Finally — there’s an app for safety!
Finally — there’s an app for safety!
Occ health enters the mobile world
It’s time to liberate yourself from pencil, paper and PC. For a growing number of employee health tasks, you’ll be able to say: There’s an app for that.
Mobile applications for the smartphone or tablet are becoming more common in occupational health, for everything from ergonomic reminders to monitoring fatigue and hand hygiene. Several apps allow you to use customized audit forms or checklists and transmit the information to a web-based reporting system.
App-based systems are becoming more popular as mobile devices become integrated into our daily lives, says Jonathan Brun, co-founder of Nimonik in Montreal, which has an environmental, health and safety audit tool.
“People who grew up with the Internet say it’s crazy to use pencil and paper. Let’s use technology,” Brun says. “As the managers themselves are changing, they’re bringing on board the technology they use at home and that their kids use.”
The U.S. Department of Labor recently sponsored a “Worker Safety and Health App Challenge” and named four winners and 20 finalists. The winners, chosen by a panel that included Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of the Discovery Channel show “Mythbusters,” won prizes ranging from $15,000 to $3,000.
“Our challenge in particular was focused on young workers and trying to get information out to them,” says Amanda Edens, MPH, director of the Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). “Research would suggest that young workers don’t go to web pages as much as they use mobile technology.”
Apps can be developed for safety and health professionals or for the employees themselves, she says. “Ultimately, our goal is to get information in their hands the best way possible,” she says.
Answers at your fingertips
Sidharth Garg, a data specialist in Austin, TX, won the “People’s Choice” award for his office ergonomics app. He got the idea after working at a company that used a PC-based ergonomics reminder.
“It would lock down your computer every 30 or 40 minutes and encourage you to take a stretch break,” he says. “For a lot of people, I think that’s very helpful, but if you’re in the middle of working on something and you’re in the zone, it can be really frustrating.”
Garg’s app provides optional reminder tone on an iPhone and also provides information about stretching and office ergonomics.
The Veterans Health Administration is working on an app that would help bedside caregivers assess patient mobility and patient handling needs, using the VA scoring system and algorithms.
Workers with other ergonomics hazards — in areas such as environmental services, laundry, maintenance and food services — can use an app to calculate the maximum weight they can safely lift without assistance, according to the NIOSH lifting index. (For a list of apps, see below.)
Apps also provide a way to make safety information easily accessible for remote workers, such as home health workers, says Deborah Fell-Carlson, RN, MSPH, COHN-S, policyholder safety and wellness adviser for SAIF Corporation, a non-profit workers’ compensation insurer based in Eugene, OR.
“They’re out on their own. They don’t have any way to get information. That is a gap we’re trying to close,” she says.
An occ health look at the app store Apps, or applications for mobile devices and smartphones, are just emerging in the occupational safety and health arena. In fact, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is seeking suggestions for future apps or web-based products that would benefit health care workers. (Email your ideas to Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels at [email protected].) Most apps have been created for Apple products, but Android versions are also under development. Here are some apps that are currently available and applicable to the hospital employee health environment: Ergonomics iOS: Office workers can get a break with this app that guides them through stretches and even provides optional stretch reminders. The app also includes tips on the proper setup of a computer monitor, keyboard, desk and chair. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad. Free. ErgoMinder: Set your iPhone to provide a reminder to stretch or take a break. This is designed for office workers. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad. $.99. http://www.animath.com/p/ergominder/ Lifting calculator: This app was developed by Oregon OSHA to help workers calculate the maximum safe lift, based on the NIOSH lifting equation. It includes questions about body position, frequency of lifting and twisting motions to determine the maximum weight. Available for: Android, web. Free. http://www.cbs.state.or.us/osha/apps/liftcalc/lifting-calc-options.html NIOSH Lifting Index: Safety professionals can use this app to calculate the NIOSH lift index. It condenses the NIOSH equations and descriptions into a single screen. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad. $2.99. http://digitaldawg.com/dawghouse/liftindex.html EHS Audit: Go paperless as you conduct a safety audit or use a checklist. This app enables you to take photos, video or audio along with your notes and data. You can export your information to PDF, Word or Excel documents. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad. $29.99 for a single user and single audit. Starting at $49 per month for a web-based system with multiple users. http://www.nimonik.ca/products/environmental-health-safety-quality-audit-inspection-ipad-iphone/ iAuditor: Developed by an Australian company that provides occupational health and safety consulting, this app allows safety professionals to conduct audits and use checklists on a mobile device. The forms can be customized and exported into a pdf document. Available for: iPhone, iPad. Free. https://store.safetyculture.com.au/iauditor/ iJSA: Conduct a job safety analysis, take photos and complete a risk assessment without pen and paper. Export the results in a pdf that can be emailed or printed. Available for: iPhone, iPad. Free. http://store.safetyculture.com.au/iJSA/ Fatigue Calculator: This app uses information about sleep in the past two days, how long a person will be awake, and the start time of their shift to calculate and display the time periods of low, moderate, high and extreme fatigue. This can be a standalone app to improve employee awareness about fatigue or the information can be transmitted to a fatigue manager to trigger fatigue management measures. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and Windows. You must purchase usernames and passwords before downloading the app from iTunes. $24.95 for the standalone version, $49.95 for the fatigue manager. www.fatiguecalculator.com.au/PRODUCTS-SERVICES/Products/Products.asp Wiser: Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders, developed by the National Library of Medicine, provides information on chemical, biologic and radiologic agents to help emergency responders in hazardous material incidents. The app is designed to help emergency responders identify hazardous substances based on symptoms and physical properties. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Palm OS and Windows. Free. http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/about.html CDC Influenza: This app, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides easy access to updated influenza recommendations and influenza activity. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad. Free. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/apps/cdc-influenza-hcp.html USW Chemical Safety: Search the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards or access a database of Material Safety Data Sheets. Provides information on exposure limits, health hazards, workplace controls, personal protective equipment, handling and storage, and emergency information. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad. Free. https://itunes.apple.com/app/usw-safety/id327458795?mt=8 iScrub: Who has the best hand hygiene compliance – physicians, nurses or techs? Which units need more education and awareness? This app can answer those questions. Developed at the University of Iowa, iScrub walks the user through hand hygiene observations. You can email observation files for further analysis. Available for: iPhone, iTouch, iPad. Free. http://compepi.cs.uiowa.edu/iscrub/ |
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