A brand new North Wales-based software company has launched its first product – a revolutionary platform that brings extra levels of connectivity to businesses working across multiple locations.
Fusion Interactive Technologies has spent over £150,000 developing the ground-breaking Fusion Health and Safety platform, a software system that links companies from their headquarters to their most remote sites.
It was born out of an original simple app introduced last year by construction and civil engineering company The Hollingsworth Group, based at Sandycroft, on Deeside, to improve their health and safety documentation.
Managing director Paul Hollingsworth, who co-founded the company with his brother, Shaun, in 1988, said: “We can be working at sites across the North West, away from our home base and can be subject to inspections at any time so it’s vital that we can produce the relevant documents instantly.
“The original app was designed to do that and has been very successful but it gave us the idea of extending its applications so that it can cover a range of other areas and since we first launched it last year we have spent over £150,000 on development.”
They have been joined at Fusion Interactive Technologies by Shaun’s son Jac, a management and technology consultant, and his colleague George Daly, who has a background in website and app development.
They have taken the original Hollingsworth app and developed it into a versatile, multi-layered, interactive web-based management dashboard and mobile app for employees.
The new product still covers health and safety but offers much more besides, according to Jac, a Newcastle University graduate, who said: “It provides a wealth of services from the latest updated documents to company news, videos, training information, weather alerts and even the locations of the nearest A and E unit and with different levels of access it provides a range of interactive uses.
“We have already seen interest from health services, from the renewables sector and from insurance companies who often face claims from people who deny having seen safety information – this app would show that they have had the information and they would have to acknowledge that they had read it.
“It will no longer be necessary for someone to come out to check that the people working on a site have the necessary documents and competencies – they will be able to go access all the information they need via the platform.
“The original app was developed for the construction sector but the new Fusion system can be used across a whole range of sectors including transport, manufacturing services, asset management and retail.
“We specifically didn’t design the platform for one industry, we wanted it to be able to operate across the board.
“It saves time, it saves paper and it saves money. It gives businesses peace of mind and increases employee engagement.”
The new Fusion platform offers defined user access roles so organisations can control their documentation and data effectively, customisable categories to make storing and managing documents simple and practical and a news feed feature.
This can boost employee engagement as well as keeping them up to date with the latest company news and H&S updates.
Fusion has been welcomed by Ian Ord, Director of Renewables at Holywell-based workplace safety experts Setter and Associates, who said: “It brings mobile technology to Health and Safety at a time when Covid-19 makes it difficult to put additional safety support on site.
“It provides greater control over documentation, briefings and safety management systems which adds to the safety culture – it really is an excellent platform and so easy to use.”
Jac added: “The world is moving towards working remotely and in disparate locations and the Covid-19 pandemic has hastened this process – this system ensures communications do not suffer as a result.
“We feel its time has come and with this system based on a dashboard we can send documents to employees individually or in groups and we can record that they have received and acknowledged them.
“It means that wherever they are they have instant access to important information and because it can be updated constantly they always have the latest information and documentation literally at their fingertips.
“That ensures all your employees have instant access to the information they need when they need it wherever they are and with push notifications they know when new information is available and the employer knows they have seen it.”
“What’s more it comes with a completely bespoke and flexible subscription plan tailored to an organisation’s needs.”
