WISHA Touts New Safety Apps
"We hope all employers will give these apps a try," said Jenifer Jellison, program manager for the SHIP grant program. "They're convenient, easy to use in the workplace, and offer a great new way to prevent injuries and reinforce safe work practices."
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is offering two new, free apps that were developed with grant money awarded by L&I's Safety and Health Investment Projects (SHIP) Program, which funds innovative projects that prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities and help injured workers return to work.
"We hope all employers will give these apps a try," said Jenifer Jellison, program manager for the SHIP grant program. "They're convenient, easy to use in the workplace, and offer a great new way to prevent injuries and reinforce safe work practices."
The Good Observation, Near-Miss and Accident Reporting app provides a simple way to document safety incidents in the workplace. Employers can use it to photograph a safe practice, a near-miss, or an accident and then use the finger-drawing tool to mark up the photo. A quick-report feature lets users save the photo, add a few details, and send it to others in their organization.
It was developed by three companies working together — John W. Shervey & Associates, Schuchart Construction, and Mellora — using a $45,735 SHIP grant. The app is suitable for most industries and can be used for training, hazard recognition, risk analysis, or process improvement. A Spanish version and a YouTube video that shows how to use the app are available; download the app here.
The SafeMe app gets young workers off to a safe start, according to the agency, which noted that young workers are more likely to be injured on the job than adults, especially when they're new to the working world. The app offers safety lessons, videos, and hazard identification for a variety of occupations where teens and young workers often find jobs, including retail and restaurants. It was developed by the Washington Retail Association with young workers in mind and was funded with a $177,426 SHIP grant. The download is available at WRA SafeMe project.
Visit
www.Lni.wa.gov/Safety/GrantsPartnerships/SHIP/ to learn more about the SHIP Program.