Putting safety first

Could you tell us how you found out about the Innovation Lab and why you decided to pitch your idea? 

We came across the Innovation lab via a LinkedIn post for Lab 3 in 2020. We applied but were unsuccessful on that occasion, but the feedback was invaluable. 

By the time Innovation Lab 4’s application process opened, we were much further along our growth plans and ready for the opportunity.

Our digital solution was created to help people make sense of change. Health, safety, and wellbeing is an area with constantly changing information and can become anything but simple. As seen first-hand by our three founders, who have 85 years of combined experience in the construction and data science sectors.

We applied for Innovation Lab 4 to help prevent one accident or incident and contribute to United Utilities’ aim of reaching to zero harm by 2030.

In simple terms, could you please summarise what your idea is for the lab? 

Our idea for the lab is to prove that the AutoMutatio App could have helped prevent one accident or incident.

AutoMutatio’s offer to United Utilities is a reactive and predictive tool that reveals what is happening on the ground. We achieve this by analysing how people write and the words they use, in historic and live documents and communications, enabling us to learn from past incidents, and to see risks and warning signs before they cause harm.

For example, every activity needs a risk assessment, an important document, but the risks can be hidden as people do not have time to read, plan and check compliance. 

We find the needle in the haystack. It would be amazing to find the one key risk preventing a serious accident, in 200,000 documents at the touch of a button. 

The lab is the perfect way for us to prove it is possible and meet UU’s ‘pledge of zero harm by 2030’.

What is the ultimate benefit your idea will bring to water customers in the Northwest? 

The water industry is a complex system of changing inputs and outputs with a large stakeholder network. Our digital solution provides full transparency of change and issues. This will benefit the water customers in the northwest by mitigating risks and building resilience in the United Utilities infrastructure. In other words, helping ensure continuity of services and reducing disruption to customers’ lives.

How are you hoping to develop your idea through the Innovation Lab? 

The Innovation Lab has come at a key moment in our growth. 

The lab will help our app towards important development milestones such as 90%+ accuracy in automatic tagging of data, and achieving better integration with tools such as outlook, Teams, and other information systems -all helping us reach ISO 27001 accreditation.

It will also give our application the opportunity to demonstrate its full capability on a large data set from a FTSE 100 company.

How important do you think programmes like the Innovation Lab are for developing ideas? 

Collaborative innovation is at the heart of creating value for everyone. The innovation lab brings together different perspectives, combining experts with passionate entrepreneurs. This in turn leads to an environment where innovative solutions thrive and value is created.

What does innovation mean to you in three words? 

A better future

If you fast forward two years from now, where do you see your product?

In two years the AutoMutatio app will have become a trusted and dependable solution for water companies and health and safety teams. Whilst also disrupting the ‘dispute resolution’ market in the UK. 

We will have secured investment to accelerate App development and have revenues more than £2m per annum through both consultancy and the AutoMutatio App.  

Whatever we have done in our careers we have always made a positive difference and we believe we can do the same here for United Utilities by ‘Making Sense of Safety Data’ and being the solution to its pledge of ‘zero harm by 2030.’