NEW HIGH TECH ATTENDANCE RECORDER FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

The construction industry is set to benefit from the launch of a new high tech product enabling much more effective staff management.

The Nohmad sends information via GPRS (the mobile phone network), allowing employees and sub-contractors to electronically Œsign¹ in and out when entering or leaving worksites.

Cheap to install and easy to use, the device provides building companies with an instant snapshot of where workers are at any given moment.

³This attendance data can be transmitted instantaneously anywhere in the world and then has a variety of uses,² said Michael Burt, Executive Chairman of Feedback plc, the Sussex-based company that has developed the new product. ³For example, on projects with a large subcontracted workforce on site it allows the contractor to keep track of unfamiliar faces and ensure they are working the agreed number of hours.

³Similarly, on much smaller residential builds or home extensions, it enables the employer to prove to their client that workers were on site at the agreed time ­ handy if payment is on a daily rate ­ and as such can form part of a company¹s client care and retention programme.

³The information can be linked to an individual worker¹s payroll so that records are automatically updated and the correct remuneration calculated without the need for any time-consuming manual inputting.²

Rather like an old-fashioned clocking-on machine, the Nohmad uses the same principles but simply uses a small base station with an individual electronic Œtoken¹.

Mr Burt added: ³On arrival at premises, the worker places their token ­ about the size of a pound coin, and just as robust ­ against the base station. The information confirming the identity of the person and the date and time of their arrival or departure is then sent to a designated server where the data is recorded and can be analysed as required.

³Although automated Time and Attendance systems are readily available, their price tag can be prohibitive. The Nohmad, however, takes advantage of recent advances in technology that have dramatically brought down both manufacturing and running costs to create a device that is that is readily affordable for businesses of all sizes.

³Traditional attendance terminals operating in real time generally need to be connected to some sort of physical communications network. The Nohmad does not. These advantages, along with its modest costs, make it an ideal device for not only construction companies but for any other industry sector that requires accurate attendance records.²

Individual identity tokens are expected to cost approximately £3. It is envisaged the Nohmad base station will cost approximately £300 per unit.
Being both small and easy to install, the base station can be simply removed and reused as needed.