CIRIA

Asbestos site aid app

CIRIA, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association, has long been at the forefront of addressing critical industry challenges through information, expertise, and collaboration. In response to the pressing need for improved on-site safety practices regarding asbestos management, CIRIA embarked on a pioneering project to develop the UK’s first interactive asbestos site aid app. This innovative tool is designed to guide construction professionals through the identification and management of suspected asbestos in soil, directly from their smartphones, enhancing accessibility to good practice guidance and significantly improving site safety.

The challenge

With asbestos-related diseases continuing to pose a severe health risk to those exposed, the construction industry faces a significant challenge in managing asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) safely. Despite the availability of extensive guidance on managing asbestos in soil, these resources were often inaccessible to ground workers and site staff, the very individuals at the frontline of encountering ACMs. CIRIA recognized the urgent need to make this critical information more accessible to protect the health and safety of the UK’s 2.2 million construction professionals.

The solution

In collaboration with industry experts and asbestos specialists, Red C developed an intuitive, engaging mobile app that offers a practical alternative to traditional paper-based guides. This app includes:

Guided User Experience: A user-friendly interface that helps site workers quickly identify potential asbestos contamination and navigate the steps to manage it safely.
Comprehensive Resource Integration: Links to CIRIA’s ‘Asbestos in soil and made ground good practice site guide’ and other essential guidance documents, ensuring users have immediate access to authoritative information.
Interactive Features: From categorizing the type of asbestos found on-site to generating reports, the app provides practical tools to manage and document asbestos findings efficiently.

Process and Features

Collaborative Development: Red C and CIRIA, along with stakeholders, designed a journey that empowers users to identify and manage asbestos contamination with confidence.
Essential Functionalities: Prioritizing quick and easy access, the app boasts features critical for engineers working in remote or on-site locations, with a clean and straightforward user interface.
Backend Control System: A secure backend system allows CIRIA to monitor app access, ensuring it is available exclusively to authorized site engineers.

The result

The asbestos site aid app has become an essential tool in the construction industry’s fight against asbestos-related health risks, offering:

Enhanced Safety Measures: By making comprehensive guidance accessible on-site, the app has significantly improved the safety of construction professionals when dealing with suspected asbestos.
Improved Accessibility: The mobile platform transcends traditional barriers to information access, placing life-saving guidance directly into the hands of those who need it most.
Stakeholder Approval: The content, validated by project stakeholders and aligned with industry regulations, ensures the app’s recommendations are trustworthy and actionable.

CIRIA’s asbestos site aid app, with its innovative approach and user-centric design, exemplifies how technology can be leveraged to tackle longstanding industry challenges, promoting safer construction practices and safeguarding worker health across the UK.