NIOSH Does Ladder Safety App One Better
The app's appearance, content, and function have been improved, and it now includes stepladder safety and additional interactive tools.
NIOSH has updated its ladder safety app based on users' feedback, according to a blog post from the agency's Peter Simeonov, Ph.D., and Rebecca Olsavsky, M.S. Simeonov is a Research Safety Engineer in the Protective Technology Branch in the NIOSH Division of Safety Research, while Olsavsky is a Health Communications Specialist Fellow in the NIOSH Center for Motor Vehicle Safety.
Introduced in 2013, the app had been downloaded more than 52,000 times by the end of 2015, and it has been promoted by state officials, industry leaders, and safety professionals, they reported, with some companies incorporating it in their safety policies. It also earned a merit award from the Digital Health Awards, a program that recognizes the world's best digital health resources for consumers and health professionals.
The app's appearance, content, and function have been improved, and it now includes stepladder safety and additional interactive tools.
Simeonov and Olsavsky write that more than 500,000 people per year are treated, and about 300 people die, per year from ladder-related injuries, and the estimated annual cost of ladder injuries in the United States is $11 billion.
The free app is available in English and Spanish for iPhone/iPad or Android.