With workplace safety an increasing concern and a growing number of overseas workers filling jobs in Ireland, Safeguard Systems, a specialist in identity management systems, has launched a new software product for the construction industry aimed at making contractor management and work authorisation simpler and more efficient.
Construction firms are obliged to keep forms to satisfy health and safety requirements but this can create a lot of paperwork. “This application works with the latest technologies,” said Peter Plant, a director with Safeguard Systems. “It will dramatically reduce the workload of the staff member who looks after all contractors by simplifying check in, data capture and ease of information retrieval for repeated work.”
Safework allows companies to monitor people while on the premises, where they are, who they are with and what work they are carrying out. There is an optional photo ID module to further enhance security.
The solution includes a feature for building a database history of all contractors categorised according to work type, job date and time. Contractors can be rated according to their abilities in certain areas and a search facility allows companies to choose a contractor on that basis, for example listing all electrical contractors.
Any accident or incident that occurs as a consequence of a contractor working on site is recorded in detail and attached to the job records. It also records the issue of and or requirement of personal protective equipment.
The Safework software provides details of specific health and safety regulations and records public liability insurance and FAS Safepass identification numbers, ensuring a company’s legal obligations are met. With foreign contractors an increasing feature in the Irish construction sector, the software includes a multilingual option with the ability to incorporate a selection of main European languages.
Safeguard in Ireland currently has a customer base of 3,500 across small vertical market operators up to large multinational businesses.
By Gordon Smith
