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8 Apps Construction Safety Managers Can Use Every Day
Site Safety Managers are the key to a safe and successful work site, working to ensure the safety of all workers on the job, as well as that of the general public. Luckily, in 2022 safety managers have many tools readily available to them from the palm of their hands with free mobile applications found at the Apple App and Google Play Store.
A range of apps with user-friendly interfaces enable safety managers to help enforce compliance of regulations and ensure health and safety guidelines are followed, ensuring the safety of on-site workers and minimizing accidents and injuries. Using these apps also allow safety managers to inspect, document, advise, map, measure, and access documentation from their smartphone or tablet while on the job site.
8 Useful Apps For Safety Managers
Fieldwire is able to capture, track and share important information about day-to-day tasks. Create tasks linked to things like blueprints and locations, and set deadlines and assign priority levels. Customize reports using rich data from your project files, use mobile notifications to alert staff of new tasks, share projects with clients via email and web browser links.
The Heat Safety Tool app from OSHA and the National Weather Service is an easy-to-use app that allows you to calculate the heat index of your work site and provides a risk level based on this information. The app also provides reminders of precautions that should be taken when working outside to help protect against heat-related illness.EA type and lanyard length.
Designed for workers that find themselves in dangerously high places, the Fall Safety app provides protection against risks specific to extreme work environments by detecting falls and inactivity. It automatically sends alerts for workers in distress. If the app detects a fall, a siren alarm sounds off even when headphones are plugged in to help people find you. In addition, emergency contacts are notified by voice, SMS, and email messages identifying the type of emergency.
Build your own safety audit or borrow one of the existing templates from the public library. Either way, you can start an audit almost immediately after downloading the app. iAuditor lets you capture data easily, identify areas of improvement, share reports and collaborate across the team. Work offline if necessary and then sync when you get network access to send inspection reports directly from the app. If you’re looking to cut down on paperwork and digitize your inspections, then this is the app for you.
Do workers protest when you tell them they need to wear hearing protection? Show them proof that their hearing is at risk with this noise meter. If levels are above 85 dB, then foamies, earmuffs or active noise reduction technology need to be included in the day’s PPE.
Pressured by your dad into the roofing business but you’re afraid of heights? Pitch Gauge is the perfect app for you and your non-acrophobic coworkers. Not only can you calculate the slope on a roof without ever leaving the ground, you can easily generate roof reports, material orders for suppliers, share information with other team members, and schedule meetings all in one app..
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offers the Ladder Safety App, described as a tool “designed to improve extension and step ladder safety.” The app provides interactive tools for angle measuring, selection, inspection, proper use and accessories. In addition to being free for users, this training tool gives workers a refresher course on how to safely operate ladders.
Build a jobsite excavation checklist, access quick reference guides on sloping/benching or soil information and sign up for safety training from your mobile device with this app. The app also provides instant access to safety guidelines for digging, stabilizing and working in and around trenches.
More Apps Safety Managers Should Have For Emergencies
First Aid by American Red Cross
Even if you’re trained in first aid and CPR, it never hurts to have a quick reference guide on your smartphone. This app provides emergency training, preparedness and first aid instructions for maladies ranging from mild strains to broken bones and heart attacks.
When an incident does occur, there’s no time to waste in notifying OSHA. This app makes it easier to collect necessary information, reach out to the nearest OSHA office and email the information to yourself and other stakeholders. Not sure if an incident is serious enough to justify reporting? Check here to see OSHA’s line in the sand on that matter.
Chemical spills are fraught with unknowns. The first 30 minutes following a spill are usually the most important. The Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration’s Emergency Response Guidebook will be a critical reference to help you until emergency responders arrive.
The Importance of Construction Safety
When it comes to the safety of the job site and workers in the trenches, using all the resources available to you is vital. Not only does construction site safety play a factor for those completing the project but also the general public. Job sites can be located in highly populated areas where bystanders and pedestrians can be passing by frequently. Maintaining adequate safety protocols and standards will make sure all those involved directly and indirectly with a project are protected.
Utilizing some or all of the apps mentioned above will give safety managers an upper-hand on maintaining and improving the overall safety of their construction job sites. In an age of ever-evolving technologic advancements, resources such as safety apps can only serve to aid in the effort to reduce and eliminate work related accidents/injuries.