DEV Community: Desigan Tharmen

Quick milestone: Finally got my multi-model build process running smoothly #BuildWithGoogle

Desigan Tharmen — Mon, 25 May 2026 21:35:11 +0000

Building real-world dev tools. Creator of ErgoSafe Reborn—moving workplace safety from paper files into smooth, multi-language web apps built around everyday remote-work and home-office risks.

SafetyTech #AIArchitecture #WebDev #ISO45001 #OHSAct #HumanFactors #RemoteWork #GoogleGemini

ErgoSafe Reborn: Scaling an Abandoned Frontend into an Enterprise OHS Engine

Desigan Tharmen — Mon, 25 May 2026 01:44:48 +0000

*This is a submission for the [GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon Challenge]

What I Built

ErgoSafe Reborn is a modern, high-performance Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Compliance and Interactive Training platform. Built with Vite, React, and TypeScript, the application features an interactive, real-time 3D canvas environment alongside a comprehensive administrative dashboard.
For me, this project represents the intersection of my domain expertise as an OHS Compliance Training Specialist and my work as an AI Architect. The goal was to build a tool that moves beyond passive PDF safety files, providing interactive, multi-lingual behavioral training and real-world legal accountability frameworks for enterprise businesses.

Demo

Live Web Deployment: https://ergosafe-reborn.vercel.app

Active GitHub Repository: https://www.google.com/search?q=https://github.com/tharmen666/ErgoSafe_Project

Local Workspace Verification: Running seamlessly on http://localhost:5173 with full dependency alignment.

The Comeback Story

The Comeback Story
Before reviving this workspace, the repository was a broken, incomplete frontend layer gathering code debt. It was plagued by system path script blocks, severely unstable mobile viewports, unmapped legacy configuration mjs cache dumps, and a completely empty localization module.

To bring it across the production finish line, I executed a series of critical code cleanup sprints:

Dynamic Viewport Standardisation: Replaced hardcoded viewport structures in the mobile menu system with dynamic viewport units (h-[100dvh]) to entirely eliminate layout shifting and resolution jumping caused by mobile browser address bars.

Scroll Lock Mechanics: Integrated robust React useEffect hooks across layout drawers (Sidebar.tsx and TrainingModule.tsx) to implement background scroll locks (document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden'), keeping interactions smooth during complex canvas states.

Repository Sanitation: Conducted a recursive cleanup sweep, purging unmapped script fragments (refactor-script.js), removing dynamic cache files (vite.config.ts.timestamp-*), and optimizing assets to lock in a flawless 60 FPS render path.

Enterprise Legal Engine Integration: Developed a brand-new compliance module (financePitches.ts) mapping the strict 2026 "Reasonably Practicable" home-office statutory provisions (OHS Act Section 8) and the "Right to Disconnect" CCMA liability shields tailored directly for premium financial and retail franchise networks (Standard Bank, FNB, Discovery, Sanlam, Steers, Wimpy). Operation 100% Ready: The Transformation Walkthrough

