Digital Jobsite Check In Business Case

by | May 15, 2024

digital jobsite check in

Summary: Why Switch to Digital Jobsite Check In Now? 

Most contractors find adopting new technology difficult. Why?  Convincing your field team to adopt new tech like jobsite management software can face resistance. They want to be builders, not bureaucrats or office workers. 

But you can’t let their feelings get the best of your business sense. Digital jobsite management software like Safe Site Check In saves you money the same way all automation does — by substituting technology for human labor. That’s a direct & hard business case you can take to the bank! 

And increased digital adoption leads to more strategic improvements in any contractor’s business by bringing managers ever more data for decision-making and risk management.

See how much you can save using our latest savings calculator HERE.

Automation of daily log data via digital check in is far easier and less costly than BIM, VDC, VR or AR. While all these complex technologies may have a place in your strategy, why not start with the easiest and fastest payback? Jobsite automation via digital check in has so many financial, productivity and risk reduction benefits!

“Hard” Benefits #1 – Direct Cost Savings

Digital Jobsite Check In (& Out) Is Faster Than Any Alternative

Arriving at and exiting a site must be as fast and easy as possible. There’s no time for fumbling for a pen, filling out a visitor or daily log form, and reading fine print. 

On many projects, employees are a small proportion of workers on the jobsite. Jobsite check-in must be efficient for everyone, whether employees, subcontractor, independent professional, governmental inspector, delivery gig worker, friends – anybody.

Now that nearly everyone has a smartphone and has used a QR code, now is the time for digital check in technology and daily log automation. This is where Safe Site Check In shines:

  • Place a site-specific QR poster at jobsite entrances. Workers, visitors, everyone, can scan the QR code using their phone or tablet and onboard and check in.
  • Place a tablet for the site at jobsite entrances. Everyone can tap in and either onboard or check in.
  • Every onboarded worker will receive a QR code digital badge associated with their profile data. Supervisors can use a phone or tablet to scan worker badges.
  • Badges can be printed out, even include photos and other data, laminated, or printed on stickers.
  • Most companies ask workers to self-checkout on their phone, or tap out on a tablet, or use a default length of shift parameter.
  • There’s no need for a queue – workers can all check in at the same time.
  • All the above methods can be used together. For example, badges for workers, but posters for visitors, etc.

The only check-in that is faster is not checking in at all and estimating the daily log. Not exactly “best practice”. Don’t fool yourself: If you don’t confirm the identity of workers or visitors who arrive at a jobsite, you are only pretending to care about jobsite safety and security, risk and compliance.

Eliminates Paper from Jobsites

Obvious, but worth repeating: Jobsites are no place for paper forms, whether in the open or a trailer. Sites are dirty, exposed to weather, etc. Names and numbers will be illegible. Nobody is taught good penmanship these days.

Data is trapped on paper. Paper data is only usable when the paper is under your eyes. Unless you are scanning or photographing all your forms, or carrying paper around, you won’t have access to its data. Paper is a huge time waste, even before you factor in the cost of transporting paper from field to HQ.

Digital Jobsite Check In Eliminates Most Data Entry

Labor costs dominate everything today, and most people are lousy typists. Assuming you can read a paper log form, keying in data is hugely expensive, no matter where you do it – trailer, office, or truck. Even keying in data without paper, like from spreadsheets, is expensive, because most people type slowly and inaccurately. 

Fast, One & Done Onboarding

Onboarding and capturing identity data needs to be accurate for compliance and risk management reasons. Onboarding also needs to be one-and-done and fast, so workers get to work immediately after. One and done project onboarding at the jobsite is faster than sending workers to HQ for identity data capture and reviewing project and safety orientation documents or videos. Any break in the onboarding workflow raises 10x the chance of error or incomplete data.

Digital Jobsite Check In Saves Superintendent Time

Experienced superintendents need to focus on the actual building activity. When attendance data is required, most of the time the work is delegated to field engineers and various assistants. But the costs still add up. Digital check-in and daily log automation eliminates administrative labor and allows supers and their assistants to focus on building.

Site security and access control is a fundamental jobsite management duty. Digital check-ins, especially with digital badging, is far and away the best easiest way to control site access and prevent unauthorized visits. Nobody needs to interrogate workers anymore on arrival and everybody gets to work faster.

For small projects such as tenant improvements, having a full-time superintendent on site doesn’t make financial sense. But neither does paying supers to travel between sites all day. Digital check-ins can eliminate much travel.

