Health and Safety Compliance Made Simple – Thanks to Digital Construction Technologies and Industry Upskilling
With Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) providing unrestricted access to digital information in real time, overcoming building health and safety challenges has never been easier. Learn about the intelligence behind digital construction technology Boxcore, and discover how CPAC Modular uses the tool for seamless environmental, and health and safety, compliance checks on volumetric builds.
In recent years there has been a concerted effort, across the construction sector, to drive the continuous improvement of health and safety measures in Ireland. This is, in part, fuelled by the impact of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs 2024 report referred to the fact “MMC can improve safety on construction sites, as much of the work is done off-site in a controlled environment, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries associated with traditional construction.”
Underpinning this sea change is a suite of advanced digital construction software making access control and safety management simpler. Enter: Boxcore.
The building site software brings safety and workforce management data into one place, covering digital onboarding for workers, tracking training records, assessing safety documents, managing equipment, and registering site attendance. Users, offsite and onsite, from Construction Supervisors to MMC Project Managers to Health and Safety Officers can access key project information in a couple of clicks from anywhere, keeping developments moving without delays.
“At the end of the day, our goal is simple: we want to give contractors tools that actually make their lives easier on site. It’s about cutting down the admin, improving safety, and helping teams get the job done with less hassle.”
CEO & Founder of Boxcore
After starting his career as a Site Engineer, Padraig moved into project management on major construction developments across the UK and Australia. In that time, he was exposed to a range of health and safety compliance software that “looked great but wasn't used at site level because they weren’t designed with builders in mind”. Teams instead managed records manually and, between different channels of communication, information was often lost.
“When coming up with the concept for Boxcore, I started with looking at what workers on the ‘front line’ needed, and working backwards for solutions. All updates and improvements to the platform are driven with this user input.”
CEO & Founder of Boxcore
Boxcore started as a product simply for managing training records. The software soon evolved to include the management of digital staff inductions. In 2023, Boxcore added an AI-powered facial recognition function for registering site attendance and improving site access compliance. Last year, the software incorporated digital inspection capabilities, to assess the safety compliance of cranes, equipment, and stock.
This is particularly advantageous for prefabricated volumetric construction. Modular contractors face unique health and safety challenges compared to traditional builders, with these challenges differing from the manufacturing facility to the construction site.
Offsite, telehandlers and mobile plant operate continuously during the manufacture and installation of modular units, meaning General Operatives can be at risk of injury. Onsite, setting modules in place requires precise lifting operations using cranes, with control of exclusion zones and accurate signoffs of plans required. This presents clear challenges for Health and Safety Officers Boxcore can address. Designed for ease of use by offsite and onsite crews (as well as subcontractors), users can use the software to manage workforce records, safety documentation, and regulatory compliance.
Rob Heath, Environmental, Health and Safety Manager at CPAC Modular, uses this Boxcore software every day in managing offsite and onsite compliance.
“Managing subcontractors has traditionally been one of our biggest issues. There is a lot of documentation we need to be on top of. Digitalising that data, with Boxcore, makes it easier for everyone to access it. We have also seen a huge reduction in paper usage – from mid-2022, when we brought the software in, you can track the drastic decrease in money spent on purchasing paper.”
Environmental, Health and Safety Manager at CPAC Modular
Working across CPAC’s manufacturing facility in Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath and up to 30 live construction sites at once, Rob has his work cut out. Managing health and safety risk would be difficult without digital construction tools to track compliance forms.
“Onsite, subcontractors are hard to keep track of to ensure they are following health and safety regulations. In the production facility, however, we are very systematic, so it's easier to track who is where doing what and how.”
Environmental, Health and Safety Manager at CPAC Modular
Rob also noted that there are, on the balance, fewer health risks to begin with working in a controlled prefabrication environment than on a live construction site. While there are challenges unique to offsite manufacturing (such as noise and dust pollution), in general these risks can be 'designed out' when setting up the manufacturing process.
This is even extended to the digital design of the modular units pre-manufacturing. Rob works closely with the Design team at CPAC Modular to ensure individual module components meet environmental, and health and safety (EHS), regulations in a way that would be far more time-consuming onsite in traditional construction.
The manufacturing process, and the unique health and safety requirements that come with the territory, is familiar to Rob. He has an extensive background in EHS within the manufacturing sector, and is now in his second role working with volumetric modular builders in the construction industry, having previously worked as a subcontractor.
“All of the training in Modern Methods of Construction I have done is through CPAC Modular. One of the highlights was a CPD programme, Built Smarter, that we ran on a live site in Kishoge, Co. Dublin. It was a great introduction to volumetric building concepts, as well as stakeholders in the industry.”
Environmental, Health and Safety Manager at CPAC Modular
This isn’t the only upskilling Rob has done. Indeed, CPAC Modular’s Environmental, Health and Safety Manager has been in some form of part-time upskilling since September 2023. He completed a Certificate in Safety, Health and Welfare at Work through University College of Dublin. Then, in September 2025, he began a Master’s degree in Environmental, Health and Safety Management through South East Technoliogical University. Both courses will contribute to expanding his knowledge of environmental, health and safety best practices which he can apply to an MMC setting.
This commitment to upskilling, paired with the use of Boxcore — which Padraig says will keep evolving with the needs of clients as they adapt to MMC— sets Rob up for future success.
