The Energy Wheel in your pocket
The free field reference app for identifying, assessing and communicating high-energy hazards.
How an observation works
- Pick the energy. Choose the energy type you can see on the Energy Wheel.
- Pick the hazard. Where an energy has more than one, say which: a fall from height or a suspended load, moving equipment near people on foot or a fast vehicle with people in it.
- Check the threshold. One yes or no question you can answer by looking, in metric or imperial. Below the threshold, the observation ends there.
- Test the control against the 3Ts. Timely: in place before the hazard poses risk, and still effective through the work. Tangible: something workers can see, touch and verify, not a policy or a plan. Targeted: designed and used for this energy hazard.
- Test it for Strong and Forgiving. Strong: it effectively mitigates exposure to the energy when installed, verified and used properly. Forgiving: it still works if someone makes an unintentional mistake. Pass all five and it is a Direct Control.
What the supervisor gets
Every observation above the threshold ends in one of two result cards. Below it, the hazard is not high-energy, and the app says to manage it with your usual controls.
Exposure
- The energy, and that it exceeds the high-energy threshold
- Which tests the control failed
- One line: a high-energy hazard with no Direct Control in place
- A photo of the hazard, if you add one
- Send it through any app, or save it to Photos
Controlled
- The energy, and that it exceeds the high-energy threshold
- That the control meets the 3Ts
- Direct Control confirmed
- Nothing to send. Start the next observation
What it does
- The Energy Wheel
- All ten energy types. For each one: the stuff that kills you, what to look for on site, and what a Direct Control has to be.
- Energy-based observation
- Pick an energy type, answer the threshold questions in metric or imperial, and find out in under a minute whether there is an uncontrolled high-energy hazard in front of you.
- Shareable findings
- When the observation finds an uncontrolled hazard, the app builds an assessment card you can send to a supervisor or H&S manager. No email gate.
- Built for the field
- Works fully offline. No login. Large tap targets for gloves, high contrast for sunlight, metric and imperial units. No data collected.
The threshold questions
Each one stands in for the high-energy threshold for the most common hazards, so there is no maths on site for these. Anything not on the list, such as a dropped tool or a cable under tension, needs the energy worked out.
- Gravity
Fall from height. Are any workers’ feet 1.2 m (4 ft) or more above the ground?
Suspended load. Is any load currently suspended by lifting equipment?
- Motion
Mobile equipment or vehicle. Is any mobile equipment or vehicle moving near workers on foot?
Vehicle occupant. Is anyone riding in a vehicle travelling at 48 km/h (30 mph) or more?
- Mechanical
Rotating equipment. Is there heavy rotating equipment present, or any rotating equipment running above 100 RPM?
- Electrical
Electrical contact. Is there an electrical source of 50 V or more present, or any arc flash risk?
- Pressure
Pressurised system. Is there a pressurised system capable of rupture, hose whip, or hydraulic injection injury?
Trench or excavation. Is anyone exposed to unsupported soil in a trench or excavation more than 1.5 m (5 ft) deep?
- Temperature
Surface contact. Is contact possible with a surface over 65 °C (150 °F) across an area of 650 cm² (100 sq in) or more?
Steam. Is anyone exposed to industrial steam?
Fire. Is there any fire with a sustained fuel source present?
Explosion. Is there any explosion risk present at this location?
- Chemical
Chemical hazard. Does it exceed IDLH limits, involve oxygen below 16%, or have a corrosive pH below 2 or above 12.5?
- Biological
Biological hazard. Does it exceed IDLH limits, involve oxygen below 16%, or present an acute infection or anaphylaxis risk?
- Radiation
Radiation source. Does the source exceed IDLH limits or pose an acute exposure risk?
- Sound
Noise hazard. Does the noise mask warning signals, alarms or verbal communication, or cause acute hearing damage?
Your own Wheelhouse
We build a version of Wheelhouse for your organisation on the same core app, so your crews open your tool, set in your work.
- Your brand
- Your name, logo and colours on the app your crews install on their phones.
- Your examples
- The Energy Wheel's examples written for your work. A rail crew sees track, rolling stock and overhead lines, not a building site.
- Your assessments
- The 3Ts and the Strong and Forgiving tests worded around your own sites, plant and controls, so a crew recognises what they are checking.
- The method stays the same
- The five steps, the thresholds and the five tests do not change, so a Direct Control means the same thing in every version.
Where it fits
Wheelhouse is the method in the hand of the person on the task. Pair it with:
- Printable wheel and hard-hat stickers
- For the crew.
Built on Dr Matthew Hallowell's energy-based safety research. All content in the app is original GeneXR material. Wheelhouse is an independent educational tool. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dr Hallowell, and it is not professional health and safety advice.
Free, and staying free.