Rapid report

Accidents are difficult to predict. They can be caused by unforeseen circumstances or they can be the result of missing supplies.

Private industry employers in 2014 reported nearly three million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While this number is lower than previous years, the question that remains is how many near misses occurred in the workplace and were not reported. Heinrich’s accident triangle theory states that for every major injury, there were 29 minor injuries and 300 near misses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that employers pay more than $50 billion a year for direct workers’ compensation costs alone. Those costs will skyrocket even higher this summer when OSHA increases fines for violations of federal workplace safety laws for the first time in 25 years.

If employees stay vigilant and regularly report potential risks or supply needs, predicting incidents becomes easier. And if you can predict them, you can try to prevent them.

WorkplaceAware

But your employees are busy. Compiling and submitting a report takes time away from their assigned tasks. So sometimes, they just don’t do it.

A tech startup is working to help companies cut workers-comp insurance costs and payouts with a new app that is like Instagram for safety reports. For $2,995 a year, employers can implement the WorkplaceAware Report Management System. The Missouri-based company’s system simply generates reports on anything relevant to safety and operational stability in the workplace.

By using the system’s mobile app, which is available on Android and iPhones, employees can instantly submit photos and report details to management. Employees can report near misses, safety and security observations, accidents, faulty or missing equipment, plant needs and even supply requests. Reports can even be made anonymously.

“WorkplaceAware eliminates many of the reporting barriers companies must overcome to make workplaces safer and run smoother operationally,” says WorkplaceAware CEO Rob Sweeney. “There are many reasons employees choose not to report a near miss or operations need including fear of retribution, a desire to avoid red-tape or to avoid interrupting pace of work. By using WorkplaceAware, companies can allow employees to quickly and comprehensively report from the field, without having to fill out pages of paperwork or interrupting the workday.”

Employers using the system have the opportunity to evaluate safety and operational reports with a higher level of detail and coordination than paper reports. Employers are able to generate PDF or CSV reports that can be tailored by type of report and other parameters with a few keystrokes. Using the web-based dashboard, reports can be escalated to a particular employee or management group, or forwarded electronically to the appropriate individual or department for immediate intervention and resolution. Alerts can be transmitted instantly notifying all mobile app users of significant events and news that are critical for an informed workforce.

The WorkplaceAware mobile app can be employer-branded. All reports submitted through the mobile app are geo-tagged based on the location of the picture taken. In the moment, when creating a report, employees may not remember to include location details in the text they submit with photos.

The WorkplaceAware system eliminates the extra step of a manager or business owner contacting the employee for more information regarding exactly where an incident occurred. Vital minutes of response time are saved through this automated geo-tagging process within the app.

For more: www.workplaceaware.com