Siloed project safety data is a major barrier to productivity on construction sites - How can software solve this problem?

The Global Construction Industry is experiencing a shift to digital. According to RICS, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, digital transformation is a priority for 72% of construction firms worldwide. However, the construction industry is still way behind in digital adoption. This is due to the nature of the industry, unlike other industries, which have relatively stable supply chains and operating structures. Construction is an inherently fragmented industry based on dispersed teams and one-off projects where scores of different contractors must collaborate on large projects to achieve project objectives. Successfully delivering projects relies on stakeholders efficiently sharing and accessing critical data as the project develops.

‍Data management on projects still relies on email and manual inputting to manage key data.

A typical construction project requires multiple data streams connecting stakeholders throughout a project’s lifecycle. In the early stages, design and procurement are the most critical. Once works commence on site planning, project management and operational quality and safety become crucial. While these flows must overlap, a one size fits all approach will not work.

Different constraints exist in data shareability, and end-user consideration which dictate different methods. The emergence of BIM has helped break down data siloes regarding key design data on projects. Furthermore, many major contractors have adopted cloud-based project management solutions to track project budgets and forecasts. However, email and manual transfer of key operational data such as workers’ training records, equipment inspection, and on-site permits is still prevalent. On any given project, the most critical responsibility of any site manager is to ensure that the work crews have proper training and instruction for their tasks, and that the equipment they are using is up-to-date and current.

Typically, any activity on-site could involve numerous subcontractors with many different suppliers. Getting the supply chain to change onto a new process is a prohibitive factor that leads contractors to default to manual means such as email, excel spreadsheets, paper records, and manual file upload and transfer.

As outlined below, the result is increased overhead costs, reduced labour productivity, and increased safety risk.
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‍Increased Overheads – The total cost of management and other overheads on major projects can exceed 15-20%. A significant portion of this cost is the need for staff and subcontractors to have administrators manually store, share and file key project data.
Reduced Labour Productivity – Subcontractor work crews can lose up to 1 hour per day on specific projects while safety data is verified by supervisors, safety teams, and client reps. Training records, equipment inspections, method statements, and permits are prerequisites for most project tasks. Typically, these are stored in multiple places, both paper-based and varying IT-based systems.
Increased Safety Risk – Supervisors need easy access to key team safety data. When information is paper-based or buried in online files, the inherent risk of crews completing tasks with incorrect documentation increases.

‍How Can Software Help?

Practical software solutions that eliminate repetitive admin tasks and provide real-time visibility of important project information can deliver measurable productivity and safety benefits, and increase the bottom line for companies. At Boxcore, our easy-to-implement solution has been designed and built with a field-first perspective, by experienced construction managers. As a result, Boxcore eliminates the need for project teams to use emails, spreadsheets, and manual file uploads when sharing key safety data such as worker training, method statements, permits and asset inspections. All of this information is now in one place – Boxcore. Our practical user interface design ensures simple onboarding for workers and subcontractors, to ensure adoption on-site.