Winvic steps up safety with Biosite’s smart fingerprint security

Posted:

As recognition of our work with Winvic, helping them improve the management of their workers on site, this case study has been identified on the Considerate Constructors Scheme Best Practice Hub.

We’ve created a short video to support the case study described in more detail below

 

BACKGROUND & CHALLENGE

The traditional signing-in book is an archaic system for knowing who’s on site. There are many opportunities for information to be wrong or missing.

Winvic’s HSEQ Director had previous knowledge of biometric scanners from the Birmingham New Street project, but didn’t have confidence in their accuracy or consistency.

Winvic needed a new solution to improve workforce management and health & safety on site.

 

Biosite’s Access Control & Workforce Management system has so many useful functions – from performance monitoring and a reduction in paperwork to efficient people, traffic and data management. It’s a reliable audit trail across HSEQ that I have the utmost confidence in.

Ian Goodhead, Winvic HSEQ Director

APPROACH

Biosite’s biometric Access Control and Workforce Management system was identified for its proven accuracy and reliability, using their unique fingerprint scanning technology, developed specifically for the low quality fingerprints in the construction sector.

The Biosite system captures a wide range of data, allowing for individual traceability of:

  • Time-in-attendance
  • Health & safety accreditation
  • Training records
  • Workers’ proximity to site

Winvic trialled the Biosite system on their Primark Warehouse project in Northamptonshire.

Biosite trained Winvic’s HSEQ team initially and they also trained new users on site.

 

SOLUTION

Winvic now uses the system on all sites in four different ways:

  • At its head office in Northampton a fingerprint scanner is located at either side of the main door for entry in and out
  • On other sites, between one and four turnstiles and scanners are used
  • When site entrances have to change locations throughout a project, a tablet with a fingerprint reader or a mobile turnstile is used
  • On vast sites such as East Midlands Gateway just a tablet is used.

Winvic also uses the fingerprint scanner in conjunction with the site hazard boards, to ensure all information has been read before being allowed on site.

Biosite’s wireless EN54 Fire Alarm and First Aid Call points were implemented, to ensure efficient evacuation of sites, or access for emergency vehicles.

BENEFITS

The Biosite system is fully digital and allows data to be created and analysed from a range of sources.

A comprehensive profile and movements of each person are easily accessible online.

Inductions can take place online, before a worker arrives on-site, meaning their first day starts quickly.

The barred and suspended online disciplinary system creates a reliable method of exclusion across all Winvic sites.

The initial trial was so successful, the technology has now been rolled out across all Winvic sites, and they continue to work in partnership with Biosite on future developments.

In the first two years over 25,000 people have used the system within Winvic.

 

We’re pleased our ‘can-do’ attitude has simplified Winvic’s process of workforce management.

Li Wang, Biosite Managing Director

Biosite acquires Construct Technology

Posted:

Biosite is delighted to announce as part of its continued expansion that it has acquired Construct Technology, to further strengthen its range of services for the UK construction sector.

Construct Technology have developed a mobile technology that delivers time and costs savings for construction site managers. The Construct mobile app offers project managers specific project management and BIM collaboration tools. The app allows cross-site and multi–location real time information management which means everyone on or off-site is up to date, all of the time. The Construct app also keeps sites compliant, with a paperless audit trail that streamlines process milestones, sign offs and handovers.

“When our range of app-based products are combined with Biosite’s biometric access control system, it becomes one of the most powerful and comprehensive workforce management tools on the market today. Biosite is a perfect company to take our business to the next level and was the ideal choice to exploit our products with. Their own algorithm for fingerprint recognition is one of the best in the world and the fact that they also develop all their software and hardware in-house became a really exciting proposal for us.”

Anthony Erwin at Construct Technology

Since 2010, Biosite has been providing leading access control and workforce management solutions for construction sites. In more recent years, they have extended their product portfolio to give customers a complete integrated solution, to help manage, monitor and maximise safety and security on their sites. This new acquisition is another great asset to their already unrivalled product range.

This comes in the same year that Biosite acquired Mosaic Management Systems and was also identified as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the UK, by being listed on the prestigious Sunday Times Tech Track 100.

“Construct Technology was an obvious partner for our business, as better use of data and reducing paperwork will directly help the productivity of our construction sector customers. This acquisition will allow us to further improve our technology, helping us have a positive impact on safety for those working in the construction industry.”

