1st Reporting
The best construction reporting software for mobile crews is one that performs how and when you want and delivers value in unexpected ways. In other words, it has to check off all the right boxes and give you a bonus at the end, sealing the deal, as it were.
Construction projects rely on accurate, timely data from the field. Your operations could use reporting software that is easy to navigate and operates on the smartphone devices your team carries anyway. Let me introduce you to one such solution: the 1st Reporting app.
Why Accurate Reporting is Crucial for Construction Projects
Construction projects are a highly complicated bundle of materials, contractor teams, project management, equipment use, multiple trades scheduling, and more safety issues than you can shake a stick at. Trying to keep a significant construction project on time and budget without safety incidents is a hearty challenge on the best of days.
Delays, inaccuracies, or missing data can severely damage project timelines, budgets, and stress levels. That’s why it’s essential to use technology to your advantage to ensure that all construction reporting is accurate and submitted on time. Furthermore, due to the construction industry still facing severe health and safety challenges, the need for precise hazard reporting and communication is more critical than ever.
Accurately reporting hazards and having the training to avoid incidents are the primary goals of any construction project safety officer. As construction was the second-highest industry in terms of work-related deaths (totaling 1,056 in 2022), it is evident that construction project safety is a serious concern. With it, the reporting practices are in place to manage these scenarios. (1)
It’s not just the USA that has qualms with construction industry incidents; to the north, in British Columbia, Canada, in 2023, construction worker deaths hit a 35-year high, as reported by Global News. (2)
By now, you should agree that accurate and timely construction reporting is critical to a robust and safety-conscious construction workforce. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key features of reporting software like the 1st Reporting app and how it supports easier project management, including a more robust safety and incident prevention initiative.
Key Features to Look for in Construction Reporting Software
Some might tell you that advanced features to look forward to include robotic automation or virtual/augmented reality relating to building or even construction management. (3)
However, if you want advanced features that are out today, you’ll want to consider a few of the following features that are in use today with the 1st Reporting app.
Customizable Forms and Templates
When you first open the 1st Reporting application, the app will guide you through a simple onboarding process. The whole process only takes a few minutes, especially if you have a standard form, checklist, or other template you want to start with. The onboarding process will also teach you the basics of the powerful form builder built into the application.
Using the form customizer is easy and empowers you and your team to make the ‘perfect’ forms that are ideally suited to your organization’s needs. Customization should be your number one priority when deciding on a construction reporting software application.
Real-Time Data Access
Studies have shown that the frequency of injuries at work increased over each of the first four hours of a shift. Furthermore, they found that the frequency peaked during the fourth hour of a shift. (4)
What does this tell us about site safety? It says that as workers drone on into their shift, they become more and more complacent and more disinterested in safety as their shift moves forward. That’s where real-time data can make the difference – in both hazard communication and your ability to prevent injuries through rapid hazard response protocol. The only way to really handle this effectively is with a system that enables real-time data access. However, you also have to consider how you would know that said data is available. Enter customizable notifications.
Customizable Notification Systems
As mentioned above, a robust notification system that you can customize can help communicate hazards at the moment, enabling safety teams to jump into action and prevent hazards from becoming incidents involving injury or worse. When choosing a construction reporting software application, you’ll want to ensure that not only do you have real-time data availability, but you’ll need some way of knowing it’s become available. That’s where a customizable notification system like that found in the 1st Reporting app becomes crucial.
In the 1st Reporting app, the notification system is fully customizable. You’ll have the ability to manipulate when and what triggers and conditions enable the notification to take place. For example, you could state that when a hazard report is started, and a team member sets the risk to a person or property as high, then a notification goes instantly to let your safety officer or team know of the issue. In other words, your safety officer could make plans to mitigate the hazard before the team members in the field can even complete their report.
Integration with Existing Systems
The solutions for the best construction reporting software must include easy integration with existing systems. That’s where you’ll see applications like the 1st Reporting app really shine – when they work seamlessly with common platforms like Microsoft Teams and data visualization software like Microsoft’s Power BI.
