$30K in prizes available for workplace safety competition

A $15,000 check and a meet-and-greet with the secretary of Labor is the top prize in a new government challenge. Several agencies have teamed up to educate the public about workplace safety, focusing on young workers.

Workers under the age of 25 have double the rate of emergency room treatments for occupational injuries compared to those 25 and older, according to the Department of Labor. Also, young workers are often unaware of their right to raise workplace safety concerns.

The DOL Workers Safety and Health App Challenge is a way to provide information about workplace safety. The submissions are due by Nov. 30 and can take a variety of forms such as interactive and informative games, social or professional networks, or data visualization. The submissions may be designed for Internet browsers, smartphones, feature phones, social media platform, or as native Windows or Macintosh applications.

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The submissions must be based on publicly available government information and should achieve the following goals:

Provide tools that demonstrate the importance of knowing about workplace safety and health hazards. Information from government sources -- the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, state workers' comp data -- must be incorporated to create real-world scenarios that inform young workers about health and safety hazards and the serious consequences of workplace injury.
Provide tools for workers to understand their rights in the workplace. This part should help young workers become aware about their rights in the workplace and their employer's responsibility to ensure their health and safety on the job. The content and type of application "must be age appropriate and should also feature mechanisms for users to interact or share with each other."

The submissions should be creative, innovative, and easy to use; provide access to important data and resources; attract users with different skill sets and language preferences; consider partnerships that will ensure sustainability of the app; and target the 13 to 24 age group, although it may also cover a larger demographic.

Four prizes totaling $30,000 will be awarded, including one grand prize, two category prizes, and one people's choice award. A single entry may win multiple prizes.

The top prize will be awarded to the app that best addresses the contest's two primary goals. The Safety and Health Data Award -- $6,000 -- will be given to the submission that showcases how decisions affecting safety and health in the workplace can have serious consequences. A Workers' Rights Award -- $6,000 -- will be presented to the app that best educates workers about their rights in the workplace. The People's Choice Award -- $3,000 -- will go to the entry with the greatest public approval.

Read more at the WorkersComp Forum homepage.

November 15, 2012

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