By Crystal Ross O’Hara, Lead Communications Analyst, Risk and Safety Solutions, UC Davis.
Public service is a core mission of the University of California and one way it is achieved is by sharing innovations and technology from campuses to the public. Risk and Safety Solutions has begun offering its software to non UC customers, with the Inspect application poised to be its first commercial product sold outside of UC.
Risk and Safety Solutions (RSS) began with a shared services business model for software development, creating software applications in support of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) and risk management that were adopted by all ten campuses and five medical centers. As more UC campuses adopted the software in the RSS Safety Suite, other institutions, like hospitals and universities, began to reach out to Risk and Safety Solutions expressing interest in the applications as a way to streamline their work while meeting compliance requirements. Offering the software to the California State University System, for example, seemed like a natural partnership.
Risk and Safety Solutions Executive Director Safa Hussain said being able to offer software to entities outside of the University of California will benefit UC in many ways.
“Commercialization provides a more sustainable product development for our growing list of products,” he said. “It provides the opportunity to dedicate a team of resources for each individual product.”
Risk and Safety Solutions continually develops its software, making changes and adding enhancements based on feedback from end users. Hussain says UC’s end users will benefit as the products are adopted for use in a wider range of settings by a more diverse body of end users providing different perspectives in their feedback.
The RSS Safety Suite has more than 20 applications, with tools for chemical, hazard, hazardous waste and use authorization management, health screening, injury prevention and claims management, travel safety, and inspections.
The Inspect application, for example, has generated a lot of inquiries. Inspect is a flexible, customizable tool that manages completing and long-term tracking of safety inspections. It can be used for fire safety in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, laboratories, and construction sites.
Other organizations have expressed interest in Risk and Safety Solutions’ hazard assessment tool, chemical inventory management tool and radiation management tool.
What is appealing about the RSS Safety Suite applications, Hussain said, is that the tools are designed first and foremost to benefit the end user, by simplifying their everyday tasks.
“We start with the end user’s needs first,” he said. “Then we extend the tools to meet compliance. The end users see that this is aiding their work, not adding an administrative burden.”
In addition, Risk and Safety Solutions is a full-service shop. Products are delivered with written user guides and video tutorials, communication pieces, and training for implementation. The Service Desk is also available for help or questions and passes user feedback to the developers.
For more information about Risk and Safety Solutions Safety Suite, call (530) 638-3375 or email service@riskandsafetysolutions.com.