Feature Request: Risk Assessment via WhatsApp

1. Brief Description

Employees should be able to conduct a complete, legally compliant risk assessment (GBU) directly in a chat with the internal WhatsApp bot “Petra”—guided by a structured dialogue, with the ability to upload photos and voice messages, automatically documented at the end as an auditable PDF and assigned to the respective project or construction site.

Instead of using paper forms, Excel templates, or separate software, the foreman or supervisor completes the HRR right where they already are: in WhatsApp, on their cell phone, directly on-site at the construction site.

2. Problem / Motivation

The risk assessment is required by law (§ 5 / § 6 ArbSchG, § 3 BetrSichV) and must be documented—for every business, regardless of size. In practice, however, it is precisely the task that gets left behind in the day-to-day work of the trades:

• Paper and Excel are cumbersome. The risk assessment is “submitted later” from the office—often in a generic format rather than site-specific—or simply forgotten.

• High risks of liability and fines. In the event of accidents or inspections (by the workers’ compensation association or the labor inspectorate), a missing or inadequate risk assessment is a serious problem—under civil, administrative, and, if applicable, criminal law.

• Scaffolding, in particular, is high-risk. Falls are the most common cause of serious and fatal workplace accidents in construction. Here, a site-specific GBU is especially important—and particularly often inadequate.

• The target audience is not “app-savvy.” They won’t install or use yet another specialized app. WhatsApp, on the other hand, is already open on every tradesperson’s cell phone.

The hypothesis: If the GBU becomes as simple as a WhatsApp voice message, it will actually be completed—site-specific, timely, and documented. This is a clear, easily communicated added value and a strong differentiating feature of Petra compared to pure phone assistants.

3. Target Audience / Use Case

Primary (Pilot): Scaffolding companies.

Personas:

• Foreman / Crew Leader on-site – creates the GBU for the respective setup, modification, or dismantling, often with dirty hands or while wearing gloves, in all kinds of weather.

• Managing Director / Construction Manager – wants to ensure that GBUs are available without exception and can be accessed quickly when needed.

• Occupational Safety Specialist (Sifa) / Responsible Person – maintains templates, checks for completeness, and archives them.

Secondary (expansion level): additional trades, each with its own hazard catalog (roofers, painters/facade specialists, HVAC, electricians, landscape contractors, etc.).

4. Proposed Solution – How It Works

Petra guides the user through a step-by-step dialogue (wizard), using WhatsApp’s interactive features (selection buttons, lists, quick replies) so that the employee has to type as little as possible. Where it’s easier, the employee responds via voice message —Petra transcribes and automatically assigns the response.

Sample dialogue (scaffolding):

Employee: Petra, I need a risk assessment for the construction site at Hauptstraße 12.

Petra: All right, I’ll create a new risk assessment for Hauptstraße 12. What kind of activity is this? 1️⃣ Scaffolding erection 2️⃣ Scaffolding modification 3️⃣ Scaffolding dismantling

Employee: 1

Petra: What type of scaffolding? 1️⃣ Work scaffolding 2️⃣ Safety/fall-arrest scaffolding 3️⃣ Roof fall-arrest scaffolding

MA: Work scaffold, load class 3, approx. 12 m high

Petra: Ve...