Construction safety is a top priority for all firms and contractors. That’s why more construction pros are moving to digitize their construction safety programs to create more visibility into their operations. 

The Data Dilemma 

A study from FMI research found that 96% of data goes unused in the construction industry. This highlights the challenge and opportunity that exists for companies to become more data-driven. 

The Challenge

With a distributed workforce that is on different job sites or has multiple subcontractors, it can be difficult to gather data in a consistent way. Traditional safety measures that rely on paper forms make it difficult to roll up that information for reporting and the data becomes lost on paper forms or siloed across the business. This high level of business complexity is a challenge for construction companies, but can be solved by focusing on improving its data processes and culture.

The Opportunity

Countless studies have shown the importance of using data to make business decisions. When data is accurate and available in near real-time, organizations are able to gain greater visibility into their operations and use that information to take appropriate next steps. The opportunity to take advantage of data starts with digitizing programs to improve the data that is captured, ultimately leading to better reporting and processes for construction safety. Key outcomes of digitization include lowered risk and liability, greater productivity, and higher employee satisfaction.

The data dilemma that construction firms and contractors face is the need to move away from paper forms and manual processes through digitization and automation that can streamline operations and provide greater insights. While this requires careful upfront planning and dedicated resources, the upside can be highly beneficial for achieving better construction safety outcomes in the long term.

3 Reasons to Digitize Your Construction Safety Programs

#1. Better Data Capture

Accurate reporting relies on having the best data possible. By improving the quality of the data you’re collecting, this allows you to make the best decisions for your business. 

This all starts with data capture. For field operations, the core component of capturing better data in the field relies on mobile technology. Digitizing your construction safety programs often starts with the data that is captured in the field. Traditionally on the paper forms and sheets, now is captured through mobile devices and tablets that sync the information in real-time to the cloud.

In terms of your safety management programs, this would include all types of data that needs to be captured. Examples include:

• OSHA Forms
• Inspections and Audits
• Job Safety Analysis
• Safety Meetings 
• Incident Reports
• Hazard Management
• Safety Data Sheets

All of these paper forms are opportunities to digitize how data is captured, using simple mobile forms to capture better data from the field. 

Digital forms reduce errors and standardize how data is collected. While paper forms are error-prone and can become lost over time, digital forms can require information and can always be accessed securely through the cloud.

With better practices for data capture in the field, you’re able to take that information and use it for better analytics and reporting.

#2. Greater Data Visibility

Tracking the progress of your safety programs can be difficult on paper forms and manual processes. Just getting the information ready for reporting can become a heavy lift for your teams, making it less likely that you can do the analysis you want in the end. 

By eliminating paper and digitizing safety data, all of those key safety data points are available for reporting. Using safety management software, data is captured in real-time and available for you to run as reports, dashboards, or analytics. Are there job sites that are falling behind on compliance? Can you spot trends in your incident reporting over time? Have safety meetings been held and attended? 

Setting up your data capture around the KPIs and business questions you want to answer can help you with data analytics. Better processes for data capture, leads to more accurate and complete data. If you are looking for real-time data exploration and analysis, safety management software can help you to capture better data and serve it for instant insights to drive decision-making. 

#3. Improved Data Processes and Culture

Tools and technology for construction safety will help you with the data capture and reporting components. But it will also help you to improve processes and your culture over time.

Digitizing your construction safety programs provides a central solution for employees and managers. There is accountability and structure, so everyone knows where to go when they need to take an action. For example, employees may be looking for an SDS sheet, file an incident report, or attend a safety meeting. With a comprehensive safety management solution, all of these resources are clearly documented and available to access when they are needed. 

In the digital era that we live in today, employees prefer using their phones or mobile devices to access information. This has the benefit of simplifying data forms and eliminating manual work that is a drain on productivity and morale. 

A robust safety program that is managed digitally is a clear sign to employees that their well-being is a top concern, helping with retention and satisfaction on the job. Clear processes and a culture of safety can have a positive impact on the business, making it a clear return on investment for digitizing construction safety.

