Your Guide to Property Inspection Reports

Your Guide to Property Inspection Reports

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Inspections on commercial buildings are something that happens every day. In fact, there are many cases when a commercial inspection is required by law. It is essential to understand what an inspection is and why it is so important. This is particularly true for those in the construction industry, property management, and building owners. To make it all as straightforward as possible, it is good to start with the most basic elements and move forward from there. Continue reading this article for an overview on property inspections and how you can generate digital reports using GoCanvas forms.

Society has been conditioned to think of a property inspection as a certain thing from popular television shows on the cable channel HGTV. These shows make it abundantly clear that property inspections are performed all the time on residential properties before they are sold. However, those inspections are not exclusive just to residential properties. In reality, these inspections have to take place on commercial buildings as well. 

A few examples of commercial buildings include: 

  • Restaurants
  • Shopping centers
  • Cafes
  • Office buildings
  • Hotels

These buildings and many others all require inspections to be done on them regularly for the safety and protection of the people who come inside them. The government requires that these buildings be inspected during the construction process, but also after a certain number of years have passed since construction. 

There are many options for choosing who to go with when it comes to performing inspections on commercial buildings. Property managers/owners have to decide between these options based on what they can afford and what they feel makes the most sense for their particular needs at that time. Once again, there is not a “right” or “wrong” answer, there is simply the answers that work or don’t work for that particular individual. 

The most professional, and potentially most expensive, choice for getting a building inspection is someone who works as an architect or engineer. This individual has specialized knowledge of how a building should be inspected and what to look for. They have extensive training and schooling in the art of building construction, but this also means that they are a major asset to the property owner. Thus, it is not surprising that they are able to charge more for their services than some of the other options that we will discuss. You really get what you pay for when you opt for hiring an architect. They are bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table.

 

Those who still need to get a building inspected but don’t necessarily want to spend the kind of money necessary to hire an architect may consider opting for a commercial building inspector instead. These individuals may have experience inspecting both residential and commercial buildings, but you should take caution when hiring someone for this role. 

You need to research how extensive their experience is as it specifically relates to commercial buildings. You want to get someone who clearly knows what they are doing and can put their experience into action for you. If the extent of their experience largely lies in residential buildings, then it may be necessary to continue the search until you find someone who more specifically works in commercial properties. 

We have talked a lot about commercial property inspection reports, but we haven’t dove into the question about why these reports are so important. We should establish a baseline for why these reports matter. 

Totallendersolutions.com provides an excellent example and set of reasons why these inspection reports matter. Here is what they say: 

For some businesses, like restaurants, practically everything rides on their physical space. It’s therefore critical that borrowers have a clear, detailed picture of the property they’re looking to purchase. Commercial property inspections are the crucial first step in ensuring that the business acquires a property that is a good fit for the business, will hold its value, and above all else will be a safe place for employees and customers alike.

They make it clear that a business is looking for supreme value when it goes through the processes that it needs to in order to get an inspection report. The worst thing that could happen to a company that purchases a commercial building without an inspection is that it ends up with something that does not meet its needs and is challenging to offload. Imagine getting stuck with a building that no one else wants to purchase but that doesn’t suit your needs either. The suffering that you would have to go through as a result of this is almost too much for most people to bear. 

While working on getting your inspection report, you should think about the people who are compiling that report for you in the first place. Does it make sense to hire someone that has a vested interest in the property or in your business? Probably not. They may be too biased to give you the honest assessment of the property that you really need to make your decision. Thus, it is advisable to go with a third-party provider who has no connection to your business or to the property at all. When you find an inspector like that, you are all set. They won’t push you in one direction or another. Instead, they will offer their brutally honest assessment based on the facts presented to them. 

There are different property inspections that you should know about. Here are some of the common types of property inspections that exist for different purposes.

A myriad of construction inspections are necessary during the build phase of a new property. If something is first being constructed, the government will make people perform a number of inspections before it can be built. These include: 

  • Fire inspection
  • Plumbing inspection
  • Foundation inspection

These are just a few of the things that one will have to do as they work on a new building. If you have ever wondered why it can take a great deal of time for a brand-new building to go up, it often has something to do with the number of inspections that it must go through before it can be finalized. 

When property is switching hands from one party to another, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that the property is properly inspected as it is supposed to be before it switches hands. We live to think that everyone will be honest in their transactions, but we know that this is not necessarily the case. 

An inspection conducted during a real estate transaction is done to make sure that everything about the property is on the level when it moves from one person to another. This often means that the inspector will focus on specific line items that are often missed. Perhaps the property has not undergone an inspection since it was first constructed, and it may be overdue for a number of needed inspections. If that is the case, then your third-party property inspector can let you know what needs to be done, and they can often do the inspections themselves if you are willing to pay for that service. 

Property managers need to perform inspections on the properties that they have leased out to tenants when those tenants are ready to leave. The reason for this is because they need to ensure that their tenants have not done any damage to the property that could take away from its value. There is a reason why most property managers require new tenants to make a deposit when they first move into their property. They hold on to any portion of that deposit that is necessary to repair the elements of the apartment that are left in disrepair when the tenant leaves. 

A thorough inspection of the living space by the property manager can turn up any issues that the tenant left behind when they left the property. Any damages and their estimated cost of repair must then be reported to the tenant. 

Those who wish to purchase insurance on their personal home are likely able to do so without much paperwork or frustration. However, those who need to purchase insurance for a commercial property may have to put a little more effort into getting the help that they require. The reason for this is because they will need to get an insurance company out to them as soon as possible to inspect their property and let them know if there is anything special they need to do to fix the property before it becomes insurable. 

When you are the property owner in this situation, you are hoping that no issues crop up, but you cannot guarantee this until you take the time to get an insurance inspection done. 

There are many types of inspections that are necessary to take care of the general flow of business and life. Now that you know a little more about these inspections and how they work, you can better prepare yourself for the reality of what you will need to go through when you need to have one of these inspections performed.

GoCanvas provides all of the digital tools your business needs to perform inspections. By going digital with inspection forms, your business can streamline the inspection process and instantly share digital reports with key stakeholders. Sign up for a free trial to see our inspection forms in action or contact our team to learn more.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Your Guide to Punch Lists [+ Templates]

man using tablet at construction site

Your Guide to Punch Lists [+ Templates]

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Construction projects require many detailed processes to close out work to a client’s satisfaction. Even with all the best intentions and preparation, things can be overlooked and oversight can happen during different phases of construction. Final repairs or improvements often need to be made to sign off on the final project by all stakeholders. Punch lists are designed to spot any mistakes or incomplete work left on the project and identify the final measures needed to close out the work. This article will discuss the meaning of a punch list and how digital forms can help simplify the process for everyone involved.

A punch list is a list of outstanding or incomplete work. They are used by property owners and managers, as well as contractors and subcontractors, to ensure all remaining items have been taken care of before a project is considered complete.

For example, if you have just had your home painted, the contractor might specifically note on a punch list that some windows are not properly caulked and need to be re-done. The contractor will not sign off as being finished until those items have been addressed and corrected.

Punch lists don’t have to be limited to construction sites. They can also serve as a helpful checklist during property inspections or move-in/move-outs.

The primary purpose of a punch list is to identify any tasks that were not completed on-site or on time (for example, installing insulation). However, it may be more about identifying “material” oversights. That is any missed steps that will likely not be completed at all or can be corrected later in the job.