Mobile-Friendly Interface
One of the reasons why the 1st Reporting application has moved to the industry-standard position of service and field-team-oriented organization management is that it’s easy to use, easy to learn, and available on all mobile devices, from tablets to smartphones. The 1st Reporting app is available for sign-up on the company website, for download and installation on Android devices via Google Play, and also on iOS on The Apple App Store. This interchangeable device framework ensures that the application is both mobile-friendly and cross-compatible, so no team member with a mobile device is left out in the cold.
Benefits of Using the 1st Reporting App for Your Mobile Crews
I’ve mentioned four key components of a robust construction reporting software solution for your construction teams. However, these don’t go far enough to explain how the 1st Reporting app goes beyond these basic requirements. Here are a few ways that the app goes beyond providing even greater insights, flexibility, and accountability to optimizing various aspects of construction reporting.
Enhanced Communication
Having the ability to create custom notifications dramatically enhances the possibilities with a robust construction reporting software solution like the 1st Reporting application. The app empowers you to create notifications that are not only custom in their messaging and custom recipients but also custom conditions and triggers. Fundamentally, you have total control to create a management network of automated messages that help drive initiatives within your construction organization, driving efficiency and saving time and money. If you want real-time communication automation, then the 1st Reporting app is where I think you should look. But don’t take my word for it; check out the case studies after this article (links at the end).
Improved Accountability and Compliance
A robust construction reporting system will include GPS, much like the 1st Reporting application. However, this feature needs clarification: the GPS-enabled functionality of applications like the 1st Reporting app delivers a whole new way of thinking about GPS. Rather than tracking an equipment location via a physical tracker on the equipment, the application tracks the creation and modification of the reports themselves.
Robust construction reporting software makes it easy to provide a layer of accountability for reporting incidents, events, or inspections in the field by dynamically noting the user and location of a report created.
Dynamic Tagging, Time, and Cost Savings
The last feature I want to share that really sets the tone is the dynamic tag element within the form builder. This sly little form-building element enables you to craft digitally automated document workflows for powerful and measurable results.
Picture this: your team has an inspection form to ensure quality control that could have a trigger to create a repair or replacement work order that notifies the project manager of the inadequacy noted in the QC inspection. You could have further steps and stages, such as a post-repair approval inspection form generated when a repair request is made. The possibilities of this simple yet elegant and powerful dynamic form linking customization make the 1st Reporting application a formidable partner in your construction project management arsenal.
Take Your Construction Reporting to the Next Level
It’s clear that managing a construction project effectively requires more than hard hats and heavy machinery. You need a tool that empowers your mobile crews to deliver accurate, timely reports that can make or break your project’s success. The 1st Reporting app isn’t just another piece of software; it’s your partner in ensuring that every piece of critical information is captured, communicated, and acted upon without delay.
Imagine a day when your safety officer is notified of a hazard the moment it’s reported, your forms are perfectly tailored to your project’s unique needs, and your teams are equipped with the best tools to ensure their safety and productivity. With 1st Reporting, that day is today.
Don’t let outdated reporting methods hold your team back. Try 1st Reporting and see how a well-designed construction reporting tool can streamline your operations, enhance safety, and keep your projects on time and within budget. Ready to take your construction reporting to the next level? Start your free trial of 1st Reporting today and experience the difference for yourself.
Article Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2023. “National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2022.” https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf.
- “Construction Worker Deaths Hit 35-Year High in 2023.” 2023. Global News. Global News. 2023. https://globalnews.ca/video/10209285/construction-worker-deaths-hit-35-year-high-in-2023.
- MRINetwork. 2023. “The Evolution of Construction Management: Past, Present, Future.” MRINetwork. November 26, 2023. https://mrinetwork.com/hiring-talent-strategy/the-evolution-of-construction-management-past-present-future/.
- “Study Looks at Relationship between Construction Injuries and Time of Day/Shift.” 2021. Safetyandhealthmagazine.com. Safety+Health. March 10, 2021. https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20943-study-looks-at-relationship-between-construction-injuries-and-time-of-dayshift.
