A foundation for better business

Upon deciding that streamlining the JSA process was the first concern, the next question was how to accomplish the task. Which technology would provide the fastest development time and provide the multi-platform foundation for many other solutions that could automate and improve business processes?

"Applications should be designed around people and processes instead of people having to change the way they work to utilize an application,” says Coghlin. "This is why we decided to build our own FileMaker application to fit our processes."

CEO Ed Ott adds, “The need to share information was not solely for field personnel. Doing more with less from the front office perspective required a system that would feed back data and information in real time, thus sharing the response to risk activity with all officers and senior project managers simultaneously. FileMaker provided that flexibility and was a welcome change. Adding more managers for overseeing our at-risk workload was avoided. Making our current leadership staff more informed displaced the need to add the staff. Additionally, we were able to invest in the technology at reduced cost overall.”

The solution needed to be extremely easy to use. Additionally, it had to work offline and then later sync updated data over cellular connections to the company’s back-end Windows-based servers, and integrate with other business systems including ERP and office productivity applications.

Larson was convinced that the FileMaker Platform was the way to go. “Meeting all of our requirements would have been a tremendous undertaking if we were using traditional hand-coding methods,” says Larson. “FileMaker made it easy to create a ‘mobile-first’ solution, an important factor because most of our team members in the field never touch a computer but only use mobile devices. So we needed a mobile solution that would be easy to use but also integrate seamlessly with our back-end desktop and server systems.”

Using the FileMaker Platform, the company created a Job Safety Analysis app that covers permits, number of times that safety personnel review the JSA, fall protection, site diagrams, sign-in pages, lift tickets, and more. The JSA solution also automated communication to the leadership team by sending alert notifications.

The JSA tracker equips field leadership with on-site, digital and searchable information. For instance, project managers are presented with GPS location information, as well as data such as existing energy control forms, site diagrams, potential sources of hazardous conditions, and so on.

Bottom line: Improved Safety

Since adopting FileMaker and following best practices, the company’s safety record has become a model for the industry. The total injury rate is 0.24, compared to the overall industry, which rates 3.8. Braun’s Experience Modification Rate (EMR), a number used by insurance companies to gauge both past cost of injuries and future chances of risk, is 65% less than industry average.