The list also prevents these oversights from being repeated in future jobs. For example, the construction company could update their materials list to include the measurements of bricks they should use for insulation installation. Or maybe cut out other tasks that are likely to fail or cause problems.

Typically, a contractor or subcontractor will also use a punch list as the last step in completing a job. Final walk-throughs, meetings with clients, etc., might also be held before the punch list is finalized.

On average, four or more people will likely contribute to the punch list. They include the following:

  • Contractor: The contractor or subcontractor is typically responsible for the punch list.
  • Architect: The architect will inspect the site and create a list of changes to be made, in addition to noting any problems with the actual construction.
  • Site manager: The site manager has been on-site throughout the project and knows what work is incomplete and what needs to be addressed.
  • Homeowner/Client: The homeowner or client will contribute any changes to their original request or ideas about what still needs to be done.

It is essential for these people to be involved in creating a comprehensive punch list because everyone who has spent time working on the project should be aware of what still needs to get done. They know what has gone right, and more importantly, they know what has gone wrong.

Combining everyone’s experiences increases the chances that everything will get completed or at least identified for later (or corrected if possible). This is especially important when different companies are involved in the same construction project or if the person responsible for completing a punch list is not on-site.

The specific format of a punch list can vary, but it will generally contain some or all of the following items.

  • An overall description of the project that includes the name or purpose of the project, date range, and the start/finish dates
  • A section indicating the room (e.g., balcony, living room, entry way)
  • A section with itemized tasks to be completed on-site. Each item on a punch list will be identified by a number. The list should be detailed enough to easily be understood by someone who did not manage the project (for example, a new client).
  • Space for comments about the problems and what still needs to be done.

The list is then given to the client or project manager for review and approval.

A punch list could contain dozens or hundreds of individual items. However, here is one example of what a punch list could look like:

Item 1 – Painting on the north wall needs to be refreshed due to cracking.

Item 2 – The west stairwell needs to be re-caulked

Item 3 – The HVAC units need to be re-insulated

Item 4 – The garage door needs its inspection sticker

Item 5– Drywall cracks around outlet in the kitchen

Item 6 – Hole in exterior wall needs to be filled and painted

Item 7 – Ceiling paint is missing in one bedroom

Originally, punch lists were small paper forms that were punched with a series of holes. Each hole was used to indicate the status of an individual item.

For example, if the punch list indicated that an item had been completed, the worker would place a metal stamp over one hole in the form. If they skipped an item, the punch list would have two holes. When used correctly, it was easy to see at a glance if an item had been addressed or missed.

The name became famous because of this method of “punching” holes in paper forms. While paper forms are sometimes used today, more companies are switching over to digital forms to simplify the process and bring this important report online to the cloud.

There are several ways in which using digital punch lists can be beneficial for your business.

  • Instant reports available online. There’s no need to print and distribute physical copies of the list. It can be completed, signed-off, and sent electronically rather than having everyone on-site re-write it out or wait for a paper form to come back around.
  • Include photos for more detailed reports. You can also use mobile forms to quickly enter any missing items, attach photos to explain the problem, and even provide notes about what needs attention or how it should be addressed.
  • Collect signatures and collaborate. After you’ve made sure everything has been noted on the punch list, you can send it back to them for approval or forward it to your client’s project manager.

GoCanvas can be used to create digital punch lists for your business. Our pre-built templates are built with industry best practices in mind and make it easier than ever to get everyone on the same page quickly without wasting paper or time. 

Modernize your operations with punch list templates, along with the other important construction management software like work orders, inspections, safety forms, and more. Visit our website to learn more about GoCanvas for the construction industry or sign up for a free trial account today.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Free Equipment Checkout Form Templates

manufatcuring plant worker using tablet

Free Equipment Checkout Form Templates

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Construction job sites require workers to use heavy equipment, tools, and other important assets. Keeping track of your equipment is an essential part of the job and having processes in place helps ensure equipment is well managed.

Some companies choose to manage this process with simple equipment checkout forms on site using paper. But paper forms are not always ideal for growing businesses that need to establish documented processes for tracking equipment and inventory checkout. Instead of relying on paper forms, construction firms can use mobile apps and forms for easier management and visibility into job site operations.

Continue reading this article to learn how mobile forms can be used for managing the equipment checkout process.

Printable checkout forms using paper have a few disadvantages. Here are some of the top reasons to consider going paperless:

Unfortunately it can be very easy to misplace or lose important forms when using paper. When managing assets like equipment, issues with paper work can lead to valuable things potentially becoming lost or misplaced.

Companies looking to simplify inventory management and asset tracking have gone the way of digital apps that make it easy to keep track of checkout and equipment forms. Since records are stored digitally to the cloud (even without an internet connection), you can be sure that forms are never lost and are easily accessible from anywhere.

The other downside with paper forms is that sometimes information is not filled out entirely, leaving off important details on the form. This can require you to track down the information later on or deal with incomplete data. Mobile apps help to ensure that data is filled out correctly every time, with required fields, drop-down lists, GPS tracking, and other features that promote standardized data.

Digital apps also provide a better system to work between job site and office. While paper forms tend to become siloed, information stored to the cloud is easy to report on and track from anywhere.

For equipment management, this means your team has greater visibility across multiple job sites and information can be tracked in real-time. This can save time for everyone involved and provide a better solution for documenting and reporting on equipment being used for construction projects. Bringing information online can help to streamline tasks and improve workflows between disparate teams and locations.

GoCanvas is a leader provider of mobile apps for the construction industry, helping contractors worldwide to streamline their operations. Our mobile forms are completely customizable to your business needs, providing an easy-to-use platform for managing how work gets done. GoCanvas offers many pre-built form templates for the construction industry, like our equipment checkout form.

  • Equipment log that is designed to keep track of tools and other assets securely from a centralized platform for contractors
  • Ensure you know where heavy equipment and rentals are being used, helping to avoid lost tools and costly replacements
  • Customize what information is collected, from name of the tool, serial number, date and time, condition of the equipment, and more.
  • Collect digital signatures to provide an electronic record 
  • Sync to analytics and reporting tools to easily run reports or export them to PDFs to share via email.

Sign up for a free trial to see how mobile forms can simplify tasks like equipment checkout, inspections, work orders, and much more. Looking for something else? Search thousands of pre-built form templates on the GoCanvas App Store.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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How To Prepare for an OSHA Safety Inspection

How To Prepare for an OSHA Safety Inspection

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Plenty of owners of small- and medium-sized businesses find the prospect of having an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection scary, especially since the agency is now inspecting businesses from bakeries and liquor stores, to construction companies, tire stores, and performing arts companies.

But you can be ready for OSHA.

Knowing what to expect, and using some easy-to-use technology, can help even small- and medium-sized businesses without large safety budgets feel like they are equipped if OSHA comes calling. This article will cover four steps you can take to prepare for OSHA inspections, and avoid fines and violations.

  1. Understand OSHA’s inspection priorities and most-cited hazards
  2. Develop safety checklists unique to your business
  3. Put an OSHA inspection plan in place
  4. Know what to do on inspection day — and after

OSHA inspection planning is critical for almost every type of business. Continue reading this article for our guide to OSHA Safety Inspections.

