Safety App Of The Week

August 19, 2013 No Comments

Below is our “Safety App of the Week”.  These weekly features are published every Monday.  New apps are tested on Apple iPads and rated from ♥ to ♥♥♥♥♥ (♥♥♥♥♥ is the best).  Prior app of the week articles are archived here.

Dropped Objects Calculator

Official Description  

“Calculate the impact of a fallen object and understand the potential impact in seconds with the Dropped Object Calculator. Just enter the weight of the object and the estimated fall distance – the calculator will tell you immediately about the potential impact on humans. The results are presented using standard safety terminology in combination with Joule impact of the fall.

Everyone knows the potential cost of a dropped object. It’s not just about equipment and lost production. It’s about life!

Understanding the potential impact of a fallen object is key in awareness building of workers, work planning and accident prevention. Safety professionals around the globe use this calculator to better design the work sites and to define safe work practices and precautionary measures

The calculator was developed by the makers of RiskReport (www.aboutriskreport.com) in cooperation with DROPS. RiskReport believes that a safe work environment requires state of the art tools and solutions. DROPS is an industry-wide initiative focused on preventing dropped objects, with the ultimate goal of delivering a second nature dropped objects prevention strategy across industry.

DROPS is a global workgroup in the energy sector, represented by over 70 operators, contractors, service companies and industry bodies, all sharing commitment and enthusiasm for the common goal of dropped object prevention and a safe working environment.”¹

Thumbs Up

• cost is only $2.99
• no registration or sign in required
• well organized – easy to use without any instruction
• both metric and imperial units of measure
• useful for training both employees who work at heights (e.g. maintenance workers, roofers, building contractors, scissors/boom-lift operators, etc.) and employees who are exposed to dropped objects
• looks good on both iPads and iPhones
• can be used off-line

Thumbs Down

• overly simplistic – does not factor in where the object strikes the body (being hit on the head would be more serious than being hit on the shoulder) or the size/shape/mass of the falling object (a falling 5-pound sharp/pointy steel object would do more damage then a falling 5-pound bag of plastic beads)
• when using this app to train employees be sure to tell them that it gives only a rough “ballpark” approximation of the anticipated injury, and that the actual injury can vary significantly from the apps’ calculated result

Overall Rating

• iPad & iPhone – ♥♥♥

¹ Descriptions courtesy of Apple Inc.

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