How biometric technology is revolutionising identity, time and attendance tracking for electrical contractors

  Posted by: electime      20th March 2018

Construction projects have always been under considerable pressure to finish to brief and on schedule.

Properly managing a workforce is a top priority, and as personnel is a business’s most valuable asset, those with large teams and working on multiple worksites stand to reap the most benefits of switching from a traditional time clock requiring workers to clock in and out to a biometric (time clock) system that keeps track of workers.

A business can lose the ability to compete with competitors for the best workers if they know that their work and on-the-job experience is not comparable.
Thanks to the emergence of tablets, mobile devices, and now apps, contractors can extend time and attendance systems to remote workers. Because biometric time clocks are accessible from any smart device, they allow workers to clock in and out even when working between job sites.

Additional reasons behind the emergence of biometric solutions according to Kevin Dendy, a Director at biometric identity workplace management specialists Donseed, include:

• Biometric technology is becoming more affordable and mobile.
• Greater market competition is driving efficiency demands and reducing profit margins.
• Keeping accurate records of certifications held by sub-contracted individuals can be a challenging process.
• There is a greater need for increased visibility of on-site health and safety measures.
• The risk around “blame claim” has become more prominent in recent years. Paper records are easily lost and do not provide the needed security to protect against “blame claims” in the future.

On-site health and safety benefits
The benefits of installing biometrics with identity, time and attendance software can be felt not only in the office, but also on-site. By incorporating the technology into a contractors’ HSE programme it can lead to accurate time and attendance tracking and better communication on the ground.

For example, there is the ability to provide a full audit trail of health and safety info accessible in one place.

Many security conscious clients require that all visitors be pre-registered. This type of policy not only enhances the security of the facility, but also further streamlines the process of checking in visitors and issuing badges.

What’s more, tenders must demonstrate the ability to produce an indisputable audit trail showing an electronic record of who’s on-site and whether they have the correct skills.

In addition, real time alerts and visibility of key H&S info – first aider on-site? ready for a roll call?

With biometric data, it is possible to prove beyond doubt that your team is the right one for the job. It is also possible to manage training certifications (skills, validity and expiry) across multiple sites. Technology can help here – automating the process and running real-time checks at the point of sign-in.

These biometric systems can also be used to track a worker’s PPE compliance and their understanding of site-specific health and safety requirements when they enrol, enter site and whenever requirements are updated.

The key to success
For contractors to be successful in today’s mature and very competitive environment they need to do more than undercut their rivals. With increased pressure from clients, firms need to closely manage their projects to ensure employees are delivering on time and to budget.

Key to achieving this is clear communication of accurate data.

Although time and attendance is only a small piece of the puzzle, it is undoubtedly a critical element and is currently an area where money can be lost, due to inefficiency and the use of outmoded technology.

Advancements in biometric technology – biometric workplace management systems (eg electronic timesheets rather than paper); motion sensors for vehicles; wearables; BIM; and CSCS SmartCards – have improved performance and reliability and lowered costs.

The value in the data that systems like Donseed’s biometric identity, time and attendance provide is becoming increasingly recognised by many in the construction industry. They present contractors with an unprecedented opportunity to make these issues a thing of a past, while offering business owners a unique insight into the day-to-day running of their firm – and, potentially, the business intelligence to improve the bottom line.