While OSHA doesn’t break down its more than 70,000 or so annual inspections by industry, it does offer a list of its top 10 most-cited violations. Think of these as “trouble spots” you should concentrate on addressing. In 2020, these were the top 10 most frequently cited standards by OSHA. 

  1.     Fall Protection—General Requirements (§1926.501): 5,424 violations
  2.     Hazard Communication (§1910.1200): 3,199 violations
  3.     Respiratory Protection (§1910.134): 2,649 violations
  4.     Scaffolding (§1926.451): 2,538 violations
  5.     Ladders (§1926.1053): 2,129 violations
  6.     Lockout/Tagout (§1910.147): 2,065 violations
  7.     Powered Industrial Trucks (§1910.178): 1,932 violations
  8.     Fall Protection—Training Requirements (§1926.503): 1,621 violations
  9.     Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment—Eye and Face Protection (§1926.102): 1,369 violations
  10.     Machine Guarding (§1910.212): 1,313 violations

Three out of the top 10 most-cited violations — fall protection, scaffolding, and ladders — involve construction standards. Not surprisingly, the construction industry remains among the industries most frequently inspected by OSHA.

The agency can’t possibly inspect all 7 million workplaces that it covers. Here is how OSHA decides where to go:

  • Referrals or tips. Hazard information reported by government agencies, nonprofits, the media, and individuals often prompts an investigation.
  • Employee Complaints. Employees can request anonymity when filing complaints and such allegations often warrant OSHA follow-up.
  • Follow ups. OSHA frequently conducts follow-up inspections to previous visits, so stay prepared.

OSHA may have issued you a “checklist” when you opened your business, but that’s just a starting place.

That’s because the agency’s inspectors additionally develop their own policies for specific industries via the “General Duty” clause. They can then use it to cite workplaces for violations of regulations that aren’t written down. And they do it. It’s clear that as a business owner, you can’t simply follow OSHA’s safety checklist and take a nap.

You’re responsible for creating and maintaining your own safety checklists and procedures specific to your industry and workplace – and then for keeping those checklists up-to-date and following them.

  • Start with what OSHA delivered to you
  • Take a look at the most cited violations list
  • Inspect your workplace to find any other potential violations that might likely occur
  • Create more than one checklist – one for the front office, and other for the primary worksite itself

Then get employees from each area to take turns checking for and recording any hazards they encounter on a regular basis – some items only monthly, others every day. (You’ll want to develop safety inspection calendars to guide inspection efforts in each area.)

Now, this is where mobile application technology comes in.Moving from paper checklists to mobile apps, which can be customized to your company’s unique and varying needs, can make your OSHA compliance efforts much easier and more effective.With mobile checklists, you:

  • Enter data in real time and that data is not only stored in the cloud, but can be immediately shared with a supervisor or manager, minimizing response times
  • Create a variety of inspection checklists for various tasks and sites – all accessible from a smartphone or tablet
  • Update your mobile apps as OSHA guidelines evolve and change to reflect changes and immediately deploy the information across your organization
  • Your mobile checklists are not only more flexible than the paper versions, ensuring that your business is in compliance with the latest regulations, but employees will never again have to drag around a big binder while doing a self-inspection or making copies of paper checklists.

Mobile data will also offer insight into:

  • What are your common problem areas?
  • Which of your safety procedures are redundant?
  • Which employees are completing safety checks regularly?
  • Which team members are wearing the proper protective clothing and equipment?
  • Which employees are safety leaders? Safety violators?

Now that you’ve made your checklists and safety self-inspection calendars, you have to prepare for the inevitable:the day an OSHA inspector shows up. What happens and what do you really need to be ready for?

First, you need to put together a day-of-inspection plan. Doing so will give you some control over the OSHA inspection, make a good impression on the inspector, and – most importantly – result in fewer violations. Assemble an inspection team, including:

  • Representative from management. A member of senior management or your dedicated safety officer. He or she is charged with recording everything that happens, making decisions about where and what the inspector can observe, and answering questions.
  • Photographer. Always photograph everything the OSHA inspector photographs.
  • Document controller. To have access to all the documents the inspector might request. This is where mobile form apps are extremely useful. Your document controller will be able to access everything he or she needs with a few swipes of a tablet.
 

Due to changing priorities and regulations, OSHA may shift its focus to any business or industry at any time. It’s important to prepare your team in advance and here are a few tips:

  • Practice Interview Questions. Prep your team for likely employee interviews and understand your rights. They should answer questions specifically and truthfully, but not volunteer any additional information.
  • Hold Surprise Inspections. Try to make these mock inspections as true to an OSHA inspection as you can. Get pushy: For instance, “demand” documents that your team members aren’t supposed to give up.
  • Create Mobile Checklists in Advance. Use mobile checklists to help you prepare for OSHA inspection day. Besides self-inspection checklists, mobile apps can help you create your inspection plan, manage “surprise” inspections, and organize all those regulatory documents.

Make sure you understand what rights your team has if the OSHA inspector arrives and be sure to test your team’s knowledge in advance.

No matter how well you prepare, OSHA might find something that you need to correct. But with proper preparation, you’ll be much less likely to be cited for serious violations. Most importantly, you’ll have a strong system in place to keep your employees safe and free from workplace hazards.

By tapping into the power of mobile apps and cloud-based technology, you can ensure that your business is more than ready to welcome OSHA inspectors when they come calling.

By using mobile apps to create safety checklists, analyze your business’ safety program and trouble spots, and implement corrective action, you’ll avoid injuries and safety violations — keeping you off OSHA’s radar in the first place.

GoCanvas has a wide variety of OSHA mobile apps that can help make your business safer. Get in touch to find out how cloud-based data collection can take your OSHA compliance efforts to an entirely new level.

GoCanvas has a wide variety of OSHA mobile apps that can help make your business safer. Get in touch to find out how cloud-based data collection can take your OSHA compliance efforts to an entirely new level. 

Easy-to-use software. Creating checklists to inspect and regularly record hazards and correct them can keep you clear of fines. Making those checklists mobile keeps data at hand and accurate.

Accessible documentation. Mobile apps ensure that the appropriate people have access to important documents in real time and employees know their roles in case of an audit.

Improve safety compliance. In the majority of cases, OSHA’s inspections are not announced in advance. You have to be prepared at all times and mobile apps like GoCanvas can help to ensure compliance and lower your risk.

Sign up for your free trial of GoCanvas today or contact our team to learn more about GoCanvas for Safety Compliance.

3 Key Benefits of Software for Mobile Forms

Still not sure about moving to software for capturing form data? Here are some of the key outcomes companies have seen when implementing software platforms for mobile data:

  • Increase Productivity. Mobile forms can improve annual productivity by 28% and show an ROI in 6 months.
  • Cost Savings. A company can lose hundreds of hours in manual data entry. Mobile forms save an average of $40,000 in year one.
  • Lowered Risk. Companies that implemented mobile form software report that they have reduced their risk and liability by 18%

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Top Checklist Apps for the Construction Industry

Top Checklist Apps for the Construction Industry

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Embracing technology is one opportunity for contractors in the construction industry to increase their productivity and streamline operations. Construction project management software is one category of software solution that can be deployed on job sites to manage how work gets done. This article covers some of the top construction checklist apps in the construction industry, with links to examples and templates you can access on the GoCanvas site. We will also share some of the key benefits for using construction checklist apps and the top use cases within the construction industry.

