When an employee is assigned a job, the supervisor scans the ID card with a smartphone or tablet to read the QR code. The employee's current training records are then displayed on the screen, securely and reliably.

Construction companies have greatly improved safety but there's still much to be done. About one in ten construction-site workers are injured every year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This adds up to about 150,000 construction-site injuries annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2016, 991 construction workers died on the job, OSHA said. While falls are the top cause of accidents, using equipment is also a leading cause of injuries.

Training and certifying workers to operate equipment safely is the critical first step. The second step is having a simple, effective way to track and verify all worker training and OSHA certifications, said David Finkelstein, president of Credential Verification Service (CVS), which serves construction companies nationally.

“Continually verifying each worker's training status can go a long way toward improving safety,” he said.

CVS uses enhanced photo ID cards to:

• Ensure that each employee is appropriately trained for the work he or she is assigned;
• Ensure that each job is assigned to an employee who has the training required to do that job safely; and
• Alert the employee and supervisor when a certification is about to expire.

CVS prints a unique QR code on each employee's photo ID card. The code allows immediate access to the employee's training history.

This lets the company easily record every training session and qualification the worker has completed. With the CVS smartphone app, authorized trainers can automatically record attendees upon course completion. The trainer just scans the QR code on the ID card to update the employee's training records, which are stored securely on the cloud.

The app also can be used by foremen to track attendance at worksite meetings such as toolbox talks.

When an employee is assigned a job, the supervisor scans the ID card with a smartphone or tablet to read the QR code. The employee's current training records are then displayed on the screen, securely and reliably.

“It saves us a lot of time and encourages a safety culture,” said Kyle Tocheff, an administrator with Kokosing Construction Company. “If a supervisor or foreman wants to know if the person is certified to run a piece of equipment, they scan it with their smartphone and all of the training comes up.”

Credential Verification Service costs $50 per month plus $15 per month per 100 users. Besides ID cards, CVS also works on silicone wristbands.

The firm's credential verification services for safety-crucial industries such as construction, healthcare, energy and transportation can be ordered at www.credentialverificationservice.com or by contacting CVS at 888-980-6179.

CredentialVerification Service is a service of InstantCard ( https://instantcard.net ).

Identity card best practices are posted on Twitter (@instantcardid) and LinkedIn ( www.linkedin.com/company/instantcard ) and on the CVS blog.

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