Risk assessment software
The UK construction industry is said to have embraced new intelligent software from London-based technology company HANDS HQ.
According to the company, the software cuts the cost of producing risk assessments by up to 90% and enables companies to reduce the time spent on health and safety forms from hours to a matter of minutes.
Co-founded in 2013 by former construction manager, Alex Green, HANDS HQ uses new technology to enable construction subcontractors, big and small, to complete accurate risk assessment/method statement (RAMS) documentation, a legal requirement before operatives can enter a live construction site.
The technology takes the form of a cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application, which means rather than having to create lengthy Excel and Word documents, which are time-consuming and often rejected for being too generic, workers simply add key details for a project and then complete a step-by-step process, selecting only works relevant to the job in hand from a series of standard answers to create a customised report in as little as five minutes.
The web app can be accessed via the internet from any computer, tablet or smartphone, and has been designed to be simple and easy to use, to ensure all workers can produce perfectly formatted and company-branded documents regardless of their technical ability.
HANDS HQ’s system also pushes workers to engage more directly with the risks they face on an upcoming project, which transforms the exercise from a bureaucratic requirement to a useful exercise for considering and mitigating health and safety risks.
