A new safety compliance solution created by a former B.C. conservation officer is starting field trials with Canada’s top energy and natural resource organizations.
Aaron Kilback started Kelowna tech company yodelME (formerly JA2 Applications) with his team after direct exposure to the dangers of unreliable communication systems.
“One of the reasons why we started this company was seeing firsthand what can happen when work sites are disconnected. There was an 18-year-old on a job site that lost both his legs because a phone call couldn’t be made quickly enough; the result was a 12-hour delay before being airlifted to a hospital,” said Kilback. “It makes no sense. We can land a space probe on a comet, but we can’t give people phones that work?”
Creating a better safety and communications system - one with reliable, ubiquitous connectivity, available through an everyday smart phone - became Kilback’s top priority. When he showed his prototype to industry contacts, they immediately invested in the product. Kilback credits the app’s appeal to its focus on the psychology of safety compliance.
The yodelME app consists of a simple interface that can be learned in minutes. Using the app, site workers can perform instant safety check-ins, send unlimited text messages, track other workers’ locations via GPS, and summon emergency help with the push of a button.
Stanford psychologist B.J. Fogg said worker motivation has ups and downs throughout the day. But most safety compliance solutions assume worker motivation is always high, which is why they don’t work.
Fogg’s research shows that 100 per cent safety compliance is possible with high employee motivation and simple workflows - two factors Kilback’s system incorporates in its solution.
yodelME has already made pre-sales to companies in the forestry, mining, and energy industries. The app is now entering its pilot phase, with organizations like BC Wildfire Services preparing to field test the product.