The Centre for Work Health and Safety has partnered with digital innovators Talk 5 and Pioneera as part of a new program to explore how app-based interventions can reduce harm in workplaces. The research projects aim to help people overcome language barriers while accessing safety information and preventing employee burnout. Head of SafeWork NSW Natasha Mann said that while there are many variables on worksites across NSW, most workers will have access to some form of technology, whether on a phone, a notebook computer or other device.

“This public–private partnership combines science, technology and evidence in a bid to deliver better outcomes for employees and businesses. The centre is working with these two New South Wales-based businesses to leverage their groundbreaking safety ideas with a focus on practical solutions,” Mann said.

The Talk 5 app allows workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to access important safety information in their preferred language. Talk 5’s Managing Director, George Bancs, said the business understands that the NSW workforce is culturally diverse. “Talk 5 recognises bringing working people together from all walks of life requires an unparalleled level of communication. We understand workplace safety depends on people and businesses having quality communication methods that are easy to understand. Talk 5’s service delivers digital multilingual checklists, safety guidance and more via visual, voice and audio technologies,” Bancs said.

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 aims to boost the mental health and wellbeing of working people. The centre is also partnering with Pioneera, to improve support for employees. The company has created an online wellbeing app that employs a mixture of psychology and artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver personalised nudges to workers to catch the precursors to burnout before it appears. Danielle Owen Whitford, founder and CEO of Pioneera, said the use of smart technologies like natural language processing and sentiment analyses 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. The Pioneera app features an animated AI assistant that delivers stress management tips, or ‘nudges’, to workers in real time as needed,” Whitford said.

The Director for the Centre for Work Health and Safety, Sky Buatava, said the centre is working with diverse stakeholders to develop 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/mihailomilovanovic