How Contractors Manage and Enhance Safety in Residential Construction

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Residential construction is special because it provides affordable housing to people and can stimulate the economy by creating jobs. It also creates communities and essentially protects the environment. 

There are a lot of moving parts to a construction site but one thing always remains the same. Our workforce and contractors are the backbone of every construction project and require quality oversight so everything can run smoothly.

Today, many owners and general contractors are aiming to streamline construction safety and enhance productivity rates by unlocking real-time insights, alerts and analytics on projects. This allows managing their workforce and contractors more efficiently than in the past so jobsites are safe, compliant, and productive.

Residential construction project types: 

• Single-family 
• Multi-family 
• Renovations and remodels
• Custom
• Prefab
• Green 
• Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

Contractor types on residential projects:

• Framing contractors
• Electrical contractors
• Plumbing contractors
• HVAC contractors
• Roofers
• Drywall contractors
• Flooring contractors
• Tile contractors
• Painting contractors
• Cabinet makers
• Landscapers
• Concrete contractors
• Excavation contractors
• Demolition contractors
• Masonry contractors
• Insulation contractors
• Security contractors
• Solar contractors

Automate processes with digital onboarding and orientation

Residential construction projects tend to have many contractors on the jobsite. It can be very difficult to onboard and give safety orientations to every worker and contractor manually, but through digital solutions like Kwant, many companies are streamlining their onboarding experience so that everyone is safe and compliant. When you choose a digital onboarding software like Kwant, you also get built-in features like background checks and customized forms. Having a digital onboarding process also supports contractor retention, engagement, and compliance.

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Simplify contractor management with a centralized platform 

As represented earlier above, there are many types of contractors that come in and out of a residential construction site so it can be hard to manage the day-to-day operations.

Having the ability to manage your workforce and contractors efficiently has countless values around safety and productivity for your project. Having a centralized workforce platform solution that hosts all of your worker and contractor information is the first step to enhancing your management process.

General contractors and owners who centralize workforce and company information into a simple platform solution tend to succeed more than the traditional management styles.

Within the workforce management platform, companies are able to create profiles keep digital records of key information on their workforce necessary to work on the project, like certifications, licenses (OSHA/SST), basic information, location, and safety activity.

Management can also receive notifications when recertifications are necessary with workers so the project continues to stay compliant.

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Automate headcount and strengthen safety with access control

When it comes to construction, the check-in process needs to be smooth and quickly be able to validate who should be allowed to work on site. Checking in manually has too many flaws that can leave a work site non-compliant.

If contractors are not certified or accounted for as they enter a work site, this leaves room for future injury and further costs.

Today, general contractors and owners are looking at solutions like Kwant to automate their check-in process while ensuring their site is safe and secure with access control or turnstiles.

This will allow for a compliant work site and give security a chance to quickly flag who is not certified and validate who should be on site. Companies like Kwant also provide contactless access control using real-time location, smart badges, and visualization tools. Ask for more information (see demo) if you are interested. 

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Know where your team is working with real-time visibility

Having the right platform that allows you to gain real-time visibility or better known as real-time location (RTL), is a game changer. With real-time visibility, general contractors and owners can manage their workforce efficiently with data-driven insights, alerts, and analytics.

No matter if your teams are working in multiple locations like floor one, the basement, and floor five, you will be able to see if your contractors are working in the correct zone.

With real-time visibility, companies can be flexible managing workers in residential areas while there are living tenants in the building. This is a very important and valuable solution to keep people safe on both ends while keeping productivity rates up with the project.

Top management benefits to real-time visibility:

• Tracks progress by zone and tasks
• Automates contractor headcount 
• Manages contractors by zone and floor
• Monitors performance
• Improves safety
• Enhances collaboration
• Validates information 
• Improves productivity

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Streamline safety and collaboration with mass communication 

Communication is one of the most important aspects of any project, especially around safety. Many general contractors and owners are utilizing mass communication to support their safety program.

Mass communication is necessary for many reasons including fast incident response time through text/email alerting, evacuation alerts, muster point locations, and zone restrictions. 

In the past, mass communication was not supported well due to limitations and was generally in the form of walkie talkies. Today, digital mass communication is becoming incorporated more within safety programs due to the tie in with compliance. 

Enhance contractor success with insights, alerts, and analytics 

Construction sites produce massive amounts of data, it’s only a matter of capturing and utilizing that information properly so your project is successful. Managing your workforce and contractors becomes a lot easier when you gain project insights, safety alerts, and predictive analytics. 

There are so many ways to utilize insights, alerts, and analytics to strengthen contractor management. General contractors and owners may understand worker and company insights to identify opportunities, irregularities, or risks within the project.

Companies can also track performance rates, see trends, and generate valuable reports on your workers and contractors for data-driven decisions. Having this type of solution creates accountability. As we continue into the digital age, the tools we utilize must keep up. 

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Next steps - starting with a simple management solution 

If you are looking to simplify the chaos around contractor management within construction while keeping your jobsite safe and secure, try a workforce management solution like Kwant.

Unlock real-time insights, alerts, and analytics on your project for massive return on investments. See how easy it is to get started. Schedule a free demo today.

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