In 2014, Wärtsilä introduced the WeCare initiative, a comprehensive programme for accident, near miss and hazard reporting and analysis. Its implementation has been an emphatic success, delivering consistently positive results: there have been 12,600 near miss and hazard observations reported, with more than 5,150 Wärtsilä employees participating in WeCare incident reporting and investigation and over 11,200 actions completed based on the investigations.

In December 2015 we introduced a new tool for immediate reporting on safety issues – a WeCare application for mobile phones and tablets.

The WeCare app has employees covered

With the introduction of the app, Wärtsilä aims to increase near miss and hazard reporting even further, especially on non-company sites such as shipyards, construction sites, vessels and industrial plants. This is a crucial focus point, as currently almost 40% of lost-time injuries occur in these locations.

However, the app also makes reporting easier in Wärtsilä’s own offices, workshops and factories, as well as when travelling – it’s flexible and designed to help employees, no matter their location.

The app isn’t dependent on Wärtsilä’s network, it can be used anywhere where a mobile network is present and its offline mode means new incident cases can be created even without a mobile connection. The case will be sent out automatically when the connection is established again.

The great advantage of the new mobile app is its availability and accessible interface. The reporting of hazards can be started immediately and in real time. Besides typing, the app also allows the taking and attaching of pictures and voice recordings to reports. The reported case is automatically sent to the WeCare system, through which the mobile user’s line manager receives an email initiating an investigation. Finally, a feed screen enables users to review the most recent cases.

The WeCare programme underlines the importance to Wärtsilä of the safety of its employees, wherever they find themselves.