In the construction sector, the site foreperson is the coordinator of your construction and public works projects. Following on from the previous article on the job of works supervisor, Dispatcher invites you to take a closer look at this role.
The role of site foreperson explained.
Working as a site foreperson is anything but monotonous. Every day spent on site brings a new task to be dealt with.
On a daily basis, the site foreperson checks the progress and quality of the work. The size of the site can play a role in the various responsibilities they must take on. If the site is of a modest size, they may be required to oversee all the work. On some other sites, they will assist the works supervisor with staff management and supply control.
The challenges of the trade.
This job requires multiple technical skills, starting with in-depth knowledge of construction, IT tools, and regulations, as well as excellent resource management. Constantly required to travel, the site foreperson must be mobile. Successful completion of their work depends on fairly unstable factors(unpredictable weather, delivery times, etc.), requiring them to show initiative while delivering orders in strict compliance with standards and deadlines.
Responsible for a team of workers, the site foreperson must have the qualities of a leader, not to mention significant powers of persuasion. Their first duty is to familiarise themselves with the plans and technical documentation. They then supervise the site set-up, as second-in-command to the works supervisor. They take charge of completion deadlines, define the necessary workforce volumes, and plan everyone’s schedule.. The site foreperson checks all purchase orders and invoices, so as not to exceed the budget stated in the contract. They may also be responsible for equipment orders and working times. This is why the management of both human and material resources is essential if the site foreperson is to meet the required deadlines.
Communication is an important quality, especially in relation to compliance with health and safety rules on the site for which they are responsible.
To help them report to the works supervisor, they keep a site log, in which they record the progress of the project from beginning to end.
The development and challenges of digital technology.
Once they have acquired experience, the site foreperson may be asked to manage several work sites simultaneously. Later, they may play the role of works supervisor. Digital technology plays a decisive role in optimising everyday tasks.
And new technologies are increasingly prevalent in the daily routines of site forepersons. They enable different actions at multiple levels throughout the course of the project. From creation, to modelling, to project implementation, digital technology can be found at every stage of the work.
Our solution for your construction projects.
Always attentive to its customers’ needs, Dispatcher strives to simplify their everyday tasks.
The fully configurable collaborative planning solution we offer is guaranteed to meet your requirements. Because each project is different and demanding, our planning solution helps site forepersons better visualise the coordination of their human and material resources, using our Dispatcher tool.
With internet access via a computer or their phone, they can organise their human resources or create multiple schedules, with no downloads required, since everything takes place on the Cloud.
On-site, they can acknowledge receipt of equipment and use the Dispatcher mobile app to report poor weather conditions. We have also sought to enable collaboration and communication within individual work sites. As such, a site foreperson may submit a request for additional staff or material resources at any time. This can be processed as quickly as possible by the person concerned so that they are operational and responsive.
👉 Are you a site foreperson? Or do you oversee site forepersons? Our team would love to present our offer to you : contact us.