Until 2018, Workplace Build employed consultants to produce and check its RAMS documentation. “It was costing us a lot of money each year and we needed a better way of working,” explains Syd Hoyle, Health and Safety Manager at Workplace Build.
HandsHQ's RAMS software was recommended to the Workplace Build team as a possible solution. Syd recalls, “It was a no-brainer when we saw HandsHQ – not only for delivering the RAMS themselves, but also for enhancing all our documentation. The icing on the cake was HandsHQ’s integration with Procore. Who wouldn’t want seamless systems?”
Now, the team no longer relies on expensive external consultants to produce the necessary documentation. Syd explains, “Our project team create the RAMS using HandsHQ. The site managers on the ground then review them using HandsHQ. The process is much better than having a consultant write and review the RAMS because now each site manager can ensure that they understand all the documentation that relates to their project.”
“Some people can find creating a set of RAMS a bit daunting – but with HandsHQ that’s not the case. I can deliver training over Teams to the project managers and they’ll pick it up straight away.”
Syd estimates that for each RAMS to be written and checked by an external consultant, it would cost around £500. Workplace Build produce approximately 850 documents in HandsHQ per year, ranging from pre-construction information to risk assessments. This means HandsHQ is saving the business hundreds of thousands of pounds over the year.
“The main advantage of HandsHQ is its ease of use,” says Syd. “It’s so straightforward, it’s unbelievable.”
This has huge benefits for the Health and Safety team, especially when it comes to induction and training. Syd explains, “Every time we expand the business, we take on a new project manager. Some people can find creating a set of RAMS a bit daunting – but with HandsHQ that’s not the case. I can deliver training over Teams to the project managers and they’ll pick it up straightaway."
The ease of use has also helped to promote better collaboration across the business. It isn’t only the Health and Safety team and the project managers who use HandsHQ.
"Our principal designers and our technical team can all be involved in the process of producing the RAMS,” says Syd. “HandsHQ really does deliver and it brings all the teams together on one platform.”
“ When ISO or BSI auditors come to site, HandsHQ ensures we have the right information at our fingertips. I sign in and within two or three clicks, I have the RAMS I need to be looking at. I can show it directly to the auditor.”
HandsHQ is also a boon for collaboration outside the business. Workplace Build works with contractors who must supply their own set of RAMS to Syd and his team. “Some of the contractors who work with us use HandsHQ as well,” says Syd, “which is great for us. It’s very clear. We can follow all their documentation – it’s really good.”
The Health and Safety team uses HandsHQ to check the documentation and compliance with CDM requirements whilst on site. “When ISO or BSI auditors come to site, HandsHQ ensures we have the right information at our fingertips,” says Syd. “I sign in and within two or three clicks, I have the RAMS I need to be looking at. I can show it directly to the auditor. Or, when we were social distancing because of COVID-19, I would download the RAMS and then send it to the auditor by email just as quickly, so they could view it on their own screen.”
“HandsHQ has helped us enhance our documentation within the business,” continues Syd. “It’s a fantastic tool for the teams on site. We also use it for our pre-construction information and design registers and for reviews of our construction phase plans. The integration with Procore is great and we’re now looking for other ways to develop our use of the software.”
Workplace Build is now working better and saving a great deal of money, thanks to HandsHQ. At the same time, HandsHQ is helping the team to drive documentation and process improvements.
“We have fantastic support from everyone at HandsHQ and always have done,” concludes Syd, “The fantastic support is a godsend – HandsHQ is always at the end of the phone and they’re quick to reply to email. Their approach to support is very proactive. They really lay out the red carpet. In my eyes, everyone needs a system like this – and HandsHQ is at the top tier of what they do.”
Maris is one of the UK’s leading workplace design and fit-out businesses. It has been designing exceptional workspaces since 1977 and, as space design experts, its team of nearly 200 people is devoted to creating spaces that truly inspire.
Within the Maris group, the Workplace Build construction company supports Maris and other customers with an in-house team of experts and trusted network of contractors who cover all fit-out requirements, including mechanical, electrical, partitioning, glazing, flooring and decoration.