ObservNow is an included feature that turns the personnel onsite teams into your "eyes and ears" to spot and report both safety concerns and successes.

With EHS teams operating remotely, safety issues like trip hazards can slip through the cracks. ObservNow gives the essential personnel onsite the tools to quickly highlight these issues for you.

All it takes is two simple steps.

How it works
 

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Step 1. Any user can quickly access ObservNow from their SciShield dashboard, or they can scan a QR Code on a phone or tablet and jump immediately to Step 2.

Step 2. Users fill out one single required field (type of observation), add any additional information, and hit submit to send the observation right to EHS's inbox.

"Spotted a loose cable that I almost tripped over."
- Elvira K.

"I saw this chemical bottle I didn't recognize that was crusted over [pic attached]."
- Leslie H.

"My boss, Alex Grump, has refused to talk to lab members who aren't practicing social distancing."
- Anonymous

"Everyone I saw yesterday was wearing a mask - thanks! I felt much safer coming in."
- Jamie M.

The best results happen when:

1) Your community knows ObservNow exists.
2) Users remember to use it when they see a problem or a success.

Here are some ideas to get the most help from your community onsite:
(be sure to take advantage of ObservNow resources below):

• Send out regular emails once every week or two to educate users about ObservNow.
  
  
• Put up stickers with QR Codes that link directly to the ObservNow submission page.
  
  
• Ask PIs/Group Leads and other Research/Safety Coordinators to bring it up in conversations.
  
  
• Offer weekly drop-in sessions where users can learn about ObservNow.

Other Ideas:

• Make an ObservNow poster to inform people about this opportunity to help.
  
  
• Have competitions, incentives, or rewards for reporting negative or positive findings.
  
  
• Add an ObservNow announcement to your SciShield Announcements Block.

ObservNow Smart Mailer announcement template

Use this Smart Mailer template to help educate your users about the existence and use of ObservNow. The more people that know about ObservNow and remember to use it, the more they'll be able to help you!

ObservNow Hyperlink Web Button

Include this button on your forms and HTML emails to make it easier for users to quickly jump to your organization's ObservNow submission form.

Note: To reduce confusion, we recommend always embedding a link in this image.

Instructions to generate your ObservNow submission page QR Code

Step 1) Go to https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com/ to create a QR Code that will link to your organization's ObservNow submission page

Step 2) Your URL will be https://OrgName.scishield.com/ObservNow/QR
For example, for the Earth Institute, it would be https://earth.scishield.com/ObservNow/QR

Step 3) Paste your URL into the "URL" tab on the website – your QR Code is automatically generated

Step 4) Right click on the QR Code you've created and select "Save Image As..." to locally save the QR Code to your computer

How to print ObservNow QR code stickers

Step 1) Download the .png sticker template below

Step 2a) Using an image editor, add the QR Code to the sticker template and save in as high a resolution as possible

Step 2b) Send both the sticker template and the QR Code to the sticker printing company and request that they combine them for you

Step 3) Reach out to your favorite sticker company to have these printed!

• Printing no smaller than 3" wide by 2.5" tall
• One option https://www.stickeryou.com/products/sticker-rolls/646

FAQ – For Health & Safety

Is ObservNow turned on by default?

No – to reduce confusion and support safety teams in controlling their messaging and reporting structures, ObservNow is a free opt-in feature for all SciShield customers.

What will it cost to get ObservNow? Is it free?

ObservNow is available to all customers with the SciShield Platform in place, provided free-of-charge as part of the COVID-19 response from SciShield.

Why is anonymous reporting an option?

Some types of reports (such as reporting a supervisor for not enforcing proper safety protocols like mask use) may carry some level of risk of retaliation. We created ObservNow to optimize the chances that someone will report a safety concern, rather than deciding it's "not worth it."

Who will be able to report observations with ObservNow?

Any individual present in your organization's directory will already have an account made and ready to use in SciShield, and will be able to use ObservNow – it is not limited to research personnel.

Who will receive ObservNow submissions?

ObservNow submissions will go to a common queue available to all members of Health & Safety. As different groups have different structures for working on- and off-site, we are ensuring there is flexibility to support multiple working and coordination structures.

It is also possible to set up ObservNow to send emails when an observation is submitted, or to only send observations to the common queue. Please reach out to support@scishield.com to have this option configured.

Ready to turn everyone onsite into your "eyes and ears" to spot safety concerns?

It's easy to activate ObservNow.
Click "Get Started" below to send an email to SciShield Support.