Li Wang, managing director of Biosite

PLENDI by Vinci Construction use Biosite’s wireless fire alarm system

Posted:

PLENDI has chosen to use Biosite’s wireless fire alarm system to protect its workforce and assets during a major refurbishment.

PLENDI by Vinci Construction is refurbishing a multi-storey building in an elite area of Paris near the Champs Elysées. The project will convert the site into a brand-new high-end hotel.

As with any construction site, health and safety is of primary concern, so PLENDI by Vinci Construction chose to use Biosite’s products to help maximise safety and security on site. Biosite provides access control and temporary fire alarm solutions specifically designed for construction sites.

The fifteen-storey building is being refurbished over a two year period and so a reliable safety solution was needed that could support the site for the duration of the build.

Biosite’s wireless fire alarm offered numerous benefits, such as:

  • Automatic fire detection and call points associated to one base station
  • Call points on trolleys at each staircase
  • Wireless coverage from underground car parks to the rest of construction site and welfare cabins at the same time
  • There was the option to zone the building separately if needed
  • It was all installed and set up in two days
  • Ability to use PLENDI by Vinci Construction’s own fire extinguishers on Biosite trolleys that are branded with signage provided

A wired solution would have cost up to three times the price due to the different phases of the project. Using this wireless solution means all they had to do is move the fire trolleys where they were needed, as the project develops.

For more information on Biosite’s products in France, please visit www.biositesystems.fr or email mike.walmsley@biositesystems.com

Improved workforce management and safety for Careys

Posted:

“We chose Biosite for our access control and emergency management because of its integrated approach. Placing all functions on one portal makes management and review of the system easily accessible whilst the integration gives us confidence in our security and emergency arrangements”

MICHAEL O SHEA​
CAREYS PROJECT MANAGER

 

BACKGROUND & CHALLENGE

As the Principal Contractor, Careys needed a single supplier to provide an easy-to-use, integrated system including:

  • Access control, to prevent unauthorised operatives on site
  • Online reporting portal
  • A reliable, hassle-free fire alarm solution
  • A comprehensive and configurable delivery management system (DMS).

Operating in a challenging central London location, the successful supplier would need to have the ability to tailor their solution, adapting it to the local environment, in terms of aesthetics and deliveries.

By choosing the right system, Careys would be able to dramatically reduce the excessive levels of paperwork and improve health and safety on site.

 

APPROACH

Biosite firstly understood the needs of Careys and gave a full demonstration of their system’s capabilities to a working group including the health and safety and project management teams.

Following a rigorous process, Biosite’s range of products were chosen, as they achieved everything that Careys had stipulated and more, as well as an accurate financial proposal.

Biosite’s experience on similar projects allowed them to show how Carey’s specific challenges could be overcome.

The Biosite system was chosen due to the usability and integrated nature of the solutions, with all the separate components working seamlessly within one system, all linked by the unique ‘one person, one profile’ biometric fingerprint technology.

 

SOLUTION

Biosite provided its biometric access control and delivery management system, with integrated fire alarm and online fire portal to aid and improve health & safety on site.

A joint on site working group carried out a number of pre-start sessions to ensure a smooth implementation of site set-up, data capture and configuration, this was followed up with on site training on each area of the integrated system.

A delivery management solution was tailored to Careys, taking into account local challenges.

Biosite’s EN54 certified wireless fire and first aid alarm was installed and configured to the project needs via specified zoning and remote reporting from the Biosite portal. Careys can be confident the system is fully functioning due to the automatic integrity check.

Following this successful implementation, Careys have now deployed Biosite technology on it’s other ‘top-down’ projects.

 

BENEFITS

Biosite’s integrated system ensures only the people with the right credentials are on site.

GDPR compliance with Biosite’s unique biometric user profiling and de-duplication of operative records. An operative’s unique profile and history stays with them throughout their time with Careys.

Biosite is future-ready with its open API, enabling direct integration with existing systems used at Carey Group to generate insight into their workforce.

Careys have the option to carry out pre-enrolment checks and registration off site.

Configurable site data on media screens will display operatives on site – by organisation and trade.

Trusted fire alarm system allows for quick, flawless evacuation with automatic printing of roll call and free spin of the turnstiles.