Historically, companies used paper forms as the primary mode of collecting data, but more firms are beginning to move away from paper-based processes. Companies are now switching to digital apps that can simplify the process for everyone involved and eliminate the headaches of using paper forms. Bringing the process into the digital world is beneficial to organizations in a number of different ways. Here are some of the key benefits:

Construction apps help to streamline work between the field and the office. Eliminating paper forms helps to reduce the time spent on manual and error prone processes that can waste time and decrease productivity for everyone involved. All data can be easily captured using a mobile device or tablet, without requiring an internet connection. Digital construction apps transform how teams work, both in the field and in the office, with a suite of tools designed to improve and manage workflows.

 

Digital construction apps for contractors help to ensure that data is consistent and accurate every time, with standardized fields for collecting information and best practices for data capture. Businesses also need greater visibility into their operations in real-time. Digital construction apps allow you to track issues in the field and have a quick turnaround time if another action needs to be taken, like scheduling further maintenance or repairs, for example. Construction apps for contractors promote best practices for data capture in the field and allow companies to easily roll up and summarize information for reporting.

There are many types of construction checklist apps available for job sites today. These can help with safety, quality, project management, and much more. Here are some of the top use cases to consider:

Safety and Risk Management. Checklist apps are useful for converting your paper forms into digital safety programs. Perform inspections, report incidents, assign toolbox talks, perform safety audits, and much more. Digital tools help you to assign and manage your safety programs, helping to formalize these programs and minimize your risk.

Quality Control. Construction checklist apps are widely used to ensure that quality standards are met. Quality control inspection checklists can be utilized during all phases of construction projects, and PDF reports can be generated automatically for key project stakeholders. Managing quality control checklists using construction management software can help your business avoid rework and delays. Construction checklist apps ensure this work is completed and can be monitored using dashboards and analytics.

Equipment Inspections. Routine equipment inspections are another popular use case for checklist app software. Preventative maintenance and equipment inspections can be performed from a mobile device or tablet, bringing this information directly to the cloud. Companies have found that real-time insights into field operations can help them become more proactive and address problems before they lead to larger issues for the project. Construction apps enable data analytics and help to make your data actionable.

Project Management. Checklist apps are commonly used by project managers to ensure that processes are being followed on every job site. Common checklists like pre-project and project close out checklists help to keep work organized and provide a digital way to manage workflows.

There are many types of construction checklist apps available for job sites today. These can help with safety, quality, project management, and much more. We have compiled a list of the top construction checklist apps used in the construction industry. 

GoCanvas provides a central platform to manage all of your job site operations.  Follow the links to access the construction checklist apps on the GoCanvas App Store and sign up for a free trial to see all of our digital checklist apps for contractors.

This worker safety app also helps ensure that all construction work employees comply with OSHA standards in order to reduce workplace injuries and increase overall standards for workplace safety.

The safety data sheet app enables employers to develop a hazard management program of occupational safety measures, including training, which is specific to the individual workplace, and to consider any measures that may be necessary to protect the health and safety of the work area.

Construction equipment operators and others who are responsible for preventive maintenance and equipment safety can use the electronic inspection form to perform complete equipment safety reports from anywhere in the field.

Personal protective equipment must be used and worn in many work situations in order to protect employees from harm and potential hazards. Use this convenient construction checklist to make sure that occupational safety guidelines are being enforced to ensure the safety of your employees.

The electrical work inspection app for employee safety provides an electronic self-inspection checklist that covers all aspects of electrical installations, including personal protective equipment, circuit breaker safety and electrical cords. 

Contractors, subcontractors and construction project managers can use the construction app to complete a new construction quality control inspection. The app inspects the pre-start phase, foundation phase of construction, rough phase, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pre-finish phase, and finish phase.

This checklist includes a building inspection checklist and tracks all aspects of a building including exterior, heating systems, electrical systems, housekeeping, fire safety, evacuation plans, and other miscellaneous areas ensuring compliance with building codes.

This checklist helps track all the necessary steps to complete before submitting new construction estimates. Capture all the details of different construction projects, including listing the preferred vendors, permits required, material prices and more. Use the information to create the final estimated cost for new construction contracts.

The startup checklist app is a smart alternative to project management software and paper forms at the job site. The construction project plan checklist covers everything from defining the scope of work at the job site, to developing the construction project plan and timeline. Once completed, the general contractor, management and other stakeholders can sign off on the project requirements electronically to ensure that all quality standards are met.

This helpful checklist is designed to help construction management teams and independent contractors. Use the construction checklist to make sure that all details are covered when handing off project work for quality assurance purposes, and that requirements from the general contractor and project managers have been met.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Guide to Mobile Inspection Forms for the Trucking Industry

Guide to Mobile Inspection Forms for the Trucking Industry

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Trucks are the backbone of the global supply chain. According to the American Trucking Association, about 70 percent of all freight and cargo in the United States moves by truck. Without these vehicles, the U.S. economy would grind to a halt within a week. 

However, keeping that workforce moving comes with significant risks. Five million truck drivers share the roads with 250 million motorists — but even though large trucks only represent 2 percent of drivers, they’re involved in 11 percent of all road fatalities.

Passing inspections and complying with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations is key to keeping drivers and motorists safe — and trucks moving and generating revenue.

But that’s often a challenge in and of itself. To pass inspections and meet regulations, carriers and drivers are required to keep a long list of records related to their operations. If, during an inspection or investigation, they can’t produce accurate, up-to-date documentation, carriers and drivers may face fines or have their vehicles taken out of service.  

Using mobile forms can help you maintain and monitor vehicles, repairs, and drivers, and can make it easier for employees to conduct frequent, regular inspections. In this article, we will cover how the information you collect can help you:

  • Keep your Safety Measurement System percentile low
  • Pass roadside inspections and keep trucks generating revenue
  • Understand and manage CSA interventions 

Carriers must maintain records including, but not limited to:

  • Accident registers
  • Hazardous materials shipping papers/logs
  • Vehicle maintenance history
  • Annual lists of driver violations
  • Driver’s medical examiner certificates
  • Driver safety performance evaluation certificates
  • Vehicle identifying information: DOT registration, vehicle make, serial number and tire sizes
  • Vehicle inspections: schedule, type and date
  • Pre- and post-trip inspection reports  

Drivers themselves are not rated, but their inspections, accidents, and violations impact the carriers’ safety measurements.  The data from inspections while a driver works for you remains part of your safety record for two years. Carriers do not inherit any of a new hire’s past violations — only violations received while driving under your authority. 

Pre- and post-trip inspection forms, regular maintenance inspections, and even regular tire inspections are all part of keeping your trucks moving. Logging all of this data onto paper forms means lost paperwork, manually re-entering data, and then storing all of those forms in one of many file cabinets. 

With mobile forms, data entry is more accurate because there is no duplicated data entry, form fields can be required so that nothing gets skipped, and that data is all stored in the cloud, and accessible to you and your drivers anytime and anywhere. And while paper forms get lost or can be destroyed in an accident, data securely archived in the cloud is easily accessed in the case of an accident or legal suit. 

Getting your team to complete regular inspections is key to keeping your vehicles moving. 

