Interview with Mark Heaysman, dorsaVi
What is your product and why is it innovative?
ViSafe turns human movement into data through wearable sensors, which measure upper and lower back and limb movement so we can make evaluations on the human movement requirements of different tasks in the workplace.
We put remote sensors on a person’s body, they get into their work gear and go out and carry on their tasks as normal and we track their muscle activation and body movement. We pick up degrees of elevation in the limbs and back and we also pick up muscular activation. We capture it all and it all syncs so we can see how different tasks affect people.
ViSafe is for anyone doing manual handling – people who have increasing costs and insurance claims through RSI, companies who are seeing an increase in lost-time injury rate or companies trying to find more efficient ways to blend their people resources with their equipment.
Sometimes we’ll do an analysis on a task, like a piece of machinery or we’ll track a worker for a whole day and monitor what their tasks are. Then we take the data, look at it against best practice and what is clinically understood as appropriate or inappropriate sustained movement – then we can produce solutions which might range from changing the equipment, to process changes or appropriate training. It’s quite a comprehensive, holistic approach – it’s not just about manual handling and equipment.
Why are you bringing it to the Safety & Health Expo in June?
We’ve been operating in Australia for some time now, and we’re bringing this to the UK because the UK has a very strong focus on occupational health and safety from a worker safety perspective, and worker health is starting to become a big priority for businesses now.
Our data gives companies a chance to address what would be causing some long-term injuries to their workforce, and it’s very unique. The conference in June is right where we think this can make a difference and give people an option to see what’s out there at the moment.
What does innovation mean for dorsaVi?
We have a very strong clinical background. Our technology team is divided into two parts: one part is around improving what we’ve got and continually evolving it; while the other is around working on the future.
We will not stand still on a technology point of view on algorithms, different parts of the body we can measure and also how it’s measured and captured. We’ll always work on human movement and how we can measure it.
Mark Heaysman is OH&S and Compliance Business Manager Mark has come to dorsaVi with his team of consultants and contractors from Australian Workplace Compliance, a specialist risk management and ISO certification consultancy business. Mark has previously been engaged by government agencies and blue chip corporates to develop strategic initiatives and implementation plans.
