3 Reasons for Construction Companies to Use Digital Inspections

Completing construction projects on-time, safely, and with quality results is obviously the main objective for any construction manager. While your ability to efficiently manage daily workflows is essential for reaching this objective, are inefficient paper-based inspection processes holding you back?

In an effort to help, here are 3 simple reasons construction companies are turning to digital inspections.

1. Streamlined employee communication and coordination

Since construction foreman and administrative managers are tasked with coordinating construction projects from start to finish, this often involves managing employees, job-site equipment, vehicle fleets, contracted partnerships, suppliers, and clients. The better these factors can be coordinated, the more successful construction companies will be in meeting key objectives.

The problems is that this can be a challenge, since the complexities involved with construction projects is so dependent on coordination and collaboration efforts between key stakeholders.

Pressing contract deadlines, unpredictable weather, last minute client changes, disparate contractors, and equipment failures can all create workflow bottlenecks.

Many times, in an effort to prioritize workforce productivity to meet deadlines, vehicle inspections are put on the back burner.

The challenges of coordinating paper-based inspections between workers and administrative staff is time consuming, with historical data essentially impossible to use outside of a digital format.

How paper processes can hinder your ability to streamline construction operations:

• Delays in handing in completed inspections
• Lack of oversight and management capabilities for incomplete inspections
• Coordinating vehicle maintenance and repairs with mechanics and workers
• Retrieving past inspections for compliance reviews
• Lack of analytics for strategic development
• Lack of real-time visibility for optimal workforce management

Digital inspections can resolve these common coordination failures by streamlining and optimizing the inspection process from start to finish.

Mostly, this is accomplished by leveraging the power of cloud and mobile computing technology using automation and real-time syncing functionality.

7 ways digital inspection tools can help streamline your construction business

• Employees can complete inspections using their smartphone or tablet
• Completed inspections are available for admin instantly with real-time syncing functionality
• Inspection forms can include attachments, including pictures and comments
• Set automation triggers create alerts for managers to review
• Inspections are time and date stamped and automatically include driver details
• Inspection and fault details can easily be sent to mechanics with work orders
• Past inspections are easily accessible for compliance and review

Streamlining workforce coordination with pre- and post-trip inspection processes for fleet vehicles and equipment will give operators and managers the ability to comprehensively complete these important processes. Basically, construction companies can use digital inspection tools to make it easier for their workforce to comprehensively complete and coordinate DVIRs without spending extra time and effort.

2. Risk reduction and no-stress compliance

The hassle and inefficiency of completing and processing paper-based inspection forms on a daily basis can hinder their main purpose of resolving risk and compliance issues.

While inspecting workforce vehicles and equipment is largely a precautionary measure, inevitably, regular inspections will identify maintenance and compliance issues that need to be resolved.

Digital inspections give managers the visibility and tools needed to efficiently adhere to regular maintenance, quickly resolve repairs and replacements, and effectively stay in compliance with OHSA and DOT regulations. This helps construction companies prevent avoidable repairs, compliance failures, and litigation risks.

Implementing a better inspection process to reduce risk of equipment failure

The last thing construction companies want or need is a key piece of equipment to fail during a critical phase of project completion, especially, when the failure was preventable with proper inspection adherence.

They also want to avoid costly equipment downtime, not being prepared for random and planned OSHA inspections, and the risk of unqualified operators having accidents.

For example, better inspection adherence may prevent a hydraulic hose from bursting during operation, thus, preventing possible workplace accidents and/or excessive damage to equipment.

This could also stop a worker from driving a vehicle without oil, thus, preventing engine failure, or even prevent a confused worker from inspecting and using the wrong vehicle.

While a certain amount of risk will always be involved with construction projects, the goal is to reduce this risk as much as possible. Digital inspection tools help construction companies accomplish this goal by drastically improving inspection adherence without the need for extra time and effort from the workforce.

3. More capabilities for management to stay proactive each day

Efficiently managing paper-based inspection processes is nearly an impossible task for many construction companies. Their lack of coordination capabilities and visibility with inspection processes severely limits their ability to enforce adherence, streamline work orders, and manage workflows.

While improvised methods may work to some degree, digital inspections will fundamentally improve management and strategic development capabilities. Essentially, the centralization of inspection management in the cloud gives managers real-time visibility and tools to optimize inspection processes.

Capabilities construction managers can gain using digital inspection software

• Ability to create custom inspection forms or choose from a library of forms you may need
• Automation triggers for schedule adherence, maintenance, compliance, etc.
• Automated fault alerts and a management module
• Insights from detailed analytics, reports, and workforce leaderboards for strategic development
• Real-time visibility of inspection processes from a central dashboard interface in the cloud
• Digitally-archived data from past inspections for streamlined search and retrieval (desktop and mobile)
• Streamlined and optimized work orders with inspection attachments (pictures, comments)
• Streamlined and automate data entry with integration capabilities

Essentially, digital inspection software gives managers and operators the tools needed to properly accomplish vehicle and equipment inspections without spending extra time and effort.

In addition, managers will gain comprehensive visibility with inspection processes and fleet management from a central dashboard interface, giving them the insights and tools needed for effective strategic development.

Conclusion

With all the details foremen and managers must focus on with construction projects, it’s easy to see how daily vehicle and equipment inspections might get neglected. While this is understandable, it still puts construction companies at risk of accidents, compliance failures, excessive downtime, litigation, and equipment under performance.

The good news is there are viable solutions that construction companies can use to upgrade their inefficient paper-based inspection processes. By transitioning to digital inspections, companies will streamline workforce collaboration, reduce risk and compliance issues, and improve their management and strategic development capabilities.

To see firsthand how Whip Around can improve your current process when it comes to inspections contact us or book a demo today.