HELSINKI, FINLAND and BILBAO, SPAIN
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work today awarded the 2004 European Good Practice Award to a Finnish solution that has significantly increased occupational safety at construction sites. The solution combines an innovative mobile solution from Helsinki-based mobile technology company BookIT and the Finnish construction safety observation method.
The 2004 European Good Practice Award was awarded at the European Construction Safety Summit on November 22nd in Bilbao, Spain.
The award-winning BookIT Mobile ActivityTracker solution, implemented by leading construction services company Skanska, uses mobile phone technology to enhance the traditional construction safety observation system. The form-based construction safety observation method focuses on evaluating essential safety factors at building sites, while the BookIT mobile solution enhances the monitoring process by providing real-time progress updates, thus helping to prevent accidents.
"BookIT`s patented mobile solution instantly sends notifications of occupational safety issues to field personnel and allows completed tasks to be acknowledged by pressing a single key. The 2004 European Good Practice Award highlights Finland`s leadership in combining field-proven occupational safety practices with cutting-edge mobile technology," said Mr. Jukka Salonen, founder and CEO, BookIT Ltd.
Skanska realized the potential of easy-to-use mobile solutions in construction safety monitoring as early as 2002, when it launched its first mobile pilot projects. "BookIT's mobile solution speeds the flow of information and ensures that safety issues are resolved immediately. The continuous development of workplace safety is an issue of the highest importance for Skanska, and mobile applications provide excellent tools for supporting this work," said Mauri Niemi, President, Skanska, Finland.
BookIT is a member of Forum Nokia PRO, which is Nokia's premium mobile developer program. "As a Forum Nokia PRO member, we are pleased at the recognition given to BookIT and their ActivityTracker solution. This innovative SMS and WAP-based enterprise solution supported in Series 40, 60 and 80 Platforms is a good example how mobile field force will benefit from the opportunities afforded by mobile technology to enhance business and improve work safety," said Lee Epting, Vice President, Forum Nokia.
BookIT ActivityTracker provides an enterprise-grade mobile solution that has created real safety and business benefits among field force workers. The solution provides real-time updates of necessary repairs to key personnel.
No additional equipment is required in addition to a standard mobile phone and SIM card connected
to the network of any operator. As a Forum Nokia PRO member, BookIT has worked closely with Forum Nokia in documenting benefits in extensive field tests during the past 31 months.
BookIT mobile solutions are delivered by Elisa Corporation, a Network Partner of Vodafone Group Plc.
About BookIT http://www.bookit.fi Learn more about Mobile Enterprise Success Stories: www.nokia.com/developers , click Success Stories.
About Skanska Skanska is a global construction services group committed to finding innovative solutions for its customers. Combining global presence with local expertise, Skanska offers a broad range of services from project development to construction and facilities management. The Group currently has 60,000 employees and operations in nine home markets. Sales in 2003 totaled USD 16.4 billion. In Finland, Skanska is a leading construction services company with wide experience and an extensive track record of projects. In 2003, net sales in Finland totaled 1,015 million EUR.
http://www.skanska.fi
About the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work aims to make Europe`s workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. The Agency acts as a catalyst for developing, collecting, analysing and disseminating information that improves the state of occupational safety and health in Europe. The Agency is a tripartite European Union organisation and brings together representatives from three key decision-making groups in each of the EU`s Member States - governments, employers and workers` organisations.
http://agency.osha.eu.int
About the European Construction Safety Summit The closing event of the European Construction Safety Week (18-22 October 2004) took place on 22 November 2004 in Bilbao, Spain. This year, the closing event took the form of a European Construction Safety Summit at which leading experts and industry stakeholders discussed future strategies for improving safety and health standards in the sector. In addition, the Agency announced the winners of the 2004 good practice awards competition.
http://ew2004.osha.eu.int
For further information, please contact:
Jukka Salonen CEO, BookIT Ltd.
Published in M2 PressWIRE on Monday, 22 November 2004
Copyright (C) 2015, M2 Communications Ltd.
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