Partnership drives app-based workplace harm reduction

The NSW Government’s Centre for Work Health and Safety (the Centre) has partnered with Talk 5 and Pioneera as part of a new program to explore how app-based intervention can reduce harm in workplaces.

Head of SafeWork NSW Natasha Mann said the partnership is designed to help people overcome language barriers while gaining access to important safety information. She said that, while there are many variables found on worksites across the state, the common link is access to some form of technology — be it smartphone, laptop, notebook or other device.

“This public–private partnership combines science, technology and evidence in a bid to deliver better outcomes for employees and businesses,” Mann said.

“The Centre is working with these two NSW-based businesses to leverage their groundbreaking safety ideas with a focus on practical solutions.”

The Talk 5 app was recognised in the 2021 SafeWork Awards and allows workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to access important safety information in their preferred language.

The company’s Managing Director, George Bancs, said the app is well placed to handle the culturally diverse workforce that the NSW Government is aiming to support.

“Talk 5 recognises bringing working people together from all walks of life requires an unparalleled level of communication,” he said.

“We recognise that workplace safety depends on people and businesses having quality communication methods that are easy to understand.

“Our service delivers digital multilingual checklists, safety guidance and more via visual, voice and audio technologies.”

The partnership will ensure the Talk 5 app meets standards for culturally diverse employees while identifying ways to enhance the product with an underlying evidence base.

The research also aims to boost the mental health and wellbeing of workers. In a bid to improve support for employees the Centre is partnering with Pioneera, the creator of a wellbeing app that employs a mixture of psychology and artificial intelligence (AI). Combining the two sciences allows the Pioneera app to deliver personalised nudges to workers, flagging identified precursors to burnout and allowing the situation to be remedied before harm is done.

Danielle Owen Whitford, founder and CEO of Pioneera, said the use of smart technologies like natural language processing and sentiment analysis can help employers detect and prevent burnout in teams.

“Pioneera aims to create workplaces where both employees and employers have the right insights and tools to be healthier, happier and more productive at work,” Owen Whitford said.

“The Pioneera app features an animated AI assistant that delivers stress management tips, or ‘nudges’, to workers in real time as needed.”

The Director of the Centre for Work Health and Safety, Skye Buatava, said the organisation is working with diverse stakeholders to develop quality solutions to work health and safety problems.

“There are so many untapped ideas to solve common WHS issues just sitting in the minds of people who are on the frontline. We want to work with those people to create safer workplaces,” Buatava said.

Image credit: iStock.com/sturti