According to the Health and Safety Executive, around 2.2 million working days are lost in the construction industry each year, with 25% due to workplace injury. Besides the human cost, this equates to around £25 million lost in labour costs annually.
One of the root causes of this shocking statistic is worker fatigue, which is due in part to workers taking on unaccounted-for and unauthorised ‘double shifts’. This is when a worker finishes a shift at one job and then takes on another shift for a different contractor without resting in between. Not only is this extremely dangerous to the worker, but it also puts teammates at risk.
Traditional access control cards and paper-based authorisation systems simply do not work when tackling this issue. However, an integrated authority-to-work platform used at the industry level, such as the Highways Passport which is powered by Causeway SkillGuard, shares data between contractors and any other organisation working on a National Highways project. This ensures that workers cannot pull a double shift, helping them to manage their own fatigue and keep both their colleagues and themselves, safe.
What authority-to-work solutions do and how they work
Authority-to-work solutions such as Causeway SkillGuard are an efficient way for businesses in the built environment sector to manage construction site health and safety and worker credentials. Digital IDs and passport schemes can ensure that all workers on-site are qualified and fit for work, improving safety and reducing the risk of injuries while streamlining time-consuming validation processes.
The way they work is simple but powerful. When a staff member or contractor arrives on site, their credentials are digitally verified using a smart card or mobile app linked to a central database. This database will already hold all of the necessary data regarding the worker’s training, qualifications and health status. If this data is up to date and meets your standards, you can allow the worker to proceed to the site and their assigned tasks. If not, the issue gets flagged, and the worker is refused access.
Authority-to-work systems significantly enhance the safety of construction sites, according to a report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). But that’s not all that they can do. Below are some of the main reasons authority-to-work solutions should be on your roadmap for 2024/25.
Improve training and skills management
One of the most powerful benefits of a fully operational authority-to-work system is the ability to integrate all training programmes and certification processes under one platform, which can then be accessed via a digital card or the central database.
Site foremen and hiring managers can easily validate workers' training and skills with all necessary data available in one place. This stops unqualified personnel from accessing potentially dangerous areas and alerts workers and managers to expiring certifications, giving them the time to undertake refresher courses or new training.
This automated system also ensures training doesn’t interrupt work schedules without good cause, minimising downtime and optimising the allocation of trainers.
Improve the efficiency of onboarding
Traditional onboarding systems, such as checking physical ID cards at site gates and cross-referencing paper-based records, are expensive and outmoded. In many cases these methods were also subject to human error, leading to unqualified and unfit personnel gaining access to dangerous work environments.
Authority-to-work systems, with their digitised and automated methods for validating worker access, speed up this once laborious process significantly. Health and safety workers no longer have to spend endless hours on paper records and certificates. With many hours saved - National Highways save between eight to 12 hours a week on admin tasks - these professionals can spend more time on-site, enforcing site safety and ensuring regulations are adhered to.
Get more from your data
The construction industry's fragmented nature, with its complex network of supply chains, contractors, and subcontractors, makes using data to enforce regulations challenging. This fragmentation often results in faulty efforts to ensure safety and efficiency.
Reliance on paper-based processes makes it almost impossible for managers of large projects to ensure that all personnel have the necessary skills and expertise to complete their tasks successfully. Data duplication also contributes unnecessarily to workload and increases costs.
By consolidating construction data management into an authority-to-work platform, labour-intensive tasks like ID and competence checks are streamlined, making daily operations more efficient. A unified source of truth for workers and projects ensures that the right people are available at the right times, safeguarding project timelines and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
An authority-to-work system also benefits workers by simplifying the process of finding new jobs and demonstrating their eligibility for projects. It prevents dangerous double shifts and opens up new opportunities for qualified workers, improving their career prospects and overall job satisfaction. For more information on the benefits of digital ID we recommend reading Unlocking Efficiency and Compliance: The Impact of Authority-to-Work Solutions in the Construction Industry, a free ebook from Lighthouse Advisory Partners written in partnership with leaders in the built environment sector.
Make your projects flow with a proven authority-to-work solution
Getting started with an authority-to-work solution couldn’t be easier. Causeway SkillGuard is trusted by many of the industry’s largest businesses, including Kier, National Highways and Network Rail, to ensure projects are safe and successful. Get in touch today to see how we can help you do the same.
Also, if you’d like to learn more about digital ID and its numerous uses in a modern construction environment, download our free ebook: The benefits of deploying advanced digital ID in the construction industry.
