192. Protect Your Profits With Glen Fitzgerald

Welcome to another episode of Professional Builder's Secrets. In this episode I interview Glenn Fitzgerald from Works Safety. Worksafety helps building companies streamline their on site processes, improve subcontractor compliance and reduce unnecessary risks that into profitability. Too many builders see compliance and safety as a checkbox, but with the right systems in place, these processes can actually improve your bottom line and make you run a more efficient business business. So keep listening to find out how refining your on site systems could help you run a more profitable building company. This episode of Professional Builder Secrets is brought to you by Apparatus Contractor Services. Apparatus provides full scope end to end QuickBooks, Precision Construction accounting and CFO services for residential builders. If you feel like you can't completely trust your weekly and monthly financial reports or you feel like you're flying blind, Apparatus will rebuild and operate your QuickBooks accounting system and give you precision construction accounting capability you can trust. Learn more@apparatusteam.com or on the APB Rewards Partner Directory.

The problem is as a builder we've got a small amount of training on how to meet our obligations. That leads to miscompliance, the safety risks and then ultimately the costly delays and fines. If they're using a paper based system, it's difficult to manage, maintain, track and report. So you're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars and they can be directly affected to the directors supervisors on site looking after those sites. The safety isn't just about avoiding fines, it's about that competitive advantage. Builders just need to think of safety not as an obligation, but as a growth strategy.

Foreign. Welcome to Professional Builder Secrets, the podcast for building company owners wanting to grow safely and securely. I'm your host Will Blunt and today I'm joined by Glenn Fitzgerald from Works Safety. Glenn, welcome to the show.

Hi Will, thanks for having us on the show. It's great to be a part of the APB podcast and the great things that APB is doing for the members and the industry.

Yeah, well great to have you on Glenn and thanks for taking some time today. Before we dive into the details of the interview, do you want to give a bit of a background about who you are and what WORX does?

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm one of the co founders at Work Safety. So Work Safety is an online safety software. My background is in the building and construction industry for the past 24 years. So I started out in the plumbing industry running and owning my own plumbing company and then I moved into completing builder's license and then moved into running and owning a residential building company. So I'VE owned and run multiple small businesses and know firsthand how hard it is and stressful it is to manage your WHS requirements for a company. PCBU for a business. So 10 years ago we set out to develop a complete online digital safety software for businesses to automate and, and streamline their WHS requirements. So to solve that problem, so eliminating the paperwork and spreadsheets from the office and workplace and then moving to a simple and easy to use safety software. So as builders, we need well structured systems in place for those key components. When we look at our story and the lessons that we've learned as business owners and working with industry professionals, we've created a structured framework to deliver a consistent outcome in a turnkey product, helping businesses systemise their business for success.

Interesting. Just to go back to your story quickly, coming from plumbing and then into building is not a traditional path, I guess in the industry. For most of the builders I've spoken to, they're often carpenters first before they start their building company.

How I kind of structure it straight out of school into my apprenticeship, then, you know, running an Odom plumbing company. But then while I was doing that, I was doing my own developments. While I was going through that process, I was doing my own builds and developments. And then through that time, you know, the love for the building, that's where I moved into, wanted to be, you know, coming through that builder process. So I went through, completed me carpentry apprenticeship and then while I was doing that, I've done the builder's license, so. And then moved into managing and running my own residential building companies.

Yeah, cool. Got, got all the skills then.

Yeah, don't blame skills in the background there. It's still a good industry. It's, it's a, it's a hard industry, but it's, it's good industry, you know, but it just gave us the good stepping stones to the areas and working with good businesses through that, that journey as well, with their good structure systems in place. So learn a lot.

I'm going to be honest with you, the whole concept of on site safety and compliance and everything like that, it sounds like a bit of a dry topic. So I want to get to the root of why this is important for builders and that is really how it can impact their bottom line and the profitability of the building companies. Because I think that's where it's going to catch more people's attention. Can you talk to me about what mistakes you see builders making with the compliance and on site safety side of things with which could be impacting their bottom line.