If you’re ready to go digital, reach out to the team at GoCanvas to learn more about our comprehensive and easy-to-use safety management solutions.

Why are construction inspections required?

Construction inspections are performed during all phases of a project to ensure that health and safety standards are being met. Employee health and safety is a top priority for construction companies and there are regulations in place set by OSHA to ensure compliance.

In addition to the inspections that companies perform, OSHA also performs their own inspections of construction sites that can happen at any time to review compliance and issue any penalties or fines.

With the sheer volume of construction sites, it means that OSHA has to prioritize where they are performing inspections. According to the OSHA fact sheet on inspections, they prioritize based on a specific set of criteria:

• When they hear of imminent danger situations
• When severe injuries and illnesses are reported
• When workers complain anonymously
• When various agencies or organizations refer potential hazards
• When workplaces are known historically to be high hazard
• When they are performing a follow-up inspection

The prioritization of inspections is effective to incentivize employers that follow the rules and implement health and safety best practices. The goal is to have thorough construction inspection processes in place so that you are identifying issues, or your employees feel like they can come to you first with their concerns, and issues can be appropriately addressed. Having these processes in place is good for your employees’ health and safety, as well as your company’s productivity and bottom line.

Benefits of Using Mobile Apps for Construction Inspections

The traditional method for performing a construction inspection has been on paper forms. But anyone who has dealt with paper forms knows how inefficient that process can be. Some of the pitfalls of paper forms include:

• Lost or misplaced forms buried in filing cabinets
• Human error when filling out the form
• Incomplete or inaccurate data that causes issues later
• Sustainability concerns with heavy usage of paper

The current shift in the construction industry is a move toward digital transformation, where documents live as secure files in the cloud and can be filled out via mobile devices on construction sites. 

You can see how this type of solution solves the challenge of paper forms, ensuring that documents are easy to find, are filled out properly, and are in line with sustainable practices, reducing paper usage. 

With all of this information now available in real-time, another win for construction companies is the ability to analyze the data to understand safety trends and to have the necessary reports available when they are needed most.

Data and analytics have been slow for adoption in the construction industry, but data analytics is quickly becoming one of the greatest assets for improving productivity, ensuring safety and compliance, and tracking and reporting on key elements of business operations.

The Top 10 OSHA Violations in 2021

A recent article from Health and Safety magazine cited data from OSHA that summarizes their annual report of the top 10 health and safety violations. Below is a summary of the data for the construction industry violations in FY 2021:

1.     Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 5,295 violations
2.     Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,527 violations
3.     Ladders (1926.1053): 2,026 violations
4.     Scaffolding (1926.451): 1,948 violations
5.     Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 1,947 violations
6.     Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 1,698 violations
7.     Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 1,666 violations
8.     Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,452 violations
9.     Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 1,420 violations
10.     Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,113 violations

OSHA reveals this data to create awareness around the top hazards in the workplace so that employers can proactively address health and safety issues that are very much preventable. In the next section, we will cover how you can improve construction health and safety programs with digital construction inspections that can help to minimize your risk from the top 10 violations cited by OSHA.

Apps and Templates for Construction Inspections

Leveraging digital technologies and the use of mobile apps can help you formalize your safety management programs. It will help you store inspection and training records in case you need to show documentation, helping you to stay compliant and avoid fines.

A benefit of using GoCanvas for your safety management program is that we have hundreds of pre-built construction inspection templates, checklists, and incident reports that your company can leverage and customize to fit your unique needs.

To minimize the most common OSHA violations, check out our list of construction inspection apps and templates that we have compiled for you to get started.

Construction Inspection apps and templates:

• Fall Protection
• Hazard Communication
• Respiratory Protection
• Scaffolding
• Ladders
• Lockout/Tagout 
• Powered Industrial Trucks
• Eye and Face
• Machine Guarding

Additional templates for construction inspections

In addition to this list on health and safety, there are other types of construction inspections that your organization should be aware of, including ones for quality control, building inspections, and much more. The top 10 list is a great place to start, but if you are looking for additional construction inspections, checklists, or reports, you can find them through the GoCanvas application store.