Project managers rely on field superintendents to provide basic progress data, such as manpower attendance segregated by worker type: employee, subcontractor, etc. Digital check-in gives Project Managers such data directly without defocusing the site super.

Projects such as publicly financed and educational buildings require both jobsite attendance records and worker profile data such apprenticeship. Digital badging is a convenient way to control jobsite access and capture the data required.

Saves Project Manager Time

As noted above, digital check-ins provide project managers with the time-sensitive data they need to update plans without interrupting or pursuing superintendents. But they also eliminate a lot of data entry time by project managers when directly integrated to project software. Cuts down on site travel time and costs too.

Saves Safety Manager Time

By combining safety requirements into the check-in and onboarding experience, digital check-ins can extend safety managers’ reach and allow them to focus on more high-impact training and assessment.

For example, by combining basic safety reminders during check-in: “do you have your PPE”, “are you aware of fall risk on this site”, “did you complete the latest trench video”, etc.

Digital onboarding can require viewing videos or agreeing to documents or liability waivers, so that jobsite safety requirements are known and agreed-to before granting access.

Digital check-in also facilitates communicating with jobsite attendees both in real-time, in case of emergency incidents, or retrospectively when investigating an accident.

Reduces Compliance Record Archive & Retrieval Costs

Cloud storage is way cheaper than paper, and with digital cloud technology, compliance data storage is immediate, permanent, secure, and private. And the data is immediately available from a database without wading through paper files. Researching claims and incidents of all types improves. There are also potential tax incentives on public financed projects which require complete check-in records.

“Hard” Benefits #2: Indirect Cost Savings

Automation frees up resources and raises productivity. What builders use that productivity for leads to Indirect benefits. These are harder to measure, but no less real.

Increases Management Data Quality

Many headquarter functions need jobsite data too: Accounting, HR, Project Executives and project owner managers, risk and compliance. 

Too much information about jobsites is either on paper or only in superintendents’ heads. Getting that information out and available to the rest of the firm is easily solved once the data is digital. 

Digital Jobsite Check In Leads to Better Jobsite Safety

Our digital check-in can be configured to advise workers and visitors of each project’s safety requirements, from PPE to current jobsite conditions, such as an open trench/fall risk, or imminent heat wave. Safety managers get an important tool for making their project safety plans a reality.

Evidence is also growing that combining safety advisories with check-ins can reduce accidents and incidents. Eventually that will lead to lower insurance costs, which we’ve seen with some of our customers.

Improving safety over time requires repetition of training, techniques, and monitoring. A digital check-in requires a worker’s attention; they cannot just walk by a poster or signage. Acknowledging safety advice before checking in can be standard practice. Attendance at tool or safety talks can be digitally recorded as well.

Digital communications make safety documentation, such as hazmat data sheets or project safety plans, accessible to anyone with a mobile device. No more binders in the trailers that must be customized for each project.

And worker profile data collected during onboarding – their certs, training history, etc. – is invaluable to safety managers and the site supervisors who must enforce safety standards. 

Leads to Better Jobsite Security

As with checking into a plane for air travel, check-ins can be used for access control. Workers and visitors who haven’t been onboarded can be refused approval, shunted aside and site supervisors notified. Problematic resources can be denied entry. 

Supervisors (and HQ) can see who is or was on site anytime, anywhere. And having to provide verified identity discourages theft. Visitor management improves also, lowering risk and improving visitor experience.

Better Project Management Data Quality and Timeliness

Automation of daily logs meets basic compliance requirements, but when integrated with project management software, project managers can more quickly see if a project is meeting its planned effort and schedule. Project managers can more easily monitor multiple projects. And project management platforms like Procore and Autodesk Construction Cloud become a “source of truth” for all stakeholders.

Better Accounting Data Quality and Timeliness

Good identity and onsite duration data is key to any hourly compensation plan, whether hourly employee payroll, or vendor time and materials charges. Given strict labor compensation laws, this data is invaluable to prevent overcharging and resolving disputes quickly. Jobsite data also makes invoice validation for A/P easier, and for preparing change orders or time and materials invoices.

Better Worker Profile Data Quality and Timeliness

More and more states are requiring validation of the legal right to work for all jobsite workers. Union shops have specific rights and responsibilities as well that HR needs to enforce. And this is a global trend, not just in the USA. (In fact, the USA is behind in such requirements owing to its dependence on undocumented laborers.)

Better Compliance Data & Risk Management

Attendance identity with check-in/out timestamps is the most basic, fine-grained data for compliance and risk management. Eventually, AI and other algorithms will “mine” jobsite management software data to avoid surprises and expensive claims.

