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Cooper35198  
#1 Posted : 15 April 2015 16:39:56(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Cooper35198

I am currently sourcing a provider for on-line DSE Training and Assessment, I have narrowed the field down to two potential providers Cardinus and WorkWrite. We are a multinational company and I am interested in receiving comments, positive or negative, from anyone who uses or have used the above providers. Can you help?
mihaibertea  
#2 Posted : 15 April 2015 17:21:49(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
mihaibertea

Hi Cooper,

I haven't used any off the two companies. I use IHASCO, they provide very good courses online, and at the end of the DSE training the user has to complete an assessment for his/hers workstation, where they can raise any issues. Worth asking for a free trial.

Cheers
Reilly21943  
#3 Posted : 15 April 2015 18:49:00(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Reilly21943

Hi Cooper

Recently I have done the elearning with the British Safety Council. Very good and rather painless. Once you have done the online training, you conduct a DSE assessment and send it to the BSC for verification.

Give them a try. I found them easy and cheap to use.

Cheers

Reilly21943
kenty  
#4 Posted : 15 April 2015 19:55:57(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
kenty

Hi Cooper,

We have used Cardinus for two or three years. Setup is pretty straight forward & they can assist by importing data into the system rather than manually inputting all the users.

In the admin side you have the ability to create custom template for different users (new users, refreshers etc), and automate the process.

The learning is pretty straightforward, covers the main points & does require some user interaction. At the end of the learning there is a simple test, and users complete self assessments.

If you want any further details just PM me.
safetyamateur  
#5 Posted : 16 April 2015 08:13:12(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
safetyamateur

We use Workrite. It does the job but a couple of annoyances arise.

1. The system emails an invitation to the user. The email has Workrite's logo so users initially deleted it.

2. The sequence is: training, test, workstation assessment. Users have tended to do the test, print their certificate and promptly forget about it. However, the system emails reminders to complete on a weekly basis. Users don't like this, especially when they're convinced they've finished. The sequence can't be changed so we just deal with the phonecalls.
jodieclark1510  
#6 Posted : 16 April 2015 08:40:08(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
jodieclark1510

We used Cardinus at my old place- I found it quite a good system to work with and was to the point. I found the 5 minute re-assessment tool was also really good as we had a lot of desk moves. It was also quite nice we could upload things like the Company Policy statement and links to different processes like eye testing for staff to look at,a nd the contractors on site liked the idea of their induction taking into account their status as a contractor as it was slightly different to company staff.
Ian A-H  
#7 Posted : 18 April 2015 09:29:22(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Ian  A-H

Take a look at https://www.openerg.com/dse/ (Loughborough University Ergonomics Department) IT'S FREE!!!

We used it as our DSE self assessment in a previous job. The individual goes through the set up, then does the assessment and gets the results emailed. The email can then be forwarded to a manager for recording and actioning - new chair, for example.

It's as good as any commercial system AND IT'S FREE!
JOL3003  
#8 Posted : 20 April 2015 19:07:29(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
JOL3003

Hi Cooper,

I have used both systems and I think Workrite was the simplest to use when trying to deal with issues and the DSE user end looks a lot better than the Cardinus system.

Workrite also worked out cheaper when I compared the 2.
Graham  
#9 Posted : 21 April 2015 09:06:39(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Graham

Hi
This is a minor headache for me. The problem is the HR system that manages the constant comings and goings of people. I’d strongly urge that you ensure whatever system you choose is able to link with whatever HR system you have – and that the HR system actually does what it is supposed to do.
Another issue I find is the reporting. There seems to be lots of high level reports on the system I use, but I’m singularly unable to get a report of all those registered users who have not done a risk assessment. I’d suggest looking at the reports you want, not the ones they say they can do for you. It’s easy to lose sight of what you want in this scenario.
As with all computer systems it’s not until you populate it that you find the holes, and no supplier seems to provide a dummy system with a realistic population.
Rant over…
Graham
jodieclark1510  
#10 Posted : 21 April 2015 09:12:54(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
jodieclark1510

Graham wrote:
Hi
This is a minor headache for me. The problem is the HR system that manages the constant comings and goings of people. I’d strongly urge that you ensure whatever system you choose is able to link with whatever HR system you have – and that the HR system actually does what it is supposed to do.
Another issue I find is the reporting. There seems to be lots of high level reports on the system I use, but I’m singularly unable to get a report of all those registered users who have not done a risk assessment. I’d suggest looking at the reports you want, not the ones they say they can do for you. It’s easy to lose sight of what you want in this scenario.
As with all computer systems it’s not until you populate it that you find the holes, and no supplier seems to provide a dummy system with a realistic population.
Rant over…
Graham



I agree with Graham, I had issues with getting contractors to do their training, because their details didn't come through the HR system like the FTC or permanent staff, so I had to rely on going round to each department's administrators to find out who was there. Bit of a pain because I ended up with list of names everywhere, and similarly when they left I wasn't aware, so again had to rely on dept administrators to enlighten me so I could disable accounts.
imwaldra  
#11 Posted : 21 April 2015 09:28:45(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
imwaldra

Some time ago I was involved in auditing several Cardinus users, so the following comments may not be fully up to date.

The basic system is OK, the challenges come when managing the outputs from assessments. Someone needs to 'own' any resulting actions, this is particularly important when operating sites that are remote from the main IT resources, e.g. to ensure that any new/replacement equipment is suitably installed. Also someone has to monitor the overall data and, particularly, to ensure that reassessments are completed by individuals when due - a fairly thankless task as most office-based people don't see such tasks as high in their priority list once dome the first time. For larger workplaces with a clear FM role this can work well, but no so easy for smaller ones where there's no single person managing the office facility.

Some particular weaknesses were: no system for assessing users with more than a single screen, or for screens used by more than one person, e.g. for shift operations.
Cooper35198  
#12 Posted : 21 April 2015 10:04:31(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Cooper35198

Thank you all for your comments, advice and recommendations. Incredibly useful and I shall make adjustments to my assessment process as a result.

Thanks again.
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