X Ideas for Improving Construction Communication During Audits & Inspections

Staying on top of regular audits is a huge component of any productive construction team, especially if you want to stay compliant with changing industry standards around safety. Construction communication might be the key to success.

But when standards and procedures are established (and followed), and when operational managers have a system for tracking the right data, this makes compliance audits easier on the whole team.

Construction operational leaders can help guarantee smoother safety inspections when they use the right communication tools and construction technology to support their team. The benefits extend beyond passing inspection, however, and when leaders establish company efficiencies that save them time and money.

Avoiding Common Construction Communication Problems

Better communication among team members doesn’t just help company morale, it keeps your team members safe.

The construction industry has the highest fatal injury rate out of any other industry, according to reports from OSHA. It’s not a surprise that there are numerous potential hazards on a construction site, from electrical wiring to unstable scaffolding.

But clear communication can go a long way to prevent injuries and solve some common hiccups that construction teams everywhere experience:

Inefficient workflows: If standards aren’t already set around your project workflows, teams risk running into issues like project delays, which adds pressure and leads to mistakes. With feedback from the team, managers can establish more efficient workflows that help them avoid injury or missing any deadlines.

Project callbacks: Mistakes will happen during a project, but frequent communication can help to avoid the expense of doing the same job twice. When team members have input on a project and a way to communicate effectively across different teams, you build more effective standards for projects.

Audit failures: A failed audit can cost construction managers money and time. But with consistent tracking and regular compliance checks during a project, managers can help to ensure smoother, successful safety inspections.

Avoiding these common mistakes can help to keep team members safe, but also have an effect on the health of the business. “In addition to their social costs, workplace injuries and illnesses have a major impact on an employer's bottom line,” states OSHA.

Construction operational managers often use outdated tools like Excel or paper to handle on-the-job data collection. But if construction firms want to stay relevant in their industry and ahead of their competition, they’ll need to use capable technology that supports communication and safety on the team.

5 Solutions for Safety and Better Team Communication

More construction firms are recognizing how technology supports the success of their projects and teams. To ensure that safety procedures and protocols are followed, managers can implement tools like Array. The software features a suite of tools and resources that encourage communication, create efficient workflows, and help managers guarantee compliance when it comes time for a safety inspection.

Working in collaboration means using the best means of communication, and implementing the right tools can help. The following Array features can help construction leaders find success:

1. Forms to help with efficiency and progress

From installation quotes to safety checklists, managers have all of the templates they’ll need to get the job done on time.

1. Mobile access across all teams

When your crew has a way to track information conveniently, you’ll help streamline communication. Tools like Array include a mobile feature so that team members can update project information from the field, even when there’s no signal.

1. Reports that deliver insight

Reports are a tool to help leaders manage more effectively, by encouraging communication from their teams, tracking that data, and gaining insight. What better way to ensure the success of your safety inspections (and company) than seeing the data in eye-catching, easy-to-generate forms?

1. Automation technology

To help with response time on projects, innovative construction technology like Array makes automation a standard feature. Never miss a deadline or notification, and you’ll make processes more efficient and easier to track.

1. Surveys to gather additional information

Your team needs a way to communicate about projects, and face-to-face meetings help with establishing a good team dynamic. But you can also track key information on projects by having managers and teams complete surveys, to get a closer look at team operations.

Using the right technology not only saves time, but tools like Array save operational leaders money on projects. A failed audit can often result in fines or legal issues. When you include technology like Array in your company’s strategy, you can guarantee project safety and your company’s success.

Array helps construction operation professionals effectively communicate and improve operations visibility. Array’s customizable forms and reports enable better construction site workflows by increasing project visibility and improving field communications.

To see how your construction company can have a better workflow, schedule a 1-on-1 demo with one of our construction operations specialists now!