9 construction apps you need to download
Tradies and construction managers, phones at the ready…Constructionsales’ Dave Bullard lists his top mobile app picks that will make your work lives safer, easier and more productiveWith the advent of cloud computing and availability of high-speed cellular communication in our society, mobile applications are popping up like mushrooms and are rapidly changing the way we live and work.
While industries such as agriculture have been flooded with great apps, the construction industry has been a bit slow in embracing the tech wave.
However, the sector is rapidly catching up, and there are currently a range of excellent app offerings to streamline processes such as bidding, invoicing and inspecting heavy machinery.
Here are some great mobile apps that those working in the construction industry need to integrate into their lives, stat.
SIGNONSITE
SignOnSite saves staff members the hassle of having to visit site offices everyday to fill out legacy paper-based sign-in books. The app allows users to digitally sign in from anywhere on the work site. Even better, users only have to manually sign in once – from then on, their phone uses location services to automatically sign them in when they arrive, and out when they leave.
A recent update also lets users complete digital site inductions.
There are also many beneficial features for site managers such as an accurate, real-time attendance register, automatic site reports, the ability to alert every worker about critical site information as soon as they sign on, and the ability to broadcast site-wide evacuations to every phone on site.
iAUDITOR
Type: Business
Price: Free (basic inspection and auditing); $12 per month (Premium)
Billed as "the world’s most powerful inspection checklist app", iAuditor allows your team to be your eyes in the field by collecting consistent data, sending reports and responding to actions which you allocate.
You can set up checklist forms very easily by uploading current paper or Excel forms for iAuditor to convert, or you can choose from a wide range of templates – such as ‘Excavation Checklist’ or ‘Construction Hazard Identification’ – uploaded by others.
The free version lets you upload and download up to 10MB per month, lets you work offline, gives you access to the SafetyCulture Public Library and allows you to export your reports as PDFs.
The premium subscription plan of $12 a month (billed annually) gives you a swag of advanced features, including unlimited data uploads and downloads, the ability to create and assign corrective actions to your team, instant notifications during inspections, access to analytics, customisable branding and the ability to export to a variety of formats.
SPOTLIGHT
Type: Business
Price: Free (up to 100 users); $500 per month (up to 500 users)
Developed by SafetyCulture, the team behind iAuditor, Spotlight enables real-time incident reporting for site members.
Those in the field can use just a few taps to report incidents such as hazards and near-misses and the report goes directly to the relevant person for action to be taken. As a manager, you get real-time visibility and data that allows you to see patterns and prevent future incidents.
When you create a report you first choose an incident type, specify the team members to be notified and give the incident a name. The app automatically records your location on a map and details the weather conditions – temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, humidity and wind speed.
You then have the option to include a photo and text report, and send it. It’s very simple and effective – a lot like the excellent Snap Send Solve app used to report problems to councils and utilities.
INSPECTICON
Inspecticon aims to provide "an easy way to inspect heavy machinery from anywhere and share the information with the rest of your organisation”. It is an ideal tool to have for fleet owners or even machinery dealers who are simply fed up with stacks of pens, papers and clipboards cluttering the office.
You start off on the app itself or on the desktop web-browser interface, where you create an inspection task by choosing a machine type from a long list (dozer, excavator, skid steer, rough-terrain crane, farm tractor, etc) then filling out a form with information such as make, model, year, serial number and hours.
If the inspection was created in the office, the person in the field is alerted to the new task, allowing them to use the app to fill out the form by assigning a star rating to each element (stick, bucket, cab, pads, pins, etc), tapping on answers to questions, typing notes and taking photos.
The report is then submitted to be assessed on the web browser.
The app is easy to use and comprehensive in its scope. The free version allows you up to five inspections a month, then you need to start paying.
CATERPILLAR PAVING CALCULATOR
This app pretty much does what the name suggests – it’s a tool for asphalt paving professionals to better plan their paving jobs by estimating trucking needs, paving speeds, compaction, yield, slope and thickness.
For most of the calculations, it doesn’t matter what equipment you’re using – Cat or not. That only comes into play when calculating compaction, when you need to specify the model of Cat roller you’re using. In this calculator, you can also set the app to ‘Determine optimum number of rollers’ or ‘Determine optimum rolling speed’.