Here are some examples of the types of mobile form inspections:

  • Pre-trip inspections. Seven of the top ten CSA violations could be prevented with a thorough pre-trip inspection.
  • Maintenance inspections. Average downtime can cost $100 per hour, so a preventive maintenance system can save money in the long run, help avoid violations, and keep drivers safe.
  • Hazardous materials inspections. A serious violation of hazardous materials transport regulations can cost you more than $77,000.

 

All vehicles that meet the description of a motor carrier are bound by FMCSA’s regulations, including Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA), FMCSA’s data-driven safety compliance and enforcement program. CSA is designed to improve safety and prevent commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes, injuries, and fatalities. The core element of CSA — the Safety Measurement System (SMS) — measures carriers’ safety performance. Poor safety and compliance can prompt two other elements of the program: interventions and Safety Fitness Determination.

Identifying Carriers for Interventions 

The FMCSA uses historical data, such as number of crashes or compliance violations, to identify carriers for interventions. Through interventions — which could range from warning letters to investigations — inspectors work with the carriers address those issues. They then use a rating system to designate the safety of motor carriers and remove those unfit to operate on public roads.

Safety Measurement System Percentiles

CSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) assigns carriers a Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentile in seven categories. Carriers are grouped by the number of safety incidents (e.g., crashes or violations) they’ve had in each category, then assigned a percentile. The higher the percentile, the worse the performance. This percentile does not affect the carrier’s safety ranking; it simply prioritizes them for interventions.

Safety Rankings 

Safety rankings may be assigned after an on-site investigation. Carriers can be assigned the ranking satisfactory, conditional, or unsatisfactory. A carrier ranked as unsatisfactory is prohibited from operating a CMV in interstate commerce. 

The Safety Measurement System (SMS) assigns a BASIC percentile in seven categories: 

  • Unsafe driving
  • Crash indicator
  • Hours-of-service compliance
  • Vehicle maintenance
  • Controlled substances/alcohol compliance
  • Hazardous materials compliance
  • Driver fitness

Your company’s safety data is publicly available online in FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS). FMCSA updates the SMS once a month with data from roadside inspections, crash reports from the last two years, and investigation results. Some of what the SMS considers includes:

  • Number of safety violations and inspections
  • Number of trucks/buses a carrier operates and number of vehicle miles traveled
  • Severity of safety violations

To comply with the FMCSA’s CSA and SMS programs, and keep vehicles moving and companies generating revenue, it’s important for company owners and managers to evaluate the quality of their records and record-keeping systems. Mobile inspections help your crew stay up to date on maintenance, compliance, and keep trucks on the roads instead of out of service. 

Using a mobile app to enter, digitally record, and store data electronically eliminates vulnerabilities common to paper records and expedites the record-keeping process. 

FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program is designed to keep the roads safe. 

Part of keeping your company’s CSA ranking as low as possible is making sure that all of your vehicles pass roadside inspections with flying colors.  

Make the pre-trip inspection process quick and painless for your drivers. 

Use mobile apps to check, double check, and document all the basics like lights, mirrors, horns, etc. Remember that passing inspection is specific to the category of what is being transported. Instruct your drivers to pay special attention to their vehicle’s brakes, tires, and cargo security (as these are some of the leading causes of large truck crashes), and use a mobile app to document specific areas (including taking photos) pre-trip. 

Make documents easy to inspect.

Crumpled and incomplete documentation that a driver digs out of a messy glove compartment don’t leave a good impression on an inspector. A mobile inspection form gives your drivers access to inspection documents at their fingertips. If an inspector knows the paperwork is organized, he or she will have a better initial impression of your truck overall.

Cooperate.

This may seem like common sense, but it’s not always common. The more cooperation the officer receives, the smoother things go. An officer doesn’t have to go through with a full inspection just because he or she pulls a driver over, but does have the right to cite the driver, the company, or both, so attitude pays. 

  • Much faster to complete than traditional paper forms
  • Cloud-based forms are instantly accessible for the inspector, anywhere, anytime 
  • Forms can be created to require drivers to fill in all sections so nothing gets skipped  
  • Fields can be pre-populated with company data for efficiency
  • GPS tracks and confirms where the inspection took place
  • Date and timestamp features keep drivers honest and prevent any backdating 
  • Image captures at point of inspection may be later used to substantiate compliance in the event of a crash or accident
  • Improper or lack of recordkeeping violations can soar up to $14,502 per violation
  • Operating in violation of an out-of-service order carries a fine of $22,587
  • Violation of hazmat material regulations generates fines of no less than $463 but up to $77,114 per violation

Non-compliance hits your bottom line beyond just the fine. Your loss of revenue will vary, but you can estimate it using the following equation:

Travel Speed x Revenue Per Hour x Downtime for Non-Compliance = Total Revenue Lost

So, for example, if your truck travels 50 miles in an hour, and your revenue is $1.75 per hour, you will lose $350 if your truck sits for only four hours. And that doesn’t include repairs on the spot, which are more expensive than if planned in advance. But as violations, roadside inspection violations, and fines are logged, they are added to the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS).

As your ranking climbs within the SMS system, it is more likely that you will be targeted for intervention by FMCSA, which can affect your insurance and contract rates, and ultimately, your ability to attract new customers.

Worried that roadside inspections will take your vehicles out of service? Here are three of the most critical areas for drivers to be aware of to pass an inspection:

  • Completing a full pre-trip inspection. Besides the basic vehicle inspection, drivers should check any load securement devices if the load falls into any special categories. 
  • Knowing the working load limit. The limit requires that drivers use enough weight-rated tie downs to equal at least half the weight of the load. If they are under the limit, they will be out of service (OOS) until they correct the problem. 
  • Using the 10-foot rule. The general rule is that you need at least one tie down for every 10 feet of what the driver is hauling. The tie downs cannot be more than 10 feet apart. Inspectors will measure. Drivers should carry extra tie downs just in case. 

FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program uses the Safety Measurement System (SMS) to identify carriers that aren’t complying with safety regulations. When carriers earn high enough rankings, CSA uses intervention tools to step in and assist those owners and drivers — or take more serious action if carriers still fail to improve. 

Interventions fall into three categories:

Early Contact 

These initial actions include warning letters, which notify carriers of their performance issues, and targeted roadside inspections to look further into a carrier’s specific safety concerns. 

Investigation 

Safety inspectors (SIs) conduct investigations on site or off site to identify and address safety compliance issues and help carriers identify ways to improve. 

Follow-On 

Following an investigation, CSA may issue a follow-up action, which could include a cooperative safety plan, a notice of violation or claim, or an operation out of service order (OOSO), which instructs the carrier to immediately cease trucking operations.  

Carriers are selected for interventions based on the following:

  • Number of BASIC percentiles above a certain threshold 
  • A critical or acute violation in the last 12 months 
  • Commodity hauled (e.g., passengers or hazardous materials)
  • Intervention history 
  • Time since last intervention
  • Complaint or fatal crash 

On-Site Investigations  

SIs conduct on-site investigations at the carrier’s place of business, where they can interview employees, perform vehicle inspections, and ask carriers to produce documentation to prove compliance. Using mobile forms, you can produce any requested data on demand, on any device. Relying on paper forms, you’ll likely have to spend time before the inspection planning, collecting information, and making copies.

During an on-site investigation, SIs may choose to conduct vehicle inspections to make sure your fleet meets safety performance and compliance regulations. To assess the extent of any issues, SIs may request documentation including roadside inspection reports, vehicle maintenance files, annual vehicle inspection reports, equipment repair receipts, and accident reports.  

