COLUMBUS, Ohio — It may look like a simple text platform, but Safer Workplace could be the difference between an isolated incident and a COVID-19 outbreak. 

The platform was developed by the same group that created Healthy Roster five years ago—a tele-health platform connecting athletes with trainers. 

“Its just a platform and a way of doing what the government is setting up as standards for coming back to work and making it easier for employers to implement, and for employees to do the assessment,” said Healthy Roster co-founder Nathan Heerdt. 

CEO, web developer and Dublin native Nathan Heerdt says the HIPPA-compliant platform allows the employer to send out daily text surveys to employees in small or large office settings to find out if they're experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.

Safer Workplace screens employees for COVID-19 symptoms using text message. 

The platform then alerts personnel automatically when an employee indicates at-risk symptoms.

Management then facilitates immediate responses in line with established protocols. 

And the employee is engaged quickly via video chat and advised what actions need to be taken. 

Safer Workplace's daily reporting feature also identifies any trends. 

“Our reporting feature in our system allows employers to see where employees are having symptoms, in what departments or what locations. So it kind of gives them a way to see hotspots within their own company,” said Heerdt. 

The Safer Workplace platform has been out for a couple of weeks, and Heerdt says employees are training around the clock and they're proud to be part of the solution in the ongoing battle against COVID-19.

“How do we help the people who absolutely have to come back and do it as quickly as possible? Or who are already back, how do we keep them safe? So, that's really where our effort was,” said Heerdt. 

To learn more about the Safer Workplace platform, check out the Healthy Roster website.