Health is ’appiness for billion-dollar Aussie tech start-up
AUSTRALIA’S latest billiondollar tech “unicorn” is rolling out new coronavirus apps amid warnings that coffee shops and shops have become potentially dangerous workplaces.
SafetyCulture, which was founded in a Townsville garage two decades ago and counts former PM Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy among its investors, this week launched new apps that allow contact-free monitoring of equipment and a checklist that allows workers to report health and safety breaches.
A recent capital raising has valued SafetyCulture at $1.3 billion, making it the newest member of the Australian unicorn club. A unicorn is a start-up company valued in excess of $1 billion.
SafetyCulture chief operating officer Alistair Venn said the pandemic shutdown had changed the definition of what was a dangerous workplace.
“You don’t need to wear a hard hat to work to be operating in a hazardous environment,” said Mr Venn.
“Workers in the retail and hospitality sectors are now on the frontline because of the level of foot traffic and interaction with the public.”
He said Safety-Culture was working with its 27,000 client companies around the world to develop digital coronavirus checklists built around various safety protocols.
“We have been digitalising many of the government regulations around COVID-19,” he said. “A coffee shop owner may be worried about whether to reopen.”
The checklist could flag to the coffee shop owner that tables haven’t been cleaned or social-distancing stickers have fallen off a wall.
One of the company’s new apps allows companies to contactlessly monitor conditions like temperature and humidity levels in real time. Another allows workers to instantly report possible safety breaches so immediate action can be taken.