One of the biggest challenges facing safety leaders in the construction industry is positively engaging hundreds of thousands of workers in safety initiatives. But could things be made easier through a rewards system?

Health and safety practices in the construction industry are limited by certain rigid factors: the first is behaviour, where safety is focused on top-down key performance indicator compliance and simply ‘ticking a box’ on a checklist to meet the necessary protocol.

The second is the complexity of projects, which causes a problem in trusting that regulations are being complied with across the site. Lastly, inconsistency between companies that are working together can be a challenge, since they often have different systems and practices.

This is where a decentralised software as a service (SaaS) model can help. Individuals and companies alike can coexist on a safety compliance network. By bringing together the technology of blockchain, individual safety ownership and a new way of looking at the problem, BeSure has created a unified safety protocol allowing organisations (which might not typically share technology or work practices) to unite in how they approach and report on safety.

The business case for organisations that are members of blockchain networks relies heavily on real-time visibility of performance from third-parties’ health and safety procedures, quickly finding anomalies in process and people compliance, and the ability to influence workers’ behaviour across the world.

The BeSure architecture has been designed to work autonomously using smart contracts to reduce end-user complexity and add checks and balances for smooth network functionality.

Digital passport

The biggest advantage of blockchain in this scenario is that it is tamper-proof. Everybody on the network can view this transaction data, which can be especially useful for companies looking to hire workers for short-term projects. The worker can share his skills and safety record, or his personal passport via a QR code. BeSure validates this information and the employer can trust in the tamper-proof nature of this service.A digital passport or wallet will hold a worker’s safety credentials, including certifications from accreditation bodies and a track record of their compliant practice. Individuals and companies can be recognised for proving compliance by being awarded with tokens or ‘reputation points’, which are stored on the passport.

Similarly, critical equipment will also have its own ‘passport’. In this case, rather than skills and training, it will record maintenance records and usage.

For the ecosystem to be successful, it is vital to have as many participants as possible. This includes other software providers, training and certification authorities and, of course, construction and transport companies, which are the primary customers of this solution.

Of course, you would still need to carry out your internal safety process. However, imagine a world where you know how committed individuals are in carrying out their duties; how engaged they are with co-workers; and how responsible, accountable and rewarded they feel for their own positive safety behaviour. That is a world that moves from top-down safety governance to bottom-up safety assurance and ultimately safety being treated as a value.

About the author

Pedro Pereira is the co-founder and CEO of The BeSure Network