A look at how construction companies are using biometric technology to replace paper timesheets

Biometric technology and data capture are becoming increasingly valuable business tools across many industries. In this article biometric identity, time and attendance specialists Donseed look at how increased biometric technology adoption can bring about significant benefits to the construction industry.

There is no denying that construction has perhaps always been slower at adopting new technology than other sectors.

It’s rare that it grasps the nettle of innovation before any other. The building site of today is remarkably similar to that of yesteryear, although thankfully the accident figures are way down.

But if the industry has moved forward leaps and bounds over its attitude to health and safety the same cannot be said over the introduction of smart technology.

The construction industry is yet to reach the heights of major transformation in the way in which projects they are tendered, managed and maintained.

The manual verification of attendance records and timesheets, qualifications, expense claims and training certification, for example, is still widely used and kept on paper records across the industry.

This manual input is time consuming, inefficient and open to costly mistakes or fraud.

Advances in biometrics and cloud-based platforms

Biometric identity, time and attendance solutions, in contrast, are becoming widely excepted as a simple and secure solution to many issues raised on construction projects.

These types of systems work by accurately capturing project data at the point of site entry and exit using biometric identification to help contractors record, manage and report on individuals coming to and from their sites.

A simple way to look at the effectiveness of biometric identity, time and attendance would be to gauge them against the efficiency of the best site manager. If the managers were to be 99% accurate with time keeping and payments most directors would be reasonably happy.

The same might be said for those with 90% accuracy.

But extrapolate those figures out across for example, 20 site managers that authorise £20million in payments per year. At the very best £200,000 is misappropriated.

At 90% accuracy the figure balloons to £2million.

With margins in construction so tight that is money that contractors cannot afford to give away.

Beyond the financial savings

The value in the data biometric systems provide has yet to be fully recognised by many in the construction industry.

Old technology and traditional working practices can be a huge hindrance to a business’s ability to make proactive and ultimately profitable decisions. Data is often difficult, time-consuming and costly to extract.

Biometric systems, on the other hand, provide valuable data which is needed to address more deep-rooted issues and is easily available through real-time analytics and bespoke scheduled reports.

When a large quantity of employee data is mined and analysed it can reveal the story of a business over time. Trends and anomalies can signpost areas that need attention, or where efficiencies can be realised and, ultimately, money can be saved.

For example, the data might highlight that a team of carpenters is most efficient working on certain second fix tasks. Project or contract managers can then utilise that team in areas where they are most effective, particularly useful in these times of skills shortages when experienced trades are at such a premium.

The opportunities for the construction sector to benefit from biometric time and attendance systems and the data they deliver is almost limitless.

See how Donseed could work for you

Donseed’s biometric identity, time and attendance solution integrates leading biometric hardware and advanced cloud-based technology and can be used to identity and minimise exposure to health and safety risks.

Once the data is captured onsite using biometric identification, it can be accessed at any time in the cloud.

Donseed is trusted onsite by main contractors and specialist sub-contractors including Careys Civil Engineering, Severfield, Costain, Keltbray, Strata Homes, Blu-3 and many other leading construction companies.

For more information you can contact Donseed:

• Visit donseed.com
• Call 0207 240 3007
• Email sales@donseed.com

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