Off-Site Investigations 

SIs can also request copies of carriers’ documents to review remotely as an off-site investigation. The SIs use these documents to identify safety performance and compliance problems.

A trucking accident can be costly to a company in a range of obvious ways — such as loss of cargo or vehicle damage. But an accident can be the cause of many indirect costs as well, including lost customers, lost sales, and poor public relations. Crashes also impact carriers’ percentile ranking in CSA’s Safety Measurement System, which can increase the likelihood of an intervention or investigation. 

 And that introduces another potential cost: If carriers can’t produce copies of roadside inspections or repairs records when the accident is investigated, they may face steep non-compliance penalties, civil penalties, and even criminal charges.

Armed with mobile apps, drivers can immediately access inspections records and forms at any time, from any location. In addition, when carriers keep accurate and updated information, they’re better equipped to make sure each truck has been inspected and is in working order — which can help prevent accidents in the first place.   

If you receive an initial warning letter, what should be your next step? Here are three things to consider:

Should you respond to the letter?

Actually, no response is necessary. FMCSA will continue to monitor your performance — it’s your job to immediately take steps to improve your safety performance so no further intervention is necessary. 

Should you prepare for an investigation?

A warning letter is just that — a warning. It does not indicate that FMCSA will conduct an investigation. However, if your safety performance and compliance don’t improve, FMCSA may decide to conduct additional interventions, which could include an investigation.

Take steps to improve your safety 

Now that you have received a warning, it’s up to you to improve your safety performance and compliance, and regularly monitor your SMS data to make sure you don’t put your company at risk for additional interventions. 

Operating trucks of any size is essential for many businesses. Keeping them (and their drivers) on the road has a profound impact on profitability, so maintaining those vehicles is key. It directly affects your ability to compete and win new work in the market.  

Mobile apps can not only help you manage everything from preventive maintenance to daily and weekly inspections — they can also give you valuable insight into your data, which can help you find more business efficiencies and generate more revenue. 

  • Which drivers are most profitable?
  • Which ones routinely “forget” to do pre-trip inspections?
  • Which vehicles break down the most and at what time of year?
  • What are the most common problem areas found during inspections?

With GoCanvas apps, drivers can perform critical inspections for maintenance, pre- and post-trip, with ease. And you have the peace of mind that data is always available to access to keep your vehicles on the road generating revenue and your employees safe. 

The right tools can not only help you stay compliant, but also competitive. Compliance gets easier and vehicles stay on the road when inspections are completed on mobile apps. Key features of GoCanvas include:

  • Photos with inspections. Mobile apps allow the user to photograph wear, tear, and damage during a maintenance inspection.
  • GPS tracking. Knowing where an inspection took place helps you keep tabs on both your equipment and your employees.
  • Required fields. Requiring certain fields to be filled in ensures that all critical information is filled out on maintenance or pre-trip inspections. Data is more accurate, your company is more compliant, and your equipment keeps running.

Want to get started with inspections using mobile forms and apps? Sign up today for a free trial of GoCanvas or contact our team to learn more.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Home Inspection Checklists – Examples and Templates

Home Inspection Checklists – Examples and Templates

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Inspection companies are moving toward digital apps rather than using traditional paper forms. By going digital, inspections can be completed from a mobile device or tablet, so information is instantly available in a PDF report. For home inspections, going digital allows you to have all of the necessary forms available within an app for inspectors to use from anywhere. These can be run without an internet connection, giving your business the ability to digitize information from remote locations. Here are some of the main benefits of going digital:

Paper forms are notorious for becoming lost or misplaced over time. This can cause issues for a business when information is unavailable and it can create rework to fix the problems. Handwritten paper work is also known to contain mispellings, have incomplete sections, or other types of data entry mistakes. While paper work can be difficult to manage, digitizing this information solves many of these problems. Data becomes standardized, accurate, complete, and easy to access from the cloud.

One common challenge with paper forms for inspections is the process of taking the paper work and turning it into the final report to share with clients and stakeholders. This process can be manual and time-consuming, requiring employees to dedicate their time on work that can be automated. Going digital with inspection apps allows you to generate the reports in near real-time. Share PDF reports instantly with clients and cut down on the time it takes to complete the reporting process.

Having a centralized system for capturing, storing, and managing your data is a key benefit of going digital with home inspection checklists. You can manage all of your core business documentation from a single platform for field operations. Continue reading this article for examples of specific home inspection checklists using the GoCanvas platform for mobile forms and apps. You can follow the links to view the checklists and sign up for a free trial to see the inspection checklist templates in our PDF designer. GoCanvas has thousands of pre-built templates for all different inspection types and you can easily customize the forms to fit your unique business needs.

This app is designed as a comprehensive tool for inspection companies to use when performing home inspections during real estate transactions. Each checklist can be quickly and easily accessed from a smartphone or tablet for follow-up, or can be generated into a PDF inspection report and submitted to real estate agents, the homeowner, or other appropriate parties. 

This mobile app replaces paper inspection forms that are used to inspect areas of electrical installations prior to installing insulation, sheet rock, paneling and other materials that cover wiring. The perfect tool for electrical inspectors, building code enforcement teams and others who deal with electrical safety and electrical wiring at job sites, this electrical inspection form is easily accessible from any smartphone or tablet and can be customized to meet different building codes and electrical safety regulations.

Contractors and housing developers can use the new home water inspection app to ensure that a new home has been constructed to meet water conservation standards and regulations. Using a mobile app allows you to automatically generate PDF reports for clients and streamline the inspection process.

With the energy usage app, inspectors can perform energy audits quickly and easily right from their smartphone or tablet, making it easy to recommend cost effective energy conservation solutions. The comprehensive energy usage audit app covers a variety of audit data items that can affect energy consumption in the home, including the water heater, insulation type, number of windows and doors and number of floors. 

The Home Sewer Inspection Checklist is designed for plumbers, inspectors, and the Do It Yourself (DIY) individual who want to inspect their home sewer. This app includes inspection criteria as well as possible recommendation bases in the findings.

The mold inspection app covers indoor mold growth testing, monitoring indoor air quality, checking for excess moisture and water damage and signs of existing indoor mold spores and more. Once the professional mold inspection has been completed, the mold inspector can save the results electronically for their records.

The Radon Mitigation System Inspection Report mobile app is used for performing detailed examinations for inspection reports. The app is designed to be used by inspectors as a reference when conducting an assessment on a radon mitigation system.

Use this pool report to inspect the area for swimming pool safety hazard issues, safety certificates, diving board depth, pool safety barriers, storage of pool equipment, drain covers, leak detection, lighting system, and electrical equipment. The pool inspector can add notes about the pool structure, water chemistry, equipment and other notes as needed.

Using this checklist helps ensure that all areas of the chimney are in good repair and that the fireplace and chimney inspection checklist identifies any defects that need repair. If you provide fireplace inspections, professional chimney sweeping services, chimney cleaning, chimney restoration, chimney flue inspection services, chimney repair, or a variety of other chimney services, then this chimney inspection form is the app for you. 

The Wood Destroying Insect Inspection mobile app was designed for pest control company inspections. The app can be used for all types of wood destroying insects, including carpenter ants, termites, carpenter bees and beetles. Once completed, the pest control company can save the results for their records.

