When asked if they’re taking every step, they can to protect employees and minimize risk, most employers would yes. However, a cursory glance at their safety practices glaring flaws that amount to half-hearted investments on safety and insurance.

This may allude to a relatively low-risk workplace, but it gets more complicated than that. The construction industry has tons of different approaches to health and safety, which makes it difficult to stay on top of every little detail. However, the most productive construction companies have one thing in common: an integrated construction field management software.

This system makes it significantly easier to enforce safety standards into practice and also evaluate the risks of construction work – from compliance issues and fines to insurance costs and PPE.

Keep reading to find out why construction field management software plays an increasingly important role in reducing risk and promoting a culture of safe space for everyone.

Develops a Proactive Systems-Based Approach

The systems-based approach to safety makes construction field management system truly effective. It is seamlessly integrated with all departments concerned with safety in construction activities.

For instance, construction managers who are familiar with safety hazards can alert financial risk analysts that more funds need to be allocated to make the workplace a little bit safer. With both departments fully synchronized, they tend to work together instead of being at odds with each other. Construction field management takes a systems approach to safety that recruits all important areas of the construction activity to achieve the company’s safety goals.

This, in turn, minimizes many health hazards that could endanger employee safety. It allows everyone to keep track of safety data, including documentation and safety manuals, which allows for informed decision-making. All in all, construction field management systems encourage everyone to take a proactive, rather than reactive approach to safety precautions, which ultimately reduces the risk of injury and keeps everyone safe.

Helps You Exceed Compliance Protocols

Construction managers know that health hazards do not occur in a vacuum. There is more to an accident than the isolated details of the injury. Organizations that use powerful construction field management systems can go beyond compliance protocols and accurately identify the reasons and precursors that led to an incident in the first place.

When done right, construction field management systems use compliance protocols as a baseline while asking more important questions and identifying trends that breed health hazards. Organizations that fail to identify and address these conditions, even if they comply with OSHA guidelines, are at serious risk of recurring safety incidents.

Reduces Cost Associated with Accidents and Safety Incidents

Construction managers are acutely aware of how difficult and expensive it can be to implement corrective mistakes and health hazards. And without a construction field management system in place, it can be virtually impossible to effectively reduce the safety risks your employees face day in and day out.

Whenever a safety incident occurs, your organization will be on the back foot and vulnerable to the consequences that follow (including lawsuits). This, in turn, can diminish your company’s safety records, which could lead to higher insurance premiums. You’ll end up spending more of the company resource on hiring temporary staff to fill in the gaps of your workforce while injured employees recover.

A construction field management system addresses these areas by integrating risk assessment and cost reduction. This unique approach emphasizes safety practices and prevention, ensuring that your employees are protected from danger and fully insured in the event of an accident. It also improves worker morale since they will know that you take their safety seriously. The result is improved worker morale and higher productivity that boosts your company’s bottom line.

Improves Maintenance Work

Basic maintenance problems cause frequent disruption to daily construction activities that can push back project deadlines by several days, weeks, or even months. Fortunately, construction field management systems can keep track of the most basic construction tasks that are the foundation of your most productive activities.

Most safety incidents occur due to a combination of human error and lack of maintenance oversight. A construction field management system creates processes that minimize human error and maintenance problems.

This also makes it easier to deal with random inspections and audits. Least to say, being extra cautious in this area has a significant financial payoff by preventing an increase in insurance premiums resulting from unsafe work environments. Without a construction field management system in place, a company is at a very high risk from the health and financial consequences of equipment failure and lack of safety procedures.

Improves Documentation

Documentation plays a pivotal role in cultivating a safe environment for all, but it is also one of the most tedious tasks of health and safety in the construction industry.

Poor, inconsistent, and non-existent documentation can pose a serious risk to the company. For instance, without recordkeeping of safety incidents and your response to them, it is a lot more difficult to prove that your organization implemented proper safety precautions and took corrective action in response to those incidents.

A construction field management system provides recordkeeping of accidents, as well as your responses to them. This information can be easily available to anyone who needs it on short notice and can provide evidence to law enforcement agencies.  Good recordkeeping can improve your company’s case and bolster its public image.

Improves Public Image

Speaking of public image, construction field management can play an important role in building brand appeal, gaining new customers, and attracting qualified candidates. For many construction companies, a serious health-related crisis can devastate your public image. In this case, consumers would be far likely to trust you if they feel you don’t take your employee’s health and safety seriously.

This is why using a construction field management system is useful for every organization. It proves to your employees that you care about their safety and are taking every step to ensure they work in a healthy environment. Over time, this can elevate your public image, reduce turnover rates, and make staff hiring easier. A win-win for everyone.

Author Bio:

Dan Conery serves as the Director of Product Marketing for Trimble ProjectSight, which provides contractor project management software. Throughout his 24+ year career, Dan has leveraged a unique blend of backgrounds from the architect, engineering & construction industry, project & program management, and software industry to position tech companies for growth.