6 Ways Digital Tools Drive Labor Efficiency on Large Projects

In today’s hypercompetitive, fast-paced construction environment, completing large projects on time and on budget is challenging enough without the added pressure of a skilled labor shortage. Making every man-hour count by streamlining processes and eliminating unnecessary tasks gives general contractors an advantage. Digital tools let them work smarter and more efficiently.

Here are six ways in which connected jobsite technology can help GCs do more with fewer resources.

1. Locating equipment

When construction equipment “disappears” on a large jobsite, workers can waste hours trying to track it down. Adding GPS-enabled telematics devices to each piece of equipment solves the problem for contractors who use a cloud-based fleet management system. Managers can call up a smartphone app such as the United Rentals Mobile App to see the real-time location of all jobsite equipment on a map.

2. Automating jobsite access management

Relying on security personnel to manually check hundreds or thousands of workers in and out of a large, fenced-in jobsite squanders valuable work time and human resources. Modular smart turnstiles, which easily integrate with perimeter fences, streamline site access control.

Swiping a company-issued worker ID badge or key fob enabled with RFID, Bluetooth or NFC authenticates the entrant based on user profile data ingested by a worksite management platform such as Total Control®. Badge-based access management also creates a digital entry and exit log, which eliminates the need for manual record-keeping and provides attendance data for payroll and scheduling purposes. Managers can easily validate subcontractors’ invoices by checking who was on the site, where and for how long.

The same badges that authenticate workers at perimeter turnstiles can be used to grant or restrict access to certain buildings and sensitive areas or zones within the jobsite.

Total Control can ingest worker profiles from a wide range of third-party access management solutions. Managers can then assign roles and responsibilities and choose and manage the data collected.

3. Automating equipment access management

Equipment access management is critical to jobsite safety. It keeps people off equipment they aren’t authorized to operate. Assigning PINs to every piece of equipment and sharing them with the right workers is an onerous task, however. Digital technology offers a more automated approach.

RFID readers on ignition keypads let workers scan their RFID-enabled ID badge to access equipment. They don’t need to remember a PIN, and unlike with PIN code access management, managers can easily track which worker used a piece of equipment and when, which increases accountability.

With United Rentals’ access management solution, the same RFID-enabled ID badges used to access the jobsite can be used to access equipment. Managers can assign equipment access privileges in Total Control.

4. Automating emissions tracking

Increasingly, owners of large projects are setting sustainability goals. A few of the largest GCs have committed to sustainability goals of their own. Meeting them means tracking greenhouse gas emissions from jobsite equipment.

Emissions tracking typically involves calculating estimated emissions based on data supplied by each subcontractor, including fuel use and engine hours, for every single piece of equipment. The process is manual and laborious. Cutting-edge software tools make it possible to track estimated emissions with less time and effort.

One such tool is the Estimated Emissions Dashboard in Total Control. A calculator leverages telematics data to estimate fuel consumption based on run time, engine horsepower, approximate engine efficiency, fuel density and an EPA load factor. Based on fuel consumption, it then calculates estimated metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent using a published emission factor for the fuel type used.

Visualized data lets managers easily see estimated emissions data over time and by piece of equipment, equipment category class or jobsite.

5. Enabling equipment sharing and streamlined invoicing

On the largest projects, GCs receive thousands of invoices a day, which puts a strain on accounting departments. Badge-based equipment access control allows them to share equipment with subcontractors and automatically track equipment usage by sub. This opens the door to streamlined invoicing.

United Rentals can leverage allocation codes inside Total Control to track what each subcontractor owes and send the GC a monthly consolidated invoice for each trade partner as well as a single summary statement to pay.

6. Enabling remote environmental monitoring

Traveling around the jobsite to monitor environmental conditions and concrete pours ties up workers who could be performing other duties. Remote monitoring lets them keep tabs on ambient temperature and humidity and even concrete curing from a computer, tablet or smartphone.

WEDGE from United Rentals uses wireless sensors embedded in concrete pours or placed in strategic areas around the jobsite to transmit temperature and humidity data to the WEDGE dashboard. Text or email alerts notify users if the numbers stray outside set thresholds. Smart Heater devices installed on heaters automatically adjust the heater based on the target ambient temperature, saving trips to the area or even the jobsite.

Allowing each worker to contribute their most valuable skills while reducing time and energy spent on tedious and repetitive tasks increases jobsite efficiency while easing staffing challenges. With digital tools that automate and streamline processes, GCs can work faster and smarter and increase safety, security and accountability at the same time.

Learn more about the power of Total Control to help streamline your next large project.