Simcoach Games and the Master Builders' Association are saving lives with Harness Hero

PITTSBURGH - July 20, 2016 - PRLog -- Pittsburgh has always been known for its innovative ideas that redefine industries and save lives. Simcoach Games and the Master Builders' Association (MBA) have teamed up to develop a video game that draws awareness to fall protection in the construction industry and teaches workers the critical skills needed to stay safe on the job. The development of this mobile training application has spurred a lot of excitement in the industry and throughout the MBA. Excited about this new game, Executive Director Jack Ramage stated that "the construction industry can benefit from our region's area of expertise to create a safety training app that can save lives."

Of the roughly 900 deaths in construction each year, 40% of them are caused by falls (https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html). This staggering number prompted Simcoach and the MBA to come up with an engaging solution that not only teaches the importance of fall arrest safety, but equips players with basic skills. "We started Simcoach Games to make games that train, inspire, protect people, and even save lives - and to benefit the workforce in our region," says Jessica Trybus, CEO of Simcoach Games. "Harness Hero is a great example of this - we partnered with the Master Builders' Association to deliver a simple tool to raise awareness around fall protection and to help workers practice critical skills to stay safe." The app is free and since its release on April 20th, there have been over 3,000 downloads across all mobile platforms and more than 500 certificates of achievement have been earned through the game.

Harness Hero challenges players to keep a construction worker safe with various building heights, connection devices, and lanyards. Once you have selected and inspected your harness, lanyard, and connection device, you then 'push' your worker off the building to see if he will be saved by the safety equipment, or fall straight to the ground. If a player achieves a safety score of 95% or greater, they will  earn a certificate of achievement that recognizes their safety performance in the game.

To learn more about Harness Hero and to download it for free, visit www.simcoachgames.com/harness-hero.

About Simcoach Games
Simcoach Games designs and develops video games that enable learners to achieve sustainable behavior change. We make learning simple, interactive and measurable. Each of our games focuses on key behaviors tied to measurable outcomes that are defined at the start of our design and development process. We take an Agile, iterative approach that offers our clients unparalleled opportunities for input and collaboration. The Simcoach® method ensures a practical solution to driving sustainable learning and behavior change from concept development through product launch.

A spinout of Carnegie Mellon, Simcoach Games has been a leader in the gamification of learning since 2005. CEO and Founder Jessica Trybus launched the company as Etcetera Edutainment and has worked with clients such as OSHA, Wegmans, UPMC, and Honeywell, who were eager to employ serious games for learning and behavior change. Located in Pittsburgh's vibrant Strip District, Simcoach Games partners with regional and Fortune 500 companies to enable sustainable behavior change in learners nationwide. For more information, visit www.simcoachgames.com.

About MBA
Since 1886, MBA contractors have set the standard in Western Pennsylvania for construction excellence by investing in a skilled workforce, implementing award-winning safety programs, and offering the best in management expertise. For more information on the MBA, please call 412-922-3912 or visit www.mbawpa.org.