In the News

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Published: 11:18 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010

Karen Ryan used to spend evenings and weekends catching up on the regulatory paperwork required to run her Austin dog-grooming business.

Ryan considered various software programs to handle Occupational Health and Safety Administration record keeping, but they were too expensive and required extensive technical support.

Four months ago, a friend recommended Austin startup OSHAtrac , which has developed a Web-based service that lets employers create accident reports, track injuries, print required documents and review injury data.

"It has freed me up to focus on my business," says Ryan, owner of Midtown Groom and Board, who pays $89 a month for the service. "OSHA regulations are complicated, and no one lines up at your door and teaches you how to be compliant. OSHAtrac has removed a lot of worry."

OSHAtrac was founded 18 months ago by George Launey , a registered nurse who has spent the past decade consulting and implementing occupational health programs for large corporations, including Applied Materials Inc. and Dell Inc..

Launey first created OSHAtrac for his own use. "I needed a database to keep track of my clients. I hired some computer software programmers, and it kind of morphed into a really good system for OSHA reporting."

After watching how much time and effort it took companies to keep up with often-changing regulations, he decided to commercialize OSHAtrac. Most companies with more than 10 employees are required to comply with federal OSHA regulations.

"Employers are being buried under piles of confidential paperwork," Launey said. "They are relying on paper logs or using complex, expensive software that requires lots of training and support. Our goal is to make compliance simple and affordable."

OSHAtrac is Web-based and requires no software downloads, training or IT support, Launey said. The service is subscription-based, ranging from $89 a month for one location with five users to $149 a month for three sites (for example, such as an automotive shop with three locations) and 20 users.

The company, which is self-funded by Launey and has five employees, is launching the software nationally Monday.

In addition to recording accidents, the software provides analysis to help companies recognize problem safety areas.

"If an employer realizes that 40 percent of their accidents are lacerations, they might discover that a particular box-cutter is causing the problem," Launey said. "It costs an average of $7,000 for each workers' compensation accident, so metrics that help prevent them can have a big impact."

lhawkins@statesman.com

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