Top Must-Have Workplace Safety Apps

We’re all aware of the concerns surrounding smartphone use and the impact it has on our daily life, both personally and professionally. The demands on our attention, the dangers of distracted driving and the loss of productivity are just a few of the criticisms attributed to smartphones but is it possible that smartphones can improve health and safety at work?

Despite their bad wrap, when used intentionally, smartphones can have real value in the workplace and on the job. Smartphone technology is an unstoppable, never-ending force that is constantly changing the way we view our world and how we operate in it; it touches every aspect of our lives including how we communicate, interact, navigate and how we gather, store and share information.

So, let’s focus on the positive for a moment. What are the advantages of having a cell phone at work? Besides the obvious calls to 911, smartphones allow:

• Real-time conversation and information exchange by talk or text, thereby reducing the need for equipment like walkie-talkies, short wave radios, cameras and video recorders
• Quick reference to prior text conversations or emails, which can ensure accuracy and improve productivity by reducing redundancy and repetition
• Access to workplace safety apps, or applications, that can provide important information such as:
  • Emergency First Aid assistance,
  • safety procedure checks,
  • potential hazard identification,
  • reference of OH&S regulations,
  • immediate accident or near miss detail recording and
  • prompt reporting/processing of WCB claims

Apps are integral to the way we interact with smartphones. It’s not all about games designed to entertain us, apps are also tools and resources with practical and useful information; some have the potential to revolutionize health and safety in the workplace. The ability to access, transmit and record data quickly, securely and accurately can help prevent work-related incidents, address workplace hazards and reduce claims costs.

The Top Must-Have Workplace Safety Apps

There are plenty of apps out there and new ones popping up all the time, most at no cost or for a minimal one-time fee. So what apps should your employees or health & safety members have? To help narrow things down, the following are 5 areas of occupational health & safety with some workplace safety apps that are essential to every business:

1. First Aid – Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, Checkmate Plus*
2. Accident and Near-miss Reporting – NotifyIt, VelocityEHS, Spotlight – Incident Reporting*
3. Workplace Stress – Measure Workplace Stress*
4. Ergonomics – Office Ergonomics, Pain Point – Prevent Work Injury*
5. OHS Regulations – OHS Answers*

If you’re looking for additional apps that are relevant to working in construction, in a warehouse or outdoors, check these out:

1. Weather – The Weather Network, WeatherCAN**
2. Heat/Fatigue Sensing Tool – OSHA-NIOSH**
3. Air Quality – AirVisual Air Quality Forecast, BreezeOMeter, Plume Air Report**
4. Ladder Safety/Working at Heights – Ladder Safety-CDC**
5. Chemical Safety – MSDSOnline, Chemical Safety Data Sheets**
6. Noise/Hearing Loss Prevention – NIOSH Sound Level Meter**
7. Lock Out/Tag Out – Brady Link360 Logout/Tagout App**

Whether you like them or not, smartphones are here to stay and our attachment to them is not going change any time soon. So rather than wasting time trying to keep them out of the workplace, why not figure out how they can be used constructively to improve the health and safety culture of your organization.

If you would like further information on how to enhance the Health and Safety Management program at your workplace, you can contact us directly, during business hours, using our chat feature, by phone 1-844-377-9545, or you can reach us by email at [email protected], [email protected], and you can always connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.