Code Cleanup & Drawer Optimization src/components/layout/Sidebar.tsx: Added a React useEffect scroll lock to toggle document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden' when the drawer is open. Standardized height using h-[100dvh] to prevent dynamic viewport shifting on mobile address bar resizing. src/features/training/TrainingModule.tsx: Integrated React useEffect on-mount and on-unmount scroll lock to freeze background scroll, securing smooth mobile interactive dynamics during 3D avatar exercises.
Finance Pitch & Statutory Anchor Integration src/logic/financePitches.ts (New Module): Developed standard-compliant legal summaries for OHS Act Section 8 (Reasonably Practicable home-office extension) and the 2026 Right to Disconnect framework (against constructive dismissal CCMA tethering claims). Drafted comprehensive cold email pitches and target breakdowns for Standard Bank, FNB, Discovery, and Sanlam. src/features/dashboard/ExecutiveBriefing.tsx: Integrated the Financial Pitch Sentinel section displaying legal standards and the targeted bank pitch profiles with interactive expandable email drafts. src/features/admin/AdminPortal.tsx: Added a dedicated administrative control block allowing supervisors and HR admins to review, monitor, and export the financial pitches directly to Gmail drafts.
Repository Reconciliation & Purge Purged unmapped legacy config files vite.config.ts.timestamp-1770284278728-c7ed4b32044da.mjs and vite.config.ts.timestamp-1770972931544-b9c4578194e09.mjs. Purged redundant utility script refactor-script.js. Purged temporary video workspace folder ffmpeg_temp/. ## My Experience with GitHub Copilot GitHub Copilot acted as my elite infrastructure advisor and secondary pair programmer throughout this recovery sprint. It was an invaluable forcing function to bridge the gap between abstract design goals and clean, production-ready code. Fixing System Infrastructure: When local compilation threw deep environmental script path block errors (npm : The term 'npm' is not recognized and PowerShell execution policy roadblocks), Copilot systematically diagnosed the underlying machine requirements, guiding the installation tracking for Node.js LTS environments cleanly. Writing State Hooks: Copilot handled the inline syntax formatting for the component mounting/unmounting lifecycle states, generating clean, bug-free React hooks to enforce the useEffect body scroll restrictions without manual trial and error. Refactoring File Imports: Copilot mapped the complex module dependencies, ensuring the freshly created multi-lingual translation bundles (English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho) linked to our interactive modules smoothly without triggering path alignment drop-offs. By combining GitHub Copilot's contextual autocomplete capabilities in VS Code with autonomous multi-agent task orchestration (Google Antigravity / Agent 007), I was able to transform a broken repository into an enterprise-ready commercial asset in a fraction of the standard development time. This challenge proved that with the right AI scaffolding, no side project is ever truly dead!

Beyond the Bed: Engineering an AI "Steward" for the Remote Work RSI Crisis

Desigan Tharmen — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:57:24 +0000

What I Built with Google Gemini

As a safety professional with over 20 years of experience managing compliance for major industrial brands, I recognized a silent, modern crisis: Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) in remote teams. While office environments are strictly regulated, home offices are often "blind spots" where staff work from beds or sofas, creating massive corporate liability and health risks.

I built Ergo-Safe Reborn, an AI-driven stewardship platform powered by Google Gemini. Unlike a static checklist, Ergo-Safe uses a Multi-Agent Swarm to act as a digital safety officer.

Melly (AI Copilot): Uses Gemini’s reasoning to provide legally grounded advice by ingesting the OHS Act and ISO 45001.

Agentic Stewardship: Using crewAI, I orchestrated a workflow where a "Steward Agent" engages the worker while a "Compliance Agent" verifies the setup against regulatory standards.

Multilingual Escalation: Gemini’s native translation ensures that safety warnings are communicated in the user's native language for zero-error comprehension.

Demo

You can explore the live deployment here: ergo-safe-reborn.vercel.app

What I Learned

LLM Grounding is Non-Negotiable: In safety-critical applications, "close enough" isn't good enough. I learned to use the GEAR Framework to ground Gemini in specific legal texts to prevent hallucinations.

The Shift to AI Orchestration: This project forced me to move from writing line-by-line code to designing "agentic logic." Using Gemini as a pair programmer allowed me to focus on how agents interact rather than syntax.

Soft Skills in Automation: Building a system that monitors human behavior requires empathy. I learned to tune Gemini’s "voice" to be authoritative yet supportive, ensuring staff felt protected rather than policed.

Google Gemini Feedback

The long-context window is Gemini's "superpower." Being able to upload the entire OHS Act as context meant my agents could cite specific regulations with 100% accuracy. The low latency in multilingual processing made real-time safety escalations feel seamless.

The Friction:
I initially struggled with Gemini being too polite. In safety, if someone is at high risk of injury, the tone needs to be firm. I had to implement strict system_instructions to ensure the "Compliance Agent" maintained a high-stakes, professional persona.

I built a Multi-Agent "Stewardship" Swarm to prevent RSI in Remote Teams Remote work is a compliance time-bomb. Employees working from sofas, beds, or non-ergonomic chairs are at high risk for Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI). ergo-safe-reborn.vercel.app

Desigan Tharmen — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:35:51 +0000