App ups construction contractor onsite safety

Australian fitout and refurbishment specialist SHAPE has made its SHAPE Minimum Standards (SMS) app available to the public. The app provides construction workers quick and easy access to environmental, health, safety and quality management information from any mobile device. The app will assist contractors in developing safe systems of work, conducting risk assessments and recognising potential onsite safety hazards in real time. The app contains the key expectations of SHAPE’s environmental, health, safety and quality management systems, along with relevant work health and safety legislation, Australian Standards and Codes of Practice.

The SMS app was developed in partnership with SHAPE’s site managers and contractors to address common safety hazards and create a streamlined approach for safety onsite, simplifying policies and procedures into dot points, images and diagrams. SHAPE has also made the app freely available on any Australian worksite, to boost industry safety standards. The app was trialled on SHAPE’s worksites and was found to help increase subcontractors’ awareness and understanding of common site hazards such as asbestos and electricity. Within six months of app testing, SHAPE’s electrical incidents decreased by 67%, while asbestos-related incidents fell by 29%. SHAPE has also utilised the app as a tool for communicating site coronavirus (COVID-19) safety information, by breaking down content from the ‘Coronavirus Action Plan’, site implementation guidelines and other resources on topics including temperature screening, personal protective equipment requirements and physical distancing.

Phillip Smith, Australia Group Executive of Environment, Health, Safety and Quality at SHAPE, said that ensuring people and contractors have the right tools for the job and get home safely at the end of the day is the company’s top priority. “We also want to see safety standards improve across the entire construction industry, which is why we’re extremely proud to offer the industry-first SMS app publicly and hope it can help lift the safety outcomes on construction sites nationwide,” Smith said. Erick Davey, contractor for Key Services, said his team is more productive with the ease of having information at their fingertips, enabling them to reference the SMS app wherever they go. The app also helps users identify potential risks in real time, which helps to ensure workers go home safe. “SHAPE has always gone above and beyond industry regulations for safety and the SMS app is no exception,” Davey said.

“Everyone who works in my company uses the SMS app for all onsite activity daily. Even when not on a SHAPE worksite, I have still been able to use the SMS app to ensure the highest level of safety standards are being met. Everyone in my team carries a phone with them, so it means that they have immediate access to the app and are able to take the necessary steps to mitigate risk for all onsite activities as it occurs,” said Mark Anglicas, contractor for Sommerville Electric. The SMS app is available for free download from the Google Play and Apple app stores.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Trevor Adeline/KOTO