With the current competitive landscape of construction and the tight margins that exist, every company should prioritize ways to keep their workforce productive. Leveraging technologies like GoCanvas to improve your health and safety programs will lead to lower risk to your company and greater profit margins over time.

Mobile Tech Making a Major Impact in Fire Safety

Fire inspection apps for iPads, iPhones, Android, and Apple mobile devices are powerful tools to help streamline any business doing safety and routine inspections ranging from simple fire extinguishers and alarms to robust fire protection systems. Fire alarm inspection apps, fire extinguisher inspection apps, fire safety inspection apps and more are all common uses of the GoCanvas platform. The major benefits of these apps include:

Time savings – With fire inspection apps, you can insert pictures, notes and signatures at the time of inspection. This saves fire inspectors tons of time because GoCanvas will  generate the reports automatically instead of taking time later manually add photos to your reports and forms and manually send them out to customers.

Improved data accuracy – With paper fire inspection forms, data can often be inaccurate do to a variety of factors, such as skipped fields, illegible data or doing calculations incorrectly. Or worse, the form gets lost and someone has to redo the inspection. With GoCanvas, you can set up your inspection forms so that certain fields are required and can’t be skipped. And since you aren’t dealing with paper, your reports can be instantly shared back to the office when they’re complete.

Since the very beginning here at GoCanvas, fire inspectors have consistently come to us for fire inspection apps and fire system installation apps. They also use GoCanvas for fire inspection app, service ticket apps, checklist apps and more.

GoCanvas allows them to replace every paper form in their clipboard with a mobile form on their iPad, iPhone, Android, or Apple device. They simply pull out their device, launch GoCanvas, and select the particular GoCanvas app they need to fill out.  The data is placed into a PDF document that can be emailed directly to customers and colleagues who need the data. The completed forms are stored on the GoCanvas servers and are accessible anytime via our website.

GoCanvas apps can be customized online using our powerful app builder. You can edit apps found in our application store or build your own from scratch. You can build fire inspection, sprinkler systems and fire safety apps that match the paper forms you’re using today and include some of the great features that paper just can’t match!

Time-Saving Features

GoCanvas apps can be customized online using our powerful app builder. You can edit apps found in our application store or build your own from scratch. You can build fire inspection and fire safety apps that match the paper forms you’re using today and include some of the great features that paper just can’t match!

Signature Capture – Signature capture apps are also popular here at GoCanvas. Signature capture on iPads, iPhones, Android, and Apple devices is done easily with GoCanvas.  Employees or customers can sign right on the screen with their fingers or a styllus.

Insert Pictures/Images – Taking pictures and inserting them into your documents is also very popular. There is nothing worse than spending hours pulling images off of your mobile device or digital camera and then inserting them into a Word document.  GoCanvas allows you to insert them right during the job at the time you capture them.

Barcode Scanning – Barcode apps are also something we see a lot of here at GoCanvas. You could place a barcode on all of the fire extinguishers in a building, for example. When you come to inspect it you just scan the barcode and all the data about that extinguisher auto-populates for the inspector (serial number, model, size, etc.).

GPS – You can ensure that your inspectors were actually on site when they complete their inspections. Your customers don’t want to think that your reports were filled out at the local fast food joint with fake data!

Dispatch – You can queue up jobs for your inspectors using our dispatch feature. Or you can dispatch jobs on a one-off basis as your customers call in needing service. Using a work order app or service ticket app you can fill in the jobsite information and customer contact information and the nature of the problem reported and you inspector or technician can fill in the rest and send it back to you.

Now you can easily modernize the way you are collecting data. Whether you are looking to improve your data handling processes or advance reporting, we hope you consider using GoCanvas as your data collection tool. Sign up for GoCanvas free and give our platform a try today!

Interested in learning more? Check out our eBook on The Power of Data: How to Turn Numbers into Business Insights.