powerful tool in campaigns for promoting workplace safety.
The MYOSH platform is designed to work on smartphones to allow the instant report of incidents and hazards.
“When people see something that they can take report or take action on easily, they're much more likely to act: which means organisations get much more data about their real safety performance,” he said.
“The right systems put safety in everyone's hands.”
The consensus seems wide-reaching, with Aeeris launching a suite of free and paid Safe@work mobile applications to coincide with the conference’s opening.
The apps are designed to improve safety for all workers across a variety of industries, including mining, logistics and construction in situations involving travelling or dangerous operations.
The free version of safe@work is available to download on iTunes and Google Play and includes features such as push alerts for severe weather and bushfire based on the GPS location of the phone, one-touch contact with emergency services, 24-hour GP help line, SES or designated contacts.
The “help me” function also sends an SMS and email to chosen contacts describing the user’s precise location.
In the paid versions Safe@work Manager’s App, Business App and Control Room, users have all the features of the free versions, as well as extra capabilities to include their company brand in the app and customise it by adding emergency contacts and links to critical safety documentation.
They can also use the auto check-in and check-out function from the worksite, or initiate a check-in request using geo-fences or beacons.
The Control Room gives a company access to the Aeeris GNIS (Geographic Notification Information System) to map, track, monitor, communicate and warn personnel via the Safe@work Apps.
From wherever they are, managers can login to request check-ins, view reports, issue notifications and monitor the ongoing safety of their operations.
Aeeris chairman and CEO Kerry Plowright said the apps were primarily targeted at high-risks and heavily regulated industries operating on remote sites, like mining.
“With the growing emphasis on workplace health and safety legislation which requires employers to have a responsibility to their workers outside of the workplace, reducing the risks for workers working remotely has become imperative for businesses,” he said.
“Our apps are aimed at reducing the risks workers face and helping businesses achieve the harm minimisation goal of every worker, whether working on-site or remotely.”
The Safety First Conference & Expo will continue today and tomorrow.
