Managing a Transient, Multi-Contractor Workforce
Construction sites present workforce management challenges found in no other sector. On any given day, a major project may have hundreds of workers from dozens of subcontractors — many of whom were not on site yesterday and may not be there tomorrow. Some hold the required CSCS cards. Some do not. Some have completed the site induction. Many have not. Without a reliable system at the site gate, principal contractors have no way to know who is actually on site at any given moment — a requirement for safety management, a legal obligation under CDM, and increasingly a requirement under the Building Safety Act.
CSCS Card Validation at Turnstiles
Synel's turnstile-based access control validates CSCS cards electronically at site entry. Workers present their card, the system checks its validity and the cardholder's occupational category, and either grants or denies access. Workers without a valid card cannot enter. The check takes under a second per person — high-throughput turnstiles handle the morning rush without creating bottlenecks.
Digital Inductions
Site inductions are a legal requirement under CDM, but paper-based processes create administrative overhead and leave no reliable audit trail. Synel's digital induction system records completion against the individual worker's profile. Entry permissions are conditional on induction status — a worker who has not completed the site induction cannot get through the turnstile, regardless of who they work for.
Real-Time Subcontractor Workforce Visibility
Every worker is registered against their employer, their trade, their qualifications and their access permissions. The principal contractor has a real-time view of every subcontractor's workforce — headcount, location on site, and time on site — without relying on each subcontractor to maintain their own records.
Building Safety Act Compliance
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced the concept of the Golden Thread — a complete, accurate digital record of information about a higher-risk building throughout its design, construction and occupation. For principal contractors on higher-risk buildings, this includes a reliable record of who worked on the building, when, and their competence.
The Digital Audit Trail
Synel generates this audit trail as a natural by-product of daily operations. Every entry and exit is timestamped and recorded against the individual worker. CSCS card status and qualifications are logged at the point of entry. The result is a complete record of who worked on the building — exactly what the Building Safety Act requires.
Competence Records and Certification Management
Beyond CSCS cards, many roles require specific certifications: IPAF, PASMA, first aid, asbestos awareness, appointed person lifting. Synel stores these against worker profiles and alerts site managers when expiry is approaching. Workers with lapsed certifications can be restricted from areas or activities that require the relevant qualification.
Real-Time Site Headcount and Emergency Mustering
The most critical function of any site access system is knowing exactly who is on site at any moment. In an emergency — fire, structural collapse, gas leak — this information is the difference between an efficient evacuation and a chaotic roll call on a busy road.
Instant Fire Roll for Transient Workforces
Synel generates a real-time fire roll from access control data. When an evacuation is called, the system produces an instant list of every worker who has entered but not yet exited — by subcontractor, by trade, and by last-known zone. Fire marshals mark individuals safe via mobile app. The system tracks outstanding workers until everyone is accounted for.
Time and Attendance for Direct Employees
For principal contractors managing a direct workforce alongside subcontracted labour, Synel provides the same payroll rules engine and WTR compliance monitoring used in manufacturing. Complex shift patterns, overtime calculations and payroll export to Sage, SAP or specialist construction payroll systems are handled automatically.