During a year long contract with the ACTU, I led UX design for OHShelp, a digital tool for Health & Safety Representatives in the workplace. My focus was on creating an app that helps them quickly find relevant safety information, record issues and connect with the support they need during workplace visits.
HSRs and organisers need to make decisions quickly when they’re on the job. But finding the right OHS information, understanding what to do next, or getting support from their union wasn’t always easy.
OHShelp aimed to bring this information and support together in one place — with safety guides, educational resources and tools to find, log and track workplace hazards.
What we heard
I spoke with organisers and HSRs to understand how they currently found information, dealt with workplace issues and connected with their union.
We went in with a couple of assumptions: that HSRs struggled to find OHS information, and that connecting with their union could be difficult.
The interviews confirmed some of this, but also revealed the behaviours and attitudes behind it. People had developed their own ways of finding information and solving problems, which gave us a clearer picture of where OHShelp could genuinely help rather than simply adding another tool to the mix.
By leveraging existing behaviours we found we could make it easy for users to log, track and follow up on workplace hazards in one easy place.
Turning insight into something useful
We used the research to shape the structure and content of the app, then tested early wireframes and prototypes with users.
We explored real tasks — like finding a workplace hazard, working out what to do next and logging an issue. Testing helped us simplify the navigation, prioritise the information people needed most and refine the language to make the app feel familiar and useful.
Notice it. Understand it. Act on it.
Users can search for OHS issues, access step-by-step guides, and log and track workplace hazards.
It gives HSRs and organisers a practical way to access information and manage issues while they are out in the workplace — and created a foundation for the product to grow.