GoCanvas is a mobile platform that makes it simple for businesses to automate how work is done, replacing outdated processes and expensive paperwork. The GoCanvas App works on smartphones and tablets, helping companies easily collect information across their organization, share it instantly with others, and gain real-time insight on their business operations. GoCanvas can be easily customized by any type of business to empower their workforce, unleashing the value in data across the organization to help them connect better with colleagues and engage more effectively with customers.

GoCanvas is trusted by thousands of organizations throughout 70 countries, automating millions of workplace activities, making it one of the fastest growing mobile platforms in the world.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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Top 4 Workplace Safety Apps

There are many great reasons to invest in workplace safety apps. Digital technology for safety can help modernize your operations and provide greater insight into safety issues and patterns. 

A digital workplace safety management program will lead to better overall outcomes for your business. Apps help to keep workers safe and productive, ultimately lowering risk for your business and ensuring safety compliance. This article highlights the top workplace safety apps to roll out in your workplace.

Employee health screening apps have become standard for businesses during the pandemic. This category of safety apps has been particularly useful in industries like retail, construction, manufacturing, and similar types of businesses that have needed to operate in-person.

The purpose of the technology is simple. It helps to screen employees daily to record their temperature, symptoms, and potential exposure to the virus. 

Key features include:

  • Alerts based on thresholds like high temperatures or symptoms
  • Photo capture (or manual entry) for thermometer readings
  • Required signatures
  • GPS location capture
  • Symptom tracker
  • Secure cloud storage
  • Online and offline data collection
  • Pre-populated info like employee names and badge numbers
  • Screening dashboard showing near real-time results
  • Employee health screening advice and resources
  • Vaccination Log
  • HIPPA Compliant to protect sensitive information

When workers are exposed to coronavirus, it can create delays and cause downtime or lost productivity. Minimize these risks by deploying simple health screening apps that can protect your business and your customers. With real-time reporting, you can hear about potential risks as soon as they are reported to minimize further exposure.

You can learn more about employee health screening apps by following this link.

 

Safety culture is a top priority for the construction industry and field crews. This category of safety apps is designed to digitize safety meeting content, so employees can watch videos and complete forms on their mobile devices.

Safety meetings, sometimes referred to as toolbox talks, can cover a wide range of topics. Apps can be used to formalize these programs and measure employee engagement with the meetings.

Key features include:

  • Workflow tools to manage and assign meetings
  • Toolbox talks available to complete from any mobile device
  • Digital signatures to record compliance
  • Real-time reporting on safety meeting attendance across job sites
  • Alerts to identify non-compliance
  • Program results stored in the cloud
  • Online or offline capabilities
  • Pre-built templates with hundreds of existing toolbox talks to choose from

When toolbox talks are run using a safety meeting app, it gives your employees an easy way to access critical safety information. Since safety meeting apps are digital, it gives your business an easy way to track and report on safety program data like meeting attendance and incidents. 

You can learn more about safety meeting apps by following this link.

Incident and accident reporting is a requirement set by OSHA. Safety apps can be used on job sites to provide the required forms to complete in case of an accident or near miss. By going digital with these forms, it ensures proper reporting procedures are followed and apps provide an instant way of reporting accidents through the proper channels.

Key features include:

  • Customizable mobile forms 
  • Required form fields to ensure data accuracy
  • Easily capture images, GPS stamps, and sketches of the actual site of the accident
  • Central cloud-based system for reporting and documentation
  • Access and share PDF files via email to stakeholders
  • Dashboards and reporting to analyze safety incidents across job sites
  • Pre-built templates for OSHA forms 300, 300A, 301, and more
  • HIPPA Compliant to protect sensitive information

Going digital with incident and accident reporting is a great alternative to using pen and paper. While paper forms can be easily lost or misplaced, digital apps and forms ensure that data is never lost and is shared in real-time with anyone that needs it.

Learn more about Incident and Accident Reporting apps by following this link.

Routine safety inspections are designed to audit and assess job sites. Safety apps can be used for safety inspections, using digital checklists and mobile forms. This type of app helps to streamline workflows by managing and assigning safety inspections in the field. Some common safety inspection apps include job safety analysis, PPE checklists, equipment inspections and more.

Key features include:

  • Easy-to-use digital checklists and image capture
  • Barcode scanning for equipment 
  • Digital signatures and GPS tracking to ensure locations
  • Dynamic form fields for faster data collection 
  • Data integrations to pre-populate any known fields
  • Pre-built and customizable templates based on use case

Using apps for safety inspections is a time-saver for inspectors in the field, making it faster to complete forms and eliminating the need to deal with manual-processes with paperwork. Apps also help operations teams to manage and assign work in the field, with instant reporting back to the office once work has been performed. 

Learn more about all of the types of safety inspection apps by following this link.

GoCanvas is a mobile platform that makes it simple for businesses to automate how work is done, replacing outdated processes and expensive paperwork. The GoCanvas App works on smartphones and tablets, helping companies easily collect information across their organization, share it instantly with others, and gain real-time insight into their business. Construction firms rely on GoCanvas to increase productivity, promote workplace safety, and create a competitive advantage. You can learn more about all of our safety management software solutions and forms here on our website.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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5 Ways Mobile Inspection Apps Ensure Better Compliance

5 Ways Mobile Inspection Apps Ensure Better Compliance

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The whole point of inspections is to ensure compliance. They help you ensure your work is up to code and your employees are safe. But paper inspections come with a host of issues, many of which could be leaving you at risk. Here are five ways mobile inspection apps ensure better compliance:

Perhaps it got lost on the way to your office. Maybe you go to look up a form later on and just can’t find it. Either way, you’re missing a report. It happens to many businesses. In fact, up to 11% of documents are misfiled or lost. That’s 11% of your time wasted. Worse, lost inspections create a massive liability risk. 

Going mobile ensures you receive every inspection. Every finished safety inspection is stored securely in the cloud. There, you can access each and every form as a PDF, or download them for your own databases in various form types. GoCanvas also makes it easy in case OSHA audits you. 

With all safety inspections stored in your GoCanvas account, you can quickly retrieve your safety inspections to prove your continued dedication to a culture of safety. A mobile app ensures your business has all the safety inspection records you need to stay in compliance and give you an accurate bigger picture.

Reading handwriting can be an art. You can have amazing inspectors, but if you can’t read their writing, they might as well have written the information in Greek! Mobile apps allow you to gather that information in a clear and easy-to-understand way. 

Every inspection has typed text. Easily read it at your computer, or even on the go on a smartphone or tablet. You’ll spend less time trying to translate and more time getting work done.

A safety inspection done on paper can be hard to verify. How can you be sure that it occurred at the appropriate time and place? 

Some companies have tried to game the system: New York is taking up a case against a business that hired unqualified people to pose as licensed site safety managers. These bad eggs, however, can put additional pressure on other businesses to prove that their work sites are safe. 

Going mobile can provide additional information to protect and validate your inspections. Automatic date and time stamps prove when an inspection took place. With one click, you can have GPS capture your location, proving that the inspection occurred at the right location. You can also take photos, providing visual information to back up your inspection. Need a signature? Just sign with a finger or a stylus. 

All of these features provide additional proof that paper forms can’t provide. They create external validation, protecting your business even further. Mobile apps keep your business safe and help you gather more information than ever before.