You can also save the specs for each job for later reference. Easy, handy AND free – what more could you ask for?
EMERGENCY+
In the construction and earthmoving game, you often find yourself in obscure spots where, should an incident happen, you’d be unable to give the emergency services your exact location. That’s when Emergency+ could save your life.
Developed by Australia's emergency services with Government and industry partners, the app helps you call the right service by giving you big buttons to call 000 for emergencies, and the Police/Ambulance or SES for non-emergencies.
Below the buttons is a map window showing your location as an address and GPS co-ordinates.
Another window shows a bigger map with a big ‘Call 000’ button, and a third screen gives no-nonsense advice and the ability to increase the size of the GPS numbers on the map.
That’s it … simple and effective.
ABCC On Site
If you have a question about your workplace rights on site, then this Australian Building and Construction Commission app should set you straight.
It’s dead simple to use – you choose your site role (employee, employer, site manager or union official), then the type of query (such as Wages and Entitlements, Freedom of Association or Right of Entry) and the ABCC information is laid out in front of you.
You can go further in some sections. For example, once you’ve read about Wages and Entitlements you can go on to take the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) Workplace Basic quiz or get the FWO Record My Hours app.
Or if you’re a site manager and are worried about possible unlawful industrial action, the app can take you through a question-and-answer scenario to arrive at a conclusion and offer advice.
CONSTRUCTION MASTER PRO
Construction Master Pro is a built-for-construction app aimed at architects, builders, contractors, designers, draftspeople, engineers, framers/carpenters and tradies.
Sure, it comes with a heftier price tag than most apps but is arguably indispensable for anyone working in the building industry needing to solve construction math problems on a daily basis.
Among its many capabilities are: complete right angle/rafter calculations, slope and grade, cutting angles, square and cubic area and volume, advanced circular calculations, trigonometric function keys (sine, cosine, tangent, arcsine, arccosine, arctangent), compound mitres, stair layout and cost-per-unit.
According to the developers, the app offers powerful built-in solutions that make it ideal for completing layouts, plans, bids and estimates.
STREET INVOICE
Type: Business
Price: Free (Starter pack); $72.99 per year (Basic); $144.99 per year (Pro); $219.99 per year (Enterprise)
Invoicing could be the bane of your life, especially when you have dozens to go through everyday, so anything that makes the process faster and less painful is welcomed. The Street Invoice app provides an easy way to create and send invoices and estimates, manage payments (and send receipts) and give refunds. You can even get paid on the spot using PayPal.
As with most apps of this nature, the level of functionality you get depends on how much you pay.
The free Starter version lets one user email invoices and track payments. Then, as you move up, the Basic version ($72.99 a year) adds features such as invoice previews and mobile printing. For $144.99 a year, the Pro version lets you generate 100 invoices a month, create estimates, add your logo to invoices, capture your signature and use the desktop version. At the top end, for $219.99 a year, the Enterprise version moves you on to credits and refunds, automatic monthly statements and cost-and-profit tracking – plus the ability to add users to your team for an additional fee.
**BONUS**
CONSTRUCTIONSALES
Type: Mobile site
Price: Free
It’s not an app, as such, but the newly redesigned constructionsales mobile site looks and functions like an app. Just type in constructionsales.com.au into your browser and the site will recognise that you’re on a mobile device and present the info in an easy-to-navigate format.
From the home screen, you can search for items to buy, sell an item, and read our latest news and features. A sidebar that appears when you tap on the top left icon with the three horizontal lines will reveal more functionalities including editing your ads, view saved items and saved searches and more.
Pages are quick to load and show quality pictures of listed items with essential details like location and pricing of the items. Simply a no–nonsense, user-centric website for all your equipment buying and selling needs.
To make your experience even more app-like, you can even save the website as a button on your smartphone or tablet’s home screen for easy access in the future.
On an Apple device (using the built-in Safari browser), tap the Share menu icon at the bottom of the screen (the square with an arrow pointing up) and, in the panel that appears, tap on ‘Add to home screen’. Give the shortcut a good, short name and tap ‘Add’.
On an Android device, go to the website using the Chrome browser, tap the overflow button (three vertical dots) and select Add to Home Screen. Things are a little different for other web browsers, but you get the idea.
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.