Mixed Use | Construction Software Review

The right construction software can help you grow your construction business by improving efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing your ability to communicate with clients, suppliers and contractors. Choosing the right construction software, however, can be a confusing and frustrating task -- and if the wrong choice is made your organization will suffer. Find out all you need to know before you buy any mixed-use construction software. Read on for a treasure trove of construction business software information such as product features and descriptions, reviews written by construction professionals, and buyer tips to help to ensure you make the right decision for your construction business.

DocuSphere by Image Integration Systems

DocuSphere Workflow, one of the main products in the DocuSphere line, enables documents and data to travel from one business activity to another instantly. It allows for the standardization of the work process at all levels, allowing users to access complete audit trails and permanent transactional history from beginning to end, the vendor said.

ModelRisk by Vose Software

ModelRisk can be used to solve questions when analyzing, optimizing, forecasting and correlating data is necessary. ModelRisk accomplishes this by adding risk analysis techniques to Excel spreadsheets, performing tasks such as the simplification of complicated calculations. This allows users, who can come from a variety of fields, to easily save time, the vendor said.

Zeraware by Zeraware

Zeraware’s first module, Incident Report Software, lets construction professionals obtain, document and analyze the details of reportable incidents. The software creates a database of reportable incidents that range from employee injury to fires or chemical spills. The database can be tracked, searched, sorted and analyzed and customized for a company’s needs, the vendor said.

The second module, Software Accident Investigation, includes five reports to help with the investigation of jobsite accidents.

Safety Signs and Tags by SafetySoft

The Safety Signs and Tags package contains more than 1,400 construction safety signs (1,264 English and 199 Spanish) and 30 tags that can be printed on any color printer wherever needed. Signs are indexed by category and then by sign type and phrase.

Sign types included in the package are Danger, Warning, Caution, Radiation, Biohazard, Notice and Safety First. A full list of construction safety sign types is available at the SafetsySoft website.

Safety Net Talks by SafetySoft

Safety Net Talks contains 70 English and Spanish professionally created construction safety talks that have been tested and used to convey a clear and concise safety message. The software prints talks and allows for date and crew signatures for record-keeping purposes.

Topics include concrete safety, confined space, crane operations, excavation, fall protection, heavy equipment, ladder safety and power tools. A full list of construction safety talk topics is available at the SafetySoft website.

Construction Safety Site Plan by SafetySoft

Construction Safety Site Plan software allows customers to create a safety site plan by entering basic project information and selecting Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes that reflect the level of a company’s participation in the project, according to the vendor.

NoteVault by NoteVault

Recognizing that it is easier to talk than type, NoteVault lets construction professionals use their mobile phones to create spoken field reports about site safety, weather conditions, changes orders and so on. These reports can also include text, pictures, video or email. Once posted to the NoteVault website, this information is time-stamped and can be transcribed into printed documents or posted directly to construction project management software from Viewpoint, CMiC, Meridian or Primavera.

SafetyManager by SafetyInfo

SafetyManager, available through SafetyInfo’s Safety Library, includes 23 modules ranging from employee information, a training tracker and planner, and accident and incident reports to hot work permits, industrial hygiene surveys, confined space permits, and event planning and safety budgeting.

The SafetyInfo site features a free demo of SafetyManager and more detailed information about each of the 23 available modules.

Construction Safety Supervisor by Construction Safety Software Corp.

Construction Safety Supervisor is CSSC’s main software system. The software automatically completes OSHA 300, 301 and 300A. It also completes workers’ compensation state forms; tracks and manages toolbox safety meetings; schedules, tracks and manages MSHA task training; automates project safety inspections; employs an Advanced Warning System (AWS) to help prevent accidents, and tracks, manages and reports MSHA Task Training.

CompWatch by Benefit Software Inc.

CompWatch is a worker’s compensation claims management system designed by Benefit Software. The software lets employers centralize, standardize and automate workers' comp claims processing and tracking. CompWatch produces First Reports of Injury for workers' comp claims in all 50 states and generates an OSHA log; in doing so, the vendor said, CompWatch helps prevent claims, identify fraud and abuse. The software automatically allows employers to see medical and other expenses by employee, injury type, time of day, location or division, the vendor said.