BRE is talking to a number of contractors, including Brookfield Multiplex, about purchasing access to YellowJacket, the cloud-based health and safety management solution developed by Mace that it acquired last month.
Mace developed the tool as part of its “Safety first. Second nature” programme, using it on the London Olympic Park, the Shard and Birmingham New Street Station. It is currently used on all Mace sites and around 350 subcontractors in Mace’s supply chain use the system.
The cloud-based app allows contractors and subcontractors on a construction site to report safety observations quickly as well as carrying out inspections and audits on the move. The results of these audits can be analysed to predict areas of danger, which can increase safety on site.
BRE has purchased the tool with the intention of selling it to users outside Mace’s supply chain and is now in negotiations with several contractors, including Brookfield Multiplex.
Crawford Burns, head of service at BRE, who is heading up the YellowJacket project, explains that while the app was owned by Mace other companies were reluctant to buy it: “Mace developed the app with the intention that it would be used by other contractors and their supply chains, however, they are not a software company. There was also resistance to the tool as it was a Mace-owned product. As BRE is a completely independent company contractors can be assured that data captured won’t be shared.”
The tool now sits alongside BRE’s digital products Calibre and Smart Waste. The aim is to bring all three apps together within the same interface over the next couple of years.
Burns told BIM+: “The tool creates a huge amount of statistical information to do date analysis with, this allows site managers to look at trends and predict where incidents are likely to occur.”
All suppliers and subcontractors on a site can report issues and communicate with each other using the tool. Although there are several health and safety reporting apps available on the market, Burns believes that the level of transparency offered by the app gives it the edge.
He said: “It gives everyone visibility across the entire supply chain. All information that is recorded on site is visible, which allows for issues to be quickly reported from one subcontractor to another.”
Miles Watkins, BRE’s business development director added: “BRE sees a bright future for YellowJacket as the preferred health, safety and quality tool for the construction sector in the UK and overseas markets. Our plan is to invest in the further development of the application. More recognition for the tool and broader adoption will bring even greater value and opportunities to current users of the product.”
It gives everyone visibility across the entire supply chain. All information that is recorded on site is visible, which allows for issues to be quickly reported from one subcontractor to another.– Crawford Burns, head of service, BRE