Reduced Claims. Cost of Claims and Insurance

Attendance identity with check-in/out timestamp data will immediately reduce the number of bogus hourly compensation claims. In fact, such data will immediately reduce the number of any type of claim based on unvalidated observations, because you’ll now know everyone who was present, and individuals will be less able to make stuff up. And the cost of claim handling is often more than the settlement fee. Digital data records expedite the entire process and drive down legal costs.

“Soft” Benefits of Jobsite Management Software: Strategic Intangibles

Digital Jobsite Check In Gives Owners a Real Time Project View

Owners want a single source of project “truth” in digital data form. Data maturity model scores are still quite low across the industry. Most observers believe owners will drive contractors to digitize and will leave behind the contractors who won’t.

Productivity of Subcontractors and Trade Workers

The historic shortage of experienced trade workers and managers means firms just adopt multi-dimensional labor acquisition strategies. The productivity of subcontractors is just as important as employees because hiring everyone yourself just doesn’t make sense. GCs can drive down subcontractor costs via digital as well.

Digital Jobsite Check In for Communications and Collaboration

It’s common sense that better digital data and communications will encourage a GC culture to embrace digital. Field/HQ alignment will improve, data will standardize decision making and estimates, AI and advanced analytics will eventually make big impacts, and construction management platforms will continue to be a source of competitive advantage.

Productivity of Superintendents, Safety and Project Managers

The attention of everyone on jobsites should be on the building, not a computer screen. By reducing the number of phone or laptop looks, you raise the productivity of your most expensive resources – experienced field managers. And for smaller jobs, digital allows a supervisor to monitor more than one site at a time without traveling to and from.

Make Your Digitization Strategy Real

Objections to Digital Jobsite Check In Are Pretty Lame

Digital check-ins using a QR code doesn’t require any training because most of us use our smartphones this way every day.

Corporate IT doesn’t need to be involved in deployment, since the data flows from phone to cloud directly. There’s no new hardware or computing devices to be purchased or deployed.

Simple jobsites can be set up and deployed in an hour, but even the most large and complex in less than a day.

So what’s the biggest objection? Requiring everyone to check-in. That’s it. Field managers just have to enforce the rule.

Take Away Superintendent Excuses for NOT Keeping a Daily Log

Let’s face it: Field managers should have a daily log identifying every person that comes onto a jobsite. Recordkeeping is essential to project, security, safety, risk, payroll, and HR. But most supervisors don’t do it! The excuses are lame, but most days the project carries on just fine. 

Until something goes wrong, like an accident or incident. Or a project owner finds out contractual terms have been ignored. Or headquarters teams can’t get the data they need to do their job.

If crew sizes are small and repetitive, skipping the daily log might make sense for some jobs & specialty contractors. But not if their superintendents oversee multiple sites. And not after a dispute or claim that could have been avoided with jobsite data.

Now that everyone has a smartphone, digital check in technology takes away the excuses for not keeping a daily log. Digital check-in is faster and cheaper than paper and more accurate than any alternative, including a superintendent’s memory.

Clears the Way for More Sophisticated Technology in the Future

Most headquarter functions are already primarily digital, especially project management and ERP. What’s missing is jobsite data. And it doesn’t make sense to introduce advanced technology to the field when you don’t even know who’s there, why and how long. A/R, V/R, AI, Robotics all have a place. But not until you know who’s on your site.

Now Calculate Your Savings

Over the past three years, we’ve validated these hard cost savings with multiple customers and project types. Projects of any size will see savings of over $2 per worker check-in, so the savings increase linearly with the number of workers. 

For example, here’s a project that averages 10 workers per day over 18 months: 

  • Expense of Safe Site Check In license: $169 * 18mo == $3042
  • Savings from Safe Site Check In: $2 * 10 * 18mo * 20d/mo  == $7200
  • Net savings: $7200 – $3042 == $4158.
  • Break even point: $3042/$7200 * 18mo == 7.6 month into the project

The bigger the project, the better the business case. For a fast estimate based on your labor costs, use this calculator. 

Jobsite Management Software Pays Back On Every Project

The pandemic and mobile phones have made QR codes a commonplace in everyday life. You now order food and board an airplane using QR codes. There’s no complex training required for adopting this technology. No good excuse for not using Safe Site Check In on every project.

And our jobsite management software does not require an expensive enterprise license. Every project even the smallest can realize more profit and productivity by adopting Safe Site Check In.