News: Construction Updates and Safety Alerts —There’s an App for That

Hospital construction affects everyone in the community. While a new facility may improve the care and services offered and enhance the workplace, construction projects on hospital campuses potentially add risk to an already complex, hazardous environment.

Skanska, one of the world’s largest construction and development companies, is dedicated to ensuring safety for everyone directly and indirectly involved with its projects. To improve safety as well as efficiency, Skanska uses technology, including smartphone apps, to communicate with anyone impacted throughout the construction process. Whether a patient needs wayfinding on a hospital campus under construction, a clinician wonders when her new office will be ready, or curious patients want to be able to see inside the new building going up outside their hospital room windows, smartphones offer efficient and engaging ways to stay informed.

When the Palo Alto Medical Foundation San Carlos Center was under construction in California, Skanska offered an app called Project Corners to all who were interested in the project. Anyone from the facility, project team, or community could download the app to current information about construction activities, schedules, and logistics, as well as photographs of the project’s progress. Skanska reports that being transparent with information through the publicly available app helped maintain a positive relationship with the community during construction.

Skanska also used an app to help its construction team monitor developments related to a new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) they were building around an existing NICU at Tampa General Hospital in Florida. Team members used the app to monitor environmental data, which was crucial for ensuring safety of patients during construction. Data thresholds were set to deliver text and email alerts to team members, enabling them to communicate with each other and respond to problems quickly.

For more about Skanska’s healthcare business, visit www.usa.skanska.com/Markets/Healthcare-Center-of-Excellence/ and www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr2sI_BS2ME.