Yeah, absolutely. So the common mistake for business owners, trade business owners as well, is just not having the correct systems in place. The problem is as a builder, we've got a small amount of training on how to meet our obligations. Many builders think, you know, they'll sort it out as they go, but that like leads to miscompliance, the safety risks and then ultimately the costly delays and fines. When we look at that, the small fines that come from it, but the large fines that can come from incidents and accidents on site. So you're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. So. And they can be directly affected to the directors, supervisors on site looking after those sites. If they're using a paper based system, it's difficult to manage, maintain, track and report. Another common issue is the poor communication and safety protocols that aren't shared and then reinforced with the teams, especially subcontractors on site. So that's where worksafety takes that systemized approach to digital workplace health and safety. It's just a series of simple steps that provide that consistent outcome. This is something that every business owner needs to master or once they've got it set up, delegate that within the business. You know, for a business, they just got to think of, you know, what's costing them more. So investing in a proper safety system or facing the fines and project delays and legal risks that come with owning and operating a business. So but when you look at it, if businesses want to scale, make serious money, they need to have an effective WHS system in place. That's when we look at, you know, if it's a small business or a large business, you know, having mastered that area creates that system for success. So obviously with APB members, the businesses that have those system in place, you know, they're set to scale. If a business doesn't have a system in place, you know, that's where we've got that turnkey product, we've got the packages for builders trade business owners as well. So that structured framework is set to deliver that consistent outcome. And that's, you know, from our experience obviously being in the industry, but working with, you know, industry leaders, consultants, relevant authorities could transfer our knowledge to the builders and business owners, you know, and that's trying to deliver better standards for everyone.

Can you think of a scenario like just a basic scenario on site scenario where not having a system like this in place could result in, you know, a big final, you know, obviously someone being injured or even die, which is the worst case scenario as builders would.

Know, safework turns up to site or the relevant authorities, the first thing they're trying to do is scramble to get that documentation and details and SWMS and induction records. That's the process. That is the problem. In turn of that should be inviting them in. Okay, this is the system I use, this is my process outlining those details, speaking to the relevant authorities and seeing how they can get the better outcomes of having that system in place. So directly to the business owners, if they don't have a system in place, they are exposed. They need to have those defined system in place. Obviously it's going to make it a more efficient business and operation of having them in place. But we're talking if there is an incident, you know, this can lead to, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars and stress and impacts that it has on the business owner.

What you're saying is the safety inspector shouldn't be someone you fear. If you've got the right systems in place, you can build a relationship with them?

Absolutely, yeah. Compliance with having that system in place, where it is a simple and easy system and they just got to follow the steps. Having that in place and especially for the site side of it, having all the requirements they need for that site side of it, it provides everything is transparent across all their workers or their contractors workers, making those projects more efficient and then the quality side of it as well. So yeah, and then for insurances and premiums. So when we look at that side of it, you know, for subcontractors, if their insurances and premiums aren't up to date and in the system which is all automated within works that can come back onto that principal contractor.

We can dive into a bit more of that subcontractor stuff in a moment. But can you go into a few more details around how builders can look to improve these processes and get a more robust system in place?

Yeah, absolutely. So when we look at that side of it, business notice it is high risk. So running a business, especially in the high risk industry, and it's about managing those projects, it's about managing the hidden risks that impact both the operations and personal well being. But builders and trade business owners, you know, they face those complex risks at both the company level and then operational level. So this means looking beyond the job site, the risk can exist in processes, systems, you know, and even the business decisions that they make. So builders and trade owners, you know, face those risks of the legal and financial risks. So fines, legal insurances and premiums, like we said, subcontractor insurances, not Being current, the liability can also shift the principal contractors, increasing legal fines and risks incidents and then the operational side of it as well, workplace accidents and then the hidden costs. So the stress decision fatigue for the business owners. So that's where we take that structured framework to make the difference. So obviously. So our framework provides that systematic approach to, to managing those risks, ensuring the businesses have clear strategies in place to reduce the exposure and then to improve their safety outcomes, so protect their long term success for the business.

So Glenn, how can builders then improve their on site process processes and systems to reduce the risk that you've been talking about?

Yeah, so reduce the risk to the business owners is, you know, looking to have that system in place where they can move, meet all their requirements and then it's all automated and tracked and recorded within the system. For building and construction it's high risk. So running a business, especially in high risk industries, isn't just about managing the projects, it's about managing the hidden risks that impact both operations and the wellbeing of the business owners. So builders and trade business owners face complex risks at both the company level and, and at an operational level. So this means looking beyond the job site and the risks that exist within the processes and systems and even the business decisions builders and trade business owners face. You know, the risks that can impact the legal and financials. So you know, fines and legal actions, non compliance safety regulations can lead to hefty fines and prosecutions. The insurance and premium. So you know, frequent incidents can spike insurance costs affecting profitability and then future profitability for the companies. Additionally to that, the subcontractor insurance and premiums, if they're not current, the liability it shifts back onto that principal contractor, increasing both legal and financial risk. So incidents obviously a serious workplace incident can halt operations and then lead to project liaison and revenue loss. So operational side of it, the risks, you know, the workplace accidents, injuries not only harm the workers but disrupt the workflows and damage the company's reputation. So that obviously again the subcontractor liability, if a subcontractor isn't compliant, the legal responsibility falls back onto that principal contractor. So the hidden costs, the stress on the business owner to constant worry. So the fear of missing something crucial, whether it's a safety breach or a compliance issue, can be overwhelming for the business owner. So decision fatigue, juggling safety operations, clients demands and then the financial management obviously draining, you know, could lead to burnout as well and then personal impact. So the stress doesn't stay at work, it follows the business owner, home you know, affecting their relationships and their overall health. So that's where work safety with our structured framework tries to make that difference. So looking at it with the framework provides a systematic approach to managing risks. Ensuring that businesses have clear strategies in place to reduce the exposure and improve the safety outcomes and protect the long term success of the business.

