New app cuts contractor red tape

A new mobile app designed to help electrical contractors cut through red tape has been released thanks to a partnership between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) and start-up incubator BlueChilli.

Kurt Alexander worked out of the Collaborate hub in Brisbane  to develop QuickSafety, an app that enables electricians to complete safety certificates online, securely storing them for access by the contractor, the company and regulatory bodies for a period of five years.

“It’s hard to believe, but electricians around Australia still have to fill out paper-based electrical safety certificates each time they complete a job,” said Alexander.

“This is frustrating for the electrician, a huge admin overhead for the business, and exposes both the electrician and the business to regulatory risk due to incomplete and lost certificates, or failure to store certificates for the required five-year period,” he said.

Quick Safety is one of the first cohort of Suncorp Bank #SmallBusinessChallenges winners, a competition that ran in February 2016 to find start-up ideas which could solve real problems facing small business.

Having worked in the electrical industry since 2000, and then consulting back to the industry in 2009, it was while dealing with clients’ frustrations that Alexander saw an opportunity to make a difference and alleviate the pain that sparkies encountered on the ground.

The app for iOS is available for download from the app store here.