It’s a dangerous world out there. Grease, dirt, heck even a cup of water can ruin a paper form! All it takes is a stumble for you to tear up an inspection and lose an hour of hard work. 

Sure, smartphones and tablets can break. But you can easily protect these devices in a way that was never possible with paper. You can put a paper inspection in a folder, but to use it, you have to write directly on it. 

On the other hand, with smartphones and tablets you have choices of different ruggedized devices and protective cases. Not only can you gather information, but you can also ensure that a cup of coffee won’t ruin your hard work.

It doesn’t matter how many asterisks or underlines you use; sometimes forms come back incomplete. With forms taking hours or days to come to your office, it’s often too late to go back and get good information. 

A mobile inspection removes this headache. With one click, you can make fields required. Even if an employee skips a section, they won’t be able to submit their inspection until they fill out the required fields. No more chasing down employees days later, just easy-to-read and complete inspections at your fingertips. 

Creating accurate reports relies on having the best data possible. Mobile technology reduces human error and allows you to gather more information in real time. Say goodbye to illegible handwriting, missing paperwork, and other holes in your information. Say hello to more accurate information in real time each and every time.

For more information about GoCanvas inspection apps, contact our team to start a conversation or sign up for a free trial to learn more.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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The Complete Guide to FHA Home Inspection Checklists

The Complete Guide to FHA Home Inspection Checklists

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Passing an FHA home inspection is necessary when purchasing a home with an FHA loan. FHA loans pose a number of advantages for some borrowers. They can make loans possible with a lower credit score, which may be the only way that some borrowers can get the loans they need to move into their own properties. However, navigating an FHA home inspection can prove more challenging than navigating the inspection process for other types of loans. Home inspection checklists are key to ensuring that every requirement is fulfilled. 

An FHA home inspection takes an in-depth look at the entire property. Its goal is to ensure that the property fits the standards required for an FHA loan before the loan is improved. An FHA home inspection is used to determine the true market value of a home and to evaluate how much a home loan can be approved for the buyer. It also determines if the home is in good condition, or determines if there are any red flags that would make it a poor choice for the buyer.

Keep in mind that an FHA home inspection serves two key purposes. Its primary job is to protect the lender. If the buyer, who may already have a low credit score if they choose to apply for an FHA loan instead of another type of property loan, ends up in an unlivable property that does not meet those critical standards, they may not be able to manage upkeep on the property or take care of those vital repairs. Often, that can cause the buyer to fall behind on payments or even to abandon the property altogether, which the lender does not want to happen.

That inspection, however, can also provide a vital layer of protection to the buyer. Home buyers do not want to end up in a property that fails to meet minimum safety standards.The FHA home inspection will help ensure that the property is safe, reasonably well-maintained, and has a lower chance of leaving the owner with serious maintenance costs in the first few years residing there.

During an FHA home inspection, the inspector will take a look at all the vital elements of the home and the surrounding area. The inspector will look for signs of:

  • Property concerns. Disturbances on the property, including sinkholes, oil or gas wells, or abandoned wells. The inspector will look for anything that might make the property dangerous for inhabitants.
  • Building issues. Structural problems and defects, including any signs that the property has foundation damage or wall damage. The inspector may, for example, take a look at any water marks on the walls or ceiling, or search for cracks in the foundation.
  • Accessibility concerns. Access to the property, including both vehicle and foot access and how difficult it may prove to get to the property in the event of an emergency. Stairs may also require handrails in order to protect the property owners. 
  • Signs of pest infestations. While some bugs or pests outdoors are normal, if there are signs of infestation indoors, from termite tunnels to obvious signs of rodent droppings, the inspector may deny the loan on the property until the infestation is dealt with.
  • Problems with the plumbing or wiring. The inspector may take a look at any leaking pipes, unsafe wires, or other hazards that could cause serious dangers to the residents of the property or to the property itself.
  • Roofing inspection. In order to pass an FHA inspection, a roof will need to be strong enough to last for two or more years, with no obvious problems like leaks or moisture buildup that could pose a serious hazard down the road. 

In essence, an FHA home inspection is designed to look for any potential problems with the property. The problems most flagged by an FHA inspector are those that could pose a danger to the residents or those that could pose a serious structural problem, including those that might result in severe damage to the property itself. 

Passing an FHA home inspection is harder than passing other types of home inspections because if the inspector identifies serious problems with the property, those problems will have to be dealt with before you can secure a loan. However, if a home is safe, in good repair, and has no obvious problems, you should pass an FHA home inspection fairly easily. 

There are several factors that could impact the ability to pass an FHA home inspection. Ultimately, however, there are three issues that the inspector is looking for. If the home inspected falls into one of these three key categories, a loan will likely be denied. 

Many homes are no longer safe for habitation for a variety of reasons. In some cases, an inspection may uncover electrical hazards that should have been dealt with years ago, including out-of-date wiring that could mean a serious hazard for residents of the home. In other cases, your inspector might notice serious signs of water damage, which could lead to mold buildup and, ultimately, to serious problems. 

In other cases, the house may have structural damage that could even cause it to collapse in the near future. Pests and rodents could pose a potent danger, since they can raise the risk of disease and infection for residents of the home. 

If the home is unsafe for habitation for any reason, the FHA inspector will likely list that in his demands. Sometimes, that issue is one that the sellers can fix up quickly, which will get the loan approved more easily. In other cases, however, the FHA inspector may identify a serious underlying problem that could pose a substantial danger to residents of the property, including one that the sellers cannot fix up easily before selling the property. In that case, the buyer might not be able to secure the loan they’re hoping for. 

Unsanitary living conditions are extremely hazardous for the residents of the home, and FHA inspectors will not approve those loans or allow the home to pass inspection until those things are dealt with.

Rodents–or clear signs of rodent droppings–are a key example of an unsanitary home, as are bug infestations. Other problems could include mold buildup that should have been addressed long before or sewage issues, including sewage backing up into the drains on the property. 

Often, sanitary issues are possible for the home sellers to fix up, which would make it possible for the home to pass inspection. However, these are concerns that buyers will need to deal with prior to purchasing the property.

If the home has obvious signs of structural damage, chances are, it’s something the current homeowners won’t be able to fix up quickly. If the home is not sound, it could collapse–and that could mean serious injury to the home’s residents. Any time a home has obvious structural problems, it will not pass FHA inspection. 

The FHA Home Inspection Checklist covers a variety of areas, including:

  • The roof
  • The property itself, including both potential access points and any possible damage to the property
  • The wiring
  • The hot water heater
  • The plumbing
  • Bathrooms, to ensure that all bathrooms are working and provide adequately for the needs of the home’s residents
  • Heating and cooling
  • Potential pest infestations
  • The structure of the property
  • The bedrooms, including ensuring that all bedrooms have windows to provide additional access to the property

FHA inspectors may need to go through the entire property in order to make sure they have identified any potential hazards. They may check everywhere, including in attics and basements, to make sure that there are no obvious signs of property damage that need to be dealt with before the loan can be approved. 

GoCanvas offers a template that can be used by FHA home inspectors to streamline the inspection process using a mobile device or tablet.

Inspection companies have found that by going digital, they are able to save time when performing inspections and creating the report. With all of this done electronically using a mobile app, it cuts down on data entry and manual processes that are common when using just paper forms.

Access the GoCanvas FHA home inspection template here for an easy to use digital checklist for the home inspection process. 

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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