Yeah. Can you dive into more detail around like what that actually looks like for a builder? If they want to get some better on site processes and systems in place, what would they need to do?

Yeah, it's legislative requirement that they have those systems in place and how they manage those systems. So that's where we look at if it's a paper based system, you know how you manage those details and keep all that information together. Obviously you know I know ways to do it. It's the folder for site Pacific and capturing all those details and maintaining it and having that information stored and recorded for seven year period. So they need to provide that where you can provide that information. So that's where we look at it. Work safety, it's everything you need to do for your work health and safety covered in that one area. So the system wise approach with the modules, so the automation, when anything's in the system, everything's automated for an employee, the onboarding process, what you need to capture from your workers and then obviously you know track and recording that information. So when a worker comes through and they onboard their workers capturing the information that they need to capture. So construction industry, a contractor's license, high risk work license and then taking them through the inductions. So that's at a company level. So the inductions that they need to cover for their company and obviously any training requirements. So training is a big area for the the clients and we work with, with having the training set in place which pretty much outlines their systems and processes. So when we look at good trade businesses or good builders, you know they've got a system and a process of how they do things. So and that's exactly the same of structuring that in a central location. So everything's there associated to the business and their operations. Contractor compliance, pre qualification and vetting the contractors, incident management issues and defects. Having a simple way to raise issues on site, tracking, recording those issues that could be a contractor's worker, a direct worker and then that's all recorded in and against those sites. So those details can be referenced at a later date. Digital safe work method statements. So for high risk work activity having those digital SWMs in a central location in easy to use. So you Know if they're on site, either web based or app based, you know, being able to complete those details digital forms. So the forms required on site, so your workplace inspections, your toolbox talks, you know, your quality forms associated to your sites and managing your sites, you know, which is the checklist and details that you need to kind of have in place to know, provide that consistent outcome for your quality digital ITPS registers. But then tying everything into the site specific nature of it. So you got your compliance level where you're meeting everything you need to meet, but then tying it into the site specific nature of it. So in a simple, easy format.

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. I think you mentioned burnout earlier and like the impact it can have on the business owner in terms of just the sheer weight of pressure and in a high risk situation. And if you've, if you've got these systems and the training in place, then you can trust that your team can fall back and rely on those things rather than needing to always think about everything.

Absolutely. And that all just ties back to the system and the process. Every good business owner will have a system in place of how they, how they do things and how the operations work. So if you can scale that and have that in place in a, in a training video or obviously you know, SOPS and those kind of details where that's defined, it's in and associated to those workers that they can complete. But obviously given access to those workers where they can reference back. I know that you know some clients relation to, you know, their workers, you know, the workers might be at home and they want to refresh on how a system is completed. You know, they can just jump on, review those details but then you know, having access to that, so then they've got the knowledge they need when they go to site of what their requirements are or what they need to meet in a system, in a process.

Talk to me about subcontractor management because a lot of new home builders use subcontractors as for a large portion of their work. I mean that's just the way they operate. But it feels like one of the biggest risks in the business because they're not operating under your business necessarily, they're doing work for you. So can you talk to me about how that plays into these safety systems?

Yes, absolutely. So subcontractors to builders is high risk area. We have seen this over and over in the industry where builders are covering the cost of contractors, liability from defective works and workers compensation claims. So you know, workers comp claims can Arise years after an incident. You know, for example, if a subcontractor claims a serious injury occurred on site and seeks compensation, the claim may later involve the head contractor's liability. So the problem we have at the moment is when a workers comp claim rises, the builders not having clear records of workers, what happened on site, you know, and this could be two, three years, five years later, which builders technically required to maintain and record for at least seven years. So, and that's to defend against such claims, you know, so head contractors must demonstrate that they're maintaining a safe work site. Taking that digital approach, you know, saves and archives all those safety records against those sites and locations. So you know, the site specific inductions you need to provide your signing registers, safe work method statements are completed. But you know, for the builders, their toolbox talks, they're completing workplace inspections. So being able to provide all that information, proven the contractor took proactive steps obviously as well to ensure, you know, workplace health and safety.

Yeah, I guess what you're saying is like, if something does arise in three or five years time, you're going to have very little memory of what actually went on on a specific date. But if you can dive into an online software such as work safety, for example, and, and go back to the records from that particular date, it's just going to immediately give you the peace of mind you need to move forward.

