In May 2013, a building collapse left more than 1,100 people dead in a Bangladesh garment factory. In the wake of this devastating tragedy, labor organizations, non-profits and international retailers signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh in order to prevent future incidents like this one.
Among other measures, the signees commission safety consulting firms to carry out inspections in that country's factories. One such company is Baltimore-based Hughes Associates, which has conducted more than 1,000 inspections over the past six months. To facilitate reporting, Hughes uses a FileMaker iOS app, which has made it easier for auditors to note safety hazards that need to be rectified immediately.
"We didn't have time to report using handwritten notes and disjointed photos," says Hughes' director for codes and standards, Brian Rhodes. "We needed much more efficiency and consistency to handle a task this large in such a short time frame. I don't believe that we could have completed this critical project on time and within budget without our FileMaker solution."
Hughes worked with a FileMaker developer to build the app in just three weeks, using the latest versions of FileMaker Pro, mobile development tool FileMaker Go and FileMaker Server. On a single app inspectors can gather all the necessary data, including photographs taken on their iPhones, send it to offices worldwide and generate reports.
FileMaker database development is a very useful resource for businesses and organizations across all industries. It turns the gathering of important data into a fast and simple process, and the software's mobile functionality makes it ideally suited for field work.