 

“It’s been a pleasure working with Michael and the Careys team. From understanding their challenges, to helping them develop an end-to-end workforce management and fire safety solution to keep their staff safer.”

REBECCA COWLING
BIOSITE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

The Right to Work on Your Site

Posted:

Over the past couple of years, Brexit has stirred up much debate about the level of non-UK workers in the construction industry. It’s clear that there are many migrants working in roles across the breadth of the industry, but what is not clear is how many of them really have the right to work in the UK and how this can be properly managed.

In 2017, the CITB worked with IFF Research and the Institute of Employment Research (IER) at the University of Warwick to produce a comprehensive study of the role of non-UK workers in construction. What they found was that 1 in 3 construction firms take on migrant workers. Of these firms, 1 in 8 of their workforce are not UK nationals, with this rising to about 1 in 2 within London.

Skills shortages and availability were cited as the top reasons for taking on international workers. This is even more significant considering that earlier this year skills shortages in the UK were reported as hitting the worst recorded level. It appears there is a desperate need for skilled people to come into the country and take up these roles, but this leaves the question of how to properly manage it. Something that is absolutely vital.

The penalties for employing illegal workers can be severe. The government states that “you can be sent to jail for 5 years and pay an unlimited fine if you’re found guilty of employing someone who you knew or had ‘reasonable cause to believe’ didn’t have the right to work in the UK.” Therefore checking workforces is imperative and those in charge need to be able to demonstrate that such checks took place.

However, many find this easier said than done. Construction companies have numerous workers across multiple sites at any given time which can make tracking people very difficult.

This is where a product like Biosite’s workforce management system can really help. Before an operative even gets to site, they are asked to register online. This will capture all their details and will then be matched with their fingerprint to ensure a totally unique record is created.

Alongside CSCS card checks, health and safety screening and inputting details of training, operatives also need to state that they have the right to work in the UK. All the answers to these questions will then follow that operative throughout the entire time that they work at a particular company, irrelevant of how many different sites they may travel to. If they try to create a new profile with alternative details it will be flagged up the second the fingerprint is matched, meaning duplication is truly eliminated.

With no confusion over profiles, a genuine unique match and clear data input, construction companies can have peace of mind that those who are working on their sites should definitely be there. It is also very easy to prove that these checks were made, by whom and on what date through the in-built reporting tools.

Furthermore, all these checks are done before an operative even leaves their home to start working on the site. This means the time wasted going over such details on site is no longer a problem.

To find out more about how Biosite’s right to work checks can help you, please contact us on 0121 374 2939 or email nick.hickman@biositesystems.com.

Biosite Systems listed on Sunday Times Tech Track 100

Posted:

Biosite Systems have been identified as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the UK, by being listed on the prestigious Sunday Times Tech Track 100.

Biosite are placed 61st on the list, announced on the 9th September. The Sunday Times Tech Track 100 league table ranks Britain’s 100 private tech companies with the fastest-growing sales over the last three years.
This recognition comes as the business continues to develop innovative technology solutions to improve workforce management and fire safety on construction sites.

The company’s biometric access control system with linked reporting portal, and wireless fire alarm are designed specifically for the construction sector. They are both helping to address the ever-increasing compliance and safety challenges in the industry.

Li Wang, managing director of Biosite, said: “This inclusion in Tech Track is down to the vision, commitment and hard work that all our staff have shown over the previous eight years. This has allowed us to continually improve our technology, helping us have a positive impact on safety for those working in the construction industry.

“I would also like to thank all our customers who have supported us on the journey so far – this result would not be possible without their input and loyalty.”

Biosite on the BBC

Posted:

In the spring, the BBC contacted us saying they were looking for a fingerprint scanner for a scene in their daytime TV Drama ‘Doctors’ and could we help. At Biosite we provide a state of the art biometric access control product and so we had just what they needed.

One of our engineering team took one of our scanners down to their set, not too far from our office. It was used to film a family having their fingerprints taken by a police officer. So a bit different to the real life use of our products on construction sites, but it still worked really well.

The episode was aired on Monday 3rd September. The Carter family were questioned at the police station and Biosite’s workforce management system was used to scan their fingerprints individually. The Biosite logo could be clearly seen throughout the fairly long scene and it was great that the ease and speed of system was so visually apparent. We were delighted.

Find out more about our workforce management solution.