Increasingly, companies are making the shift from paper-based safety approaches to digital platforms. There’s more to going paperless than simply less paperwork; the benefits of improving safety performance extend well beyond the worksite.
1. It Demonstrates Commitment
Managing Director of Risk and Safety Solutions Chris Haddrill, says adopting a digital construction platform proves a business and its leadership is clearly committed to improving safety. Where a company decides to get its management systems third-party accredited as part of ISO Certification, it further demonstrates and verifies its focus on continual improvement.
2. Instant Oversight From Anywhere
Commercial construction firm Renascent holds Federal Safety Commissioner and ISO Certification for its management systems. National HSEQ Manager Ewi Stephens says using the Procore platform as part of its safety approach gives the management team instant oversight of all on-site safety processes from anywhere.
As part of the company’s commitment to continuous improvement, spot audits are carried out regularly to confirm that site teams address all necessary workplace safety indicators and requirements.
Renascent Client Engagement Manager Amelia Kemp explained the company also uses the platform when speaking with clients.
“Safety is the number one thing clients ask about,” Kemp says. “With the platform, we can show them our sites in real time.”
3. Faster Issue Resolution
When a site manager finds out about an issue, they can now react quickly. They no longer have to go to the office to send emails to resolve the issue. A digital platform enables them to log an incident and assign it for immediate action while on-site, Haddrill says.
“If there is a situation, you can take a photo, put in a non-conformance and assign corrective actions. That means there is a quicker response time for issues, so they are closed out fast.”
4. Adjust Quickly to Change
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Renascent’s Melbourne sites had to quickly adopt COVID-safe practices for the Level 4 lockdown. Besides reducing staff to 25 percent of the average on-site workforce, companies needed to implement additional cleaning, PPE and other measures. The decision was made to apply the measures across all sites nation-wide.
The platform enabled them to calculate the appropriate staffing levels quickly. Other important details like additional PPE, cleaning and other measures were also entered into the inspection template.
“It took around five and a half hours (with the platform). To do it conventionally (with paper), who knows how long that would take,” Stephens says.
Changes to requirements also get seen quickly.
“Procore is a big part of our OH&S; all our people are on it every day. There is not a lot they don’t notice.”
5. Concentrate on What Matters Most
As the platform automates so much of the administrative side of safety, it frees up time for site managers and others to concentrate more closely on the most high-risk tasks, Haddrill explains. The analytics and reporting also generate insights into which tasks are associated with injuries, and what types of injuries are occurring, allowing companies to put corrective measures in place.
6. Improved Teamwork and Collaboration
“There is an added morale benefit. You get good communication with your workers because workers can raise issues directly within the platform. So, you also increase collaboration, increase communication and increase consultation. People are more aware of their own obligations for safety,” added Haddrill.
For Renascent’s teams, the platform has established greater transparency and bridged the divide between the office and the sites.
“There is more collaboration,” Stephens says. “Both the office and the site are looking at the same document, such as an inspection checklist.”
The platform also enhanced safety awareness.
“The way you view safety is how you will treat safety. Everyone (on site) wants to prove they can do things the right way.”
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