Safedig Services removes paperwork from the jobsite

Safedig Services boasts over 25 years’ experience in vacuum excavation, underground service locating, telecommunications, and civil construction across Queensland and New South Wales. They are one of the few Telstra-accredited locating contractors for optic fibres in Brisbane, Gladstone, and Mackay, servicing major clients such as Aurizon, Queensland Rail, Lendlease, BMD Constructions, and GHD Engineering. Safedig Services distinguishes itself by working together as a family to provide a family-valued service to their clients.

Processes and Growing Demand

With heavy involvement in the NBN HFC rollout in Queensland, the demand for Safedig's services was growing exponentially. As the business grew busier, paper-based processes for scheduling, compliance management, and collection of timesheets were not keeping up. Each job required handling 3-4 pieces of paper, from employee timesheets to dump sheets, works dockets, and safety forms. A scalable solution was needed to provide instant feedback and remove paperwork from the jobsite.

A Software Solution

Assignar provided a holistic platform for operations. As business increased, a solution was needed for quick communication of important site information and insight into crew and plant activities. Assignar delivered this visibility for the team.

Assignar reduced the time and stress associated with admin work in the office, especially for safety forms and time documents necessary for invoicing clients. Previously, a Google Form with many extensions was used, which was clunky but functional. Corrective actions from safety forms had to wait until the end of the day, but with Assignar, information is received in real-time from the jobsite.

“We used to get pre-start checklists at the end of the day at 4:00 pm. Now we get an email by 8:00 am and can notify the maintenance and operations team immediately.”

The accounts department has also saved time in payroll processes. Handwritten timesheets were challenging to decipher and often had calculation errors. With digital timesheets, discrepancies or mistakes can be seen instantly and actioned accordingly.

With new clients and worksites every day, information flows increased. Assignar’s scheduler allows orders, allocations, skills, and competencies to be seen at a glance and communicated effectively across the team.

Assignar is also the digital repository of crew competencies, tickets, and licenses. Previously, multiple Excel sheets were used to track competencies and fire extinguisher registers, but now there is great visibility into expiration dates and which worker is best for each job. Assignar has automated competency updates, with employees adding and updating their own competencies via the Worker app.

Assignar and the Team

Implementation began with pilot training for a few operators, helping them through the app one-on-one. After resolving some issues and receiving positive feedback, a team training session was held at a toolbox talk, establishing Assignar’s key role in operations. Some older team members took longer to adapt to the technology, so “cheat-sheets” were developed to make using Assignar a positive daily habit at work.

Through Assignar, the team appreciates the opportunity to prepare for the next day’s work—they can see where they are working, what tasks they need to perform, and if any extra equipment is needed. Nothing is a surprise on the morning of the job. Workers have better insight into their jobs and tasks, and there is a two-way feedback loop from crew to management.

“Assignar has been good for us. We are excited to pick up a lot more work and move to the digital age.” – Daniel Parnell, Operations Coordinator