News
10/05/11: Sheehans build a better workforce with new virtual site manager
Sheehan Contractors provides civil engineering & groundwork support to the construction
industry. They employ up to 20 subcontractors across five projects at any one time
plus 10 staff at their waste transfer station in Oxfordshire.
They have recently introduced a new way of managing their onsite attendance, personnel
costs and health and safety more effectively.
Tara Sheehan talks about some of the issues facing them when it comes to workers
signing in on site: "The construction industry is typically a transient one when
it comes to sub contractors. It’s often difficult to keep up with cards being registered
and with the best will in the world, concerns about accurate and honest time keeping
are all too common."
"Characteristically, manual workers are also not that keen on paperwork, which is
absolutely fine – that’s not what they’re there to do, but it can lead to inaccuracies
with a paper based signing in system."
To overcome these issues, Sheehan Contractors introduced Simeio handsets on which
workers sign in and out by placing their signature and fingerprint on the screen.
The Simeio handsets, the first of their kind for the construction industry, have
been developed by Intelligent Tools and are set to revolutionalise how on site attendance
and personnel is managed and recorded.
Tara says: "The benefits of using Simeio have been significant. It basically acts
as a virtual site manager for us."
"In the current climate, it’s vital that we keep a very tight handle on our costs.
With Simeio we can manage clocking in and out so much more accurately and use the
data that Simeio produces to maintain strict control of payments and pricing."
In a live test, inaccuracies of up to 26% in contracted hours against actual hours
worked were consistently produced by comparing real time arrival and departure times
recorded on a Simeio handset against an existing paper based system on the same
site.
"It also helps build trust within our workforce. Our workers are generally very
reliable but Simeio completely eliminates the need to be constantly watching over
attendance, sickness and holiday. It confirms we have a great team and that we can
leave them to get on with things which is also empowering for them."
When it comes to health and safety, Sheehan have complete peace of mind that they
are complying with all HSE regulation. Not only do they know exactly who is on site
at all times but they can also deliver bespoke messages to workers when they sign
in about their legal PPE requirements.
"Simeio completely takes the onus off us when it comes to keeping health and safety
records of who is on site and who isn’t. Reminders are also provided every time
somebody signs in as to what protective clothing they should be wearing which they
agree to by adding their signature. It covers us against any potential claims or
disputes."
"If HSE decide to check one of our sites, we can offer detailed reports proving
we are complying with all of their legislation and guidelines."
The benefits of Simeio don’t end there for Sheehan.
"As well as being able to check on site attendance in real time, we don’t have to
wait for paper time sheets to make it back to the office. Processing wages is also
much easier and quicker which frees up more time for our support staff."
"Whether you are looking for a basic clocking in tool, to reduce costs or meet health
and safety requirements, Simeio is definitely the way forward for the construction
industry."
The Simeio mobile handset has been designed to withstand the toughest environments,
operating in temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F) up to +50°C (122°F). IP65 rated
for protection against dust and water the handset is also tested to withstand drops
from six feet onto concrete. It is available on a monthly contract with no set up
fees.
Media contact:
Jo Love, Love Communication
T: 07887 775271
E: jo@lovecommunication.co.uk
9/05/11: ISG Pearce improves onsite sign in with revolutionary handsets from
Simeio™
ISG Pearce Group is a major regional construction company based in Bristol operating
across the South West and South Wales. Also specialises in retail projects throughout
the country.
Recent projects include the 2012 Velodrome London but it was on a new Tesco site
in Callington, Cornwall that ISG Pearce introduced the Simeio personnel management
system to improve their health and safety compliance and help with settling final
accounts.
ISG Pearce experience many issues with manual sign in procedures on site and as
with all construction companies they need to comply with health and safety legislation
by recording all personnel on site at any given time.
Construction Manager, Mark Morris, comments: "We were experiencing a lot of inaccuracies
with our paper system such as bulk signing in and not catching everybody as they
entered, particularly with a large mixture of Tesco direct subcontractors on site."
With up to 20 employees and more than 120 subcontractors on the Tesco site at peak
times, ISG Pearce were keen to find a more accurate sign in solution that was also
easier for workers.
ISG Pearce introduced two Simeio handsets on which workers can sign in and out in
real time by combination of a signature and a fingerprint. The simeio solution has
been developed by Intelligent Tools who are revolutionalising how attendance on
construction sites is managed and recorded.
Mark says: "It was really quite easy to start using the Simeio handsets both in
terms of setting them up and workers operating them."