Yeah, absolutely, but, and then try and look, you know, if you look at building companies at the moment, how they manage that and record all that information like you know, folders and paperwork and then where you need to get access to that, it's just, yeah, it's a nightmare. So. But that's obviously one of the steps and the processes that we look to solve for builders, you know, so that's just a key area that in work safety and obviously with software systems. So when you engage those contractors, you know, you're capturing your legislative requirements that you need to capture. So yeah, for companies it's, yeah, the mandatory areas that they need to step and progress through. So for Australian businesses, obviously they've got to capture the ABM relevant to the company and which, you know, they should be checking. Within our system it's API fees, ASIC populates their company structure. So if it's a company, it's mandatory they capture their workers compensation relevant to the company and then obviously sole trader partnership capturing relevant details. But you know, the contractor's license associated to that contracting company, the public liability professional indemnity, if they've got it. But then obviously doing the vetting against those contractors in relation to the safety systems that they use. If we look at a roofing company that you engage, you engage a roofing company, you know, you should be going through the process of capturing their information, get a reference to their safety systems. So you know that those contractors, their system in place to manage their high risk work activity on site and that's all tied into the system. But obviously another area is specific contractor agreements. So agreement covers, you know, scope of works, WHS obligations, indemnity and liability clauses. So that ensures that, you know, all the safety documentation is properly maintained and accessible for audits, insurance claims or hopefully not, but, you know, legal defenses as well.

Yeah, I feel like we've spoken a lot about the bad side of everything. It's like, you know, cover yourself, reduce risk, you know, if the worst was to happen, like a lawsuit or a claim or someone was to get injured or all those kind of things. But I think the one thing we've probably skimmed over is the fact that if you've got a really solid system in place for operating your building sites that's digital and allows you to, gives you the peace of mind to trust other people to do things with training and all that kind of stuff, you're just running a more efficient business anyway. And it's going to be a better experience for your clients, a better experience for you as the building company owner and everything.

Absolutely, yeah. So having having that in place, it's, you know, you set the scale so you know you're going to be more efficient and, and then on the sites, you know, with your sites and the work's getting completed. So the quality side of it as well. So that's where we're seeing improvements in the area of the quality and compliance on site and that's just tied in with training modules and then the site specific nature of it. So having those certain processes and systems that are followed and then giving that consistent outcome for the sites and then the quality of work that's coming out.

Where do you see this going in the future? I'm actually just trying to dig up our research into the residential construction industry at the moment from the State of Residential Construction Industry Report. We discussed this off air briefly, Glenn, but the use of health and safety software is alarmingly low in North America, in the United States and Canada, quite high in New Zealand and then Australia's a little bit behind on New Zealand, but much further ahead of North America. Where do you see that environment changing as we move forward into the next three to Five years.

Yeah. I think the culture shift is happening right now within the industry. So for years safety is seen as just a tick in a box, a bit of a compliance headache and just paperwork for the office. But that mindset is changing. So forward thinking builders are starting to realize that the safety isn't just about avoiding fines, it's about that competitive advantage, you know, that's going to drive that consistent outcome. So the companies that thrive in the next decade won't be the ones that are cutting corners, you know, they're going to be the ones with the systems in place to create safer and more efficient work sites. So builders just need to think of safety not as an obligation but as a growth strategy. So I think that's the shift and businesses that get ahead of the curve will outperform those who don't. And I think that where the building industry is going, it's, you know, with that systemized approach, it's having that training also in the system. So you know, as we go through and getting more workers into the industry, you know, having those defined training processes in the system or with relevant authorities, they're going to have that system for success. They're key quality areas that they need to meet. So obviously Australia is heavy legislated so it's more, you know, demanding for Australia businesses to have it in place. And obviously, you know, when we look at overseas in the States it's, you know, obviously having those systems in place for success not only for the safety protocols for their company but for that growth strategy as well.

Well Glenn, thanks so much for coming on the podcast today for APB members out there. If you want to check more out about work safety, they are a rewards partner so you can check them out on our roads directory and we'll put a link in the show notes for any other builders out there. Worksafety.com that's w o r x safety.com is that the best place for people to go, Glenn?

Yeah, absolutely, yeah, just jump on the website and from there you can book a demo, free demo, run you through the system and the details. And like you said for, for APB members also they get the further discount as being rewards member. So yeah, reach out. WorkSafe is here to help and we'd love to provide that platform for you.

Awesome. Well thanks so much for coming on the show, Glenn.

Not a problem. Thank you, appreciate it.

And a big thank you as well to our listeners wherever you are in the world. If you like the show today, please subscribe to Professional Builder Secrets on your platform of choice. And if you're feeling generous, leave us a review. But until next time, have a great day.

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