Businesses in the construction industry face a different set of challenges than your average company. Take one aspect: safety. Most businesses face a relatively predictable set of safety issues. In construction due to the nature of building, safety has to be of paramount importance, otherwise workforce welfare could be compromised.
Organising the safety of the workforce can be a massive challenge, particularly on large projects and Joint Ventures (JV), particularly if traditional methods of paper and spreadsheets are employed. Let’s look at some of the most common admin challenges, and how you can manage them more effectively using Mosaic.
#1 Inducting the workforce
In the construction sector, it is vital for each member of the workforce to have a briefing prior to a project starting, so they hit the ground running and know the potential hazards on site. From an administrative perspective, this is a logistical nightmare to get your own workforce and contractors booked on to class slots.
It involves a lot of skilled admin to collate all the contacts and chasing up to ensure everyone receives that all important first induction.
#2 Verifying subcontractors
CSCS verification is a notorious admin burden for contractors – Failure to efficiently check cards and qualifications can result in down time while correct paperwork is produced. Once in-situ keeping on top of the expiry date of qualifications is difficult without the correct software.
#3 Managing plant and maintenance
If your company uses a lot of its own tools, then managing your maintenance responsibilities can be something of an administrative nightmare. You must make sure you meet your contractual obligations while ensuring that testing schedules are managed effectively.
Similarly, plant management can be just as time-consuming and fiddly. You need to manage their use, maintenance and costs – which usually involves a lot of paperwork. Look for some construction asset management software which includes the ability to manage maintenance and plant, if your company struggles with these tasks. By accurately recording these aspects of your business, you also help protect your company during contract disputes.
#4 Ongoing safety briefings
Toolbox talks and daily safety briefings are now common place on most UK sites. But how do Site Managers know if everyone has received them. The simple answer is they generally do not, as there is a time lag between paperwork returning to the office and checks being completed.
#5 Workforce Payment
Ensuring that timesheets are in on time and accurately filled in correctly currently costs the UK construction industry millions in process and human errors. This is usually a paperwork driven exercise that gets approvals from Supervisors once completed further down the chain. It is prone to delays and inaccuracies. Surely there is a better way to track time & attendance.
Sum-up
There’s no doubt that running a modern-day construction business involves plenty of admin – but instead of cutting corners (and risking legal disputes later), you can use today’s technology to turn stacks of paperwork into manageable tasks.
Looking to upgrade your construction health and safety systems now with Mosaic.
