In the lead-up to any infrastructure construction project, it is crucial to acknowledge the potential safety issues that affect many aging structures. These safety concerns centre around the potential impact on the public and surroundings. As these projects move from the bidding and planning stages to the execution stage over months and years, focus shifts to construction safety.
While traditional safety procedures are a given on any project, construction software is playing a vital role in mitigating safety risks on job sites as infrastructure projects — whether full-on demolition and rebuild or retrofitting — get under way.
Fortunately, there are several options to consider which you can use individually or collaboratively.
Building information modelling (BIM) – a proactive approach
Building information modelling (BIM) can manage safety risks. It’s the Swiss Army knife of safety risk management, containing multiple tools that explore and allow different ways to approach risks.
One tool that sets BIM apart is its 3D visualisation capabilities. These allow you to virtually see, walk through and fly over different portions of the model, including the surrounding environment.
BIM offers a proactive approach to identifying and analysing safety issues — especially those that may be unavoidable — while there’s still the chance to implement safety precaution measures.
Whilst effective for new infrastructure projects, BIM also works for older ones if you have complete project data to input and link to each component within the model. This data creates a more accurate model, allowing you to detect potential hazards and accurately assess how to safely work around areas that may be structurally compromised.
BIM’s communication platform serves as a channel through which project team members can share information about real-time hazards discovered or created during construction. Through this hub, related disciplines can collaboratively explore the most feasible ways to address those safety issues — particularly when tapping into BIM’s visualisation feature to add context to job site risks.
BIM also acts as a source of safety information. With project details contained within its common data environment (CDE), it acts as a repository for safety-related details on each individual component used in the build. These can include material handling and safety protocols for a particular project.
Streamlined safety compliance inspection
Construction inspection software with mobile access has transformed what was once a tedious process into a much more streamlined one. It’s now possible to record hazards and safety incidents in real time through standard checklists and customised forms that account for unique project-specific requirements.
It is this critical timing that allows teams to resolve safety-related issues immediately, reducing the potential threat to physical harm or job site integrity and safety.
Commissioning software
Commissioning software, when used alone, can also take on the role of safety compliance reporting. Used in tandem with inspection software, it can supplement the safety compliance process, which is especially helpful for larger infrastructure projects.
As with inspection software, timing plays a role here too.
Regular commissioning begun at the start of the project shortens the traditionally end-of-project punch list and rework. These often lead to an increase in injuries as workers hurry to meet the original completion deadline.
Risk management software to prevent accidents
Like inspection and commissioning software, risk management software puts the focus on prevention. Choosing a cloud-based platform will make the biggest difference, providing ‘anywhere, anytime’ access to — and the uploading of — safety-related information.
You can lower the incidence of preventable injuries and accidents using cloud-centralised documentation that includes:
- Training records
- Injury and incident reports (complete with photo and/or video evidence)
- Operating manuals for machinery
- Material safety data sheets for handling materials on-site
Quality Assurance (QA) impacting safety
Although quality assurance might seem unrelated to having a direct impact on safety, all the checklists and forms in the world won’t deliver their full value if there isn’t a plan for how and when to use them.
QA starts with processes for project requirement adherence, and quality and safety inspection schedules that are implemented at the very beginning. Project teams can use QA plans to outline frequency of quality check walkthroughs, safety inspections and rolling punch lists. They can also define issue resolution protocols necessary to remedy defects.
Construction safety starts with injury and incident prevention which, in turn, you must put in place before construction begins. Although you cannot completely eliminate every safety risk, you can explore and invest in helpful options which can dramatically reduce their number.
An option like InEight quality management, startup and commissioning can help. Visit ineight.com/request-a-demo/ to arrange for a demo and explore how it can assist you in better protecting your workers and job sites.
This sponsored editorial is brought to you by InEight. For more information, please visit ineight.com.