"You can see exactly who is on site in real time via a website or you can set up
alerts at timed intervals to receive updates by email or text message. I asked to
be notified at 11am each day with the sign in details for that morning. Even if
I was off site, I could identify any gaps that needed to be filled if somebody had
not turned up for work. The information was a lot more detailed than a paper system
and we could easily identify who worked for who when it came to subcontractors,
how closely they were keeping to time and also when they were leaving site."
"It meant we could comply with strict legislation from HSE on knowing who is on
site at all times. It also helped us comply with HSE fire regulations as we always
had a constant head count at a push of a button in the event of an emergency. It’s
an ideal solution for peace of mind when it comes to health and safety."
"At the end of the project, Simeio also helped us to settle final accounts with
our subcontractors. There was a bit of negotiation with one particular contractor
with regard to the man hours they were putting in on site. Simeio was able to give
us historical data that suggested some travel time was being done in work hours
on a Friday afternoon and Monday morning as the workers lived a long way away. The
managing company was grateful for the information and we also used the experience
to assess our supply chain and use more local suppliers for future projects."
Simeio handsets are available on a monthly basis with no set up costs involved.
For more information visit www.simeio.co.uk.
Media contact:
Jo Love, Love Communication
T: 07887 775271
E: jo@lovecommunication.co.uk
21/10/09: Simeio™ launches revolutionary mobile biometric personnel management
system
Device will aid Health and Safety compliance and save money through better site
management
Simeio™ the ground-breaking site personnel management tool, that will revolutionise
the construction industry, today announces the launch of the first truly mobile
site personnel management system designed to manage on-site attendance and Health
and Safety information, in real-time.
The Simeio handset is a rugged and truly mobile device that uses a combination of
finger print scanning, electronic signature and mobile GPS technology to verify
a person's identity and location. This removes the opportunity for data manipulation
whilst ensuring that all people on a particular site have agreed to the site rules
including, if relevant, acknowledging that they have the correct Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE). This information can be accessed in real-time, 24/7, by appropriate
personnel using the secure Simeio web portal.
Introducing Simeio onto a site makes site management much more efficient. What's
more, it provides the contractor with accurate records that can be used in disputes,
reduces management administration time and aids Health and Safety compliance, protecting
both the workers and business, ultimately saving the business money.
The Simeio handset operates like a mobile phone contract with no capital expenditure
required, making it an accessible and affordable solution for use by small building
companies through to large contractors.
In July this year, The Forum of Private Business calculated that complying with
Health and Safety alone costs smaller construction firms approximately £277
million per year. Simeio aids Health and Safety compliance as the signing-in process
includes verified acceptance of the site specific regulations. If a site's rules
change, the handset can be instantly updated via the secure Simeio web portal immediately
prompting personnel to accept revised requirements upon sign-in. The use of the
handset's touch screen for signing-in eliminates the risk of personnel not acknowledging
site regulations and the loss of paper records on site. Customisable instant text
and email notifications can alert managers to the absence of first aid staff on
site and late sign-in or early sign-out by staff.
Killby and Gayford, a leading building refurbishment contractor, has been using
Simeio at the Royal Hospital Chelsea site since May 2009. They are so pleased with
the results that they are going to roll it out to another 10 sites initially with
the plan to roll out to the entire organisation over the next 18 months. Mike Rixson,
Managing Surveyor, Killby and Gayford Group Limited says: "Using Simeio has provided
many benefits In particular, we have seen an increase in productivity due to the
improvements in record keeping. Workers are aware that there is no way to manipulate
the system and are more diligent. It is also a great addition to our Health and
Safety procedures, especially in areas such as roll calls as we now know exactly
who is on site at any one time."
Ollie McGovern, Managing Director, Simeio says: "From previously running a construction
company, I know first hand the difficulty and costs involved with Health and Safety
compliance. Simeio was developed to improve the performance and aid protection of
construction companies at an affordable price - and ultimately to make them more
profitable. Simeio is a flexible and rugged tool that not only saves money but also
increases efficiency. We already have a number of companies using Simeio with great
success and we look forward to helping many more businesses in the future."
The handset requires no on-site set-up or installation and the detailed reports
help managers identify lost hours and increase efficiencies on-site. In areas where
no mobile coverage is available, Simeio will still function as normal, synchronising
data as soon as it achieves a signal. The handset will withstand the toughest environments
and is IP65 rated for protection against dust and water, as well as being tested
to withstand drops from six feet onto concrete.
Simeio is available immediately with contract prices starting at £4.95 per
day.
Media contact:
Jo Love, Love Communication
T: 07887 775271
E: jo@lovecommunication.co.uk