ing construction materials around. They fall, roll, tip, bend, break, or otherwise end up in a state where they endanger the crew around them. Communicating when materials are delivered, handled and moved across the site to on-site contractors can keep people out of trouble. Continuously monitoring material stores for quantity, movement & waste will help stop accidents before they have a chance to happen. Onsite Equipment Every construction project uses specialized equipment for various complex tasks. From excavators to 100 ft tall cranes, many equip- ment and tools are familiar sights on any job site. This specialized equipment must be operated only by trained operators with special li- censes. Checking operator license, training and adherence to operating procedures must be part of safety inspections. Keep only equipment needed on the site. Tracking and recording equipment delivery, use and removal from the site must be part of the standard operating proce- dure. Construction managers can easily manage onsite equipment with mobile apps designed for this purpose. As with people and materials, the less equipment around, the better. Always Communicate Job sites are full of construction crews from all walks of life and work for various companies. While on a project, they must stay in sync and work harmoniously. Communication is the key to keeping the project team connected and sharing critical safety and progress data. Mobile-based location-aware solutions can help connect the field to the office and workers on the job site to each other. Construction site safety is a matter of culture, protocol, and technology. The right mix of all three can keep workers safe and sites humming. With OSHA’s data showing that for every $1 spent on site worker safety, the ROI is $4-$6, contractors who focus on safety culture are rewarded with happy workers, no down days, and better returns.
employees help reinforce the safety culture both on & off the site • Upgrade equipment to take advantage of built-in safety upgrades • Check equipment operator licenses for validity and if training updates are required Safety inspections & checklists The standards of OSHA, ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), and CMAA (Construction Management Association of America) require initial, frequent, and periodic inspections of crane and other lifting equipment. Today it is easy to set up a digital checklist with images to conduct these regular inspections efficiently. Mobile apps and video tools make it possible to automate routing equipment inspections. Contractors can improve safety with routine onsite inspections for compliance and rectifying issues through enforcement protocols and training. The safety officer must schedule surprise site visits and record their findings. Keeping track of who, what, when & where is a big task on a construc- tion site. Contractors who use construction management solutions that connect the entire team - Owners, GCs, Subs & Designers–do better with planning, organizing, coordinating, and structuring job site work. Technology for Safety Sometimes when there’s an accident on a job site, someone’s not doing the job they’re supposed to be doing, when they’re supposed to be doing it. This gap in instructions may occur due to schedule changes, misinterpretation, poor judgment, or other reasons. The best way to prevent this is by providing clear instructions to every worker. This is most typically the task of the foreman. A mobile app to pull daily task plans from the scheduled work list makes it easy to delegate work and keep everyone in sync. Construction management software can make the exact plans with instructions available to each worker when they need them. This eliminates all potential misunderstandings and keeps everyone on task. A CMS can efficiently communicate work progress and inform subs when they are scheduled to start on site. Work package planning with crew count, equipment & material helps track if a scheduled task is ready to start. Having only the correct num - ber of people on the job site goes a long way in preventing people from getting hurt. Onsite Material Tracking Construction materials are often heavy, unstable, and stored in locations that make them easy to access and move. Accidents occur while mov -
SHANTHI RAJAN is the founder and CEO of Linarc , the newest construction project management solution for mid to large-scale projects. She’s a seasoned entrepreneur focussed on enterprise applications. She is a product leader with experience in all aspects of company building – ideation, product development including product-market fit, product strategy, building teams and go-to market. She has built multiple successful companies.
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September 2022
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