Just like the rest of the world, construction was upended by this pandemic. We were forced to shutter our doors; offices had to deploy staff to remote work locations; and construction jobs slowed, and in some areas, stopped altogether.
We know that the world of public works construction and labor compliance, even post-pandemic, will look a few shades different. So we stood behind our commitment of supporting this industry with more fervor and advanced our efforts of innovation to deliver technologies and concepts that will help meet the demands of this new world.
Graduating to a More “Contactless” Approach
There hasn’t been a time in recent memory where safety on the jobsite has had greater focus. Construction is slowly re-emerging from this crisis and more projects are starting to come back online. But as we re-open construction sites, we’re all asking the question: how do we keep our frontline workers safe? LCPtracker heeded that call with new technology that not only prioritizes worker safety, but also improves the overall labor compliance process on the field.
Launching this month, Daily Reporter Mobile is a new LCPtracker module that enables workers on the jobsite to electronically collect worker hours and daily activities from a mobile device. No handling of hardcopy daily logs needed; Foremen and Superintendents can now simply record data without violating safe distancing practices. However, this new technology goes beyond collecting data for daily logs. Daily Reporter Mobile automatically cross-checks worker hours collected on the field with the data reported on certified payroll reports (CPRs), eliminating the tedious component of manual verification and ensuring a higher level of accuracy.
By adopting this new compliance process and graduating to a more “contactless” approach, we are offering our workforce the assurance of safety that is very much needed at this time.
Revolutionizing Construction Site Compliance
Like other great crises in the past, innovation and technology will carry us through to the other side of this pandemic. So we didn’t stop at just technology for daily logs; we are aiming to revolutionize the entire field compliance process.
This vision started to come to life with last year’s launch of OnSite, our mobile application for field interviews. And with the release of Daily Reporter Mobile, we are inching closer to our end-goal of a completely re-imagined approach to jobsite labor compliance. The next major component is technology for controlling access to the construction site.
Having visibility over who walks in and out of the site is a critical piece of construction site security. Typically, this is addressed with a human checker who stands guard by entrance and exit gates and manually verifies workers as they enter. But with practices encouraging safe distances and protocols minimizing face-to-face exchanges, we are in dire need of an alternative.
LCPtracker is developing technology to oversee authorized entry in and out of construction sites. To replace the manual verification process, our new Access Control module will verify the identity of any worker entering and will create a timestamp of that entry through the swipe of a card or through detection of Bluetooth or other near-frequency technologies. Once the timestamp is created, that data is automatically recorded on that worker’s daily log, which can then be later cross-referenced with CPR data.
This is a game-changer on the construction field because it not only provides an extra layer of safety for our frontline workers, but also provides that closed-loop reporting that is critical to the labor compliance process.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
Lastly, we have been hearing more and more that as funding becomes limited, government agencies have to be more selective about their projects. They are also more scrupulous about their requirements and prefer to partner with contractors who are already ahead of the “labor compliance curve”.
Most agencies already use some type of electronic system to manage compliance on their projects. So for contractors, it’s more important than ever to not only adopt these solutions, but to excel at its use. Mastering these technologies (and having the credentials to prove it) gives contractors an advantage when bidding on a project, especially during this time of high competition.
LCPtracker once more took this opportunity to innovate and respond to the call of the industry. Launching next month, LCPtracker Academy will offer contractors the opportunity to not only gain in-depth knowledge of prevailing wage and LCPtracker software, but to earn credentials proving their expertise. Also, to accommodate the restrictive travel budgets that many of us have had to face in light of this pandemic, these programs are conducted 100% online and accessible from any location. A higher level of compliance know-how is going to be more essential, and having credentials from a name that has become synonymous with labor compliance will provide that advantage needed to meet this new expectation.
Coming Out on the Other Side
LCPtracker has been an innovator from day one. And we will continue to embrace this drive to develop ground-breaking technology so we can help see you through this and any future challenges that may come our way.
Our suite of cloud-based compliance solutions has already been widely adopted by the industry and has played a critical role in minimizing the disruptions the pandemic has caused on your business processes. This is what drives us to continue to innovate, and we will continue to do so to meet the ever-changing demands of this industry.
I know that at this time we are all living under this shroud of uncertainty. But I also know that this, too, will pass. America and the construction industry as a whole will come out of this better, stronger, and more resilient than ever.
To learn more about how to earn credentials for labor compliance and LCPtracker software, please visit lcptracker.com/academy.
To learn more about our complete suite of electronic labor compliance applications, please visit lcptracker.com.
