Construction companies often get sued over delay claims, and weather is one of the most common causes of those delays. Severe weather events can also increase costs and endanger the lives of your workers. It's just something you have to deal with.
Luckily, there are ways that can better manage issues related to weather. For example, Raken’s daily reporting app can keep project managers informed about weather conditions in real time as well as document delay and safety issues that come about as a result.
We can do this because we built our construction app to automatically capture and record weather conditions. This means that users receive useful data from major weather stations as well as weather histories in an easy to understand visual format.
The Importance of Weather Documentation in Construction
Documenting weather conditions during construction projects is important from both management and legal standpoints. In a legal brief written for a construction trade association, attorney Timothy J. Woolford writes that accurate daily reports can be used as an important defense against legal claims:
Weather-related delay claims, as well as inefficiency or impact claims, must be supported by accurate records. Weather data from the National Weather Service should be obtained to prove the conditions. Schedules should be used to prove the impact on the work. Good daily logs should be kept to show the severity of the weather and its actual effect on the work in the field.
Woolford lets us know that not only do you need to keep weather records, but you also need to show how the schedule that day was impacted by the weather and what specific aspects of the work were affected.
The only problem now is time. Superintendents and subcontractors work long days under tight deadlines, and stopping to check the weather and then document specifically what was happening as a result can take precious hours away from their day. But that's where we come in.
Automatic Weather Reporting
By simply entering the project address at the beginning of the project, Raken automatically captures weather conditions three times per day and attaches it to all daily reports, even across multiple job sites. By providing an overview of how the weather will affect various locations, Raken's app gives managers a tool to better plan work schedules and keep detailed records at the push of a button.
Raken's weather report always includes:
Temperature conditions
Wind speed
Precipitation
Humidity
And That's Just the Start
Weather reporting is extremely important in making your job site as efficient as it can be, as well as creating thorough records for your legal team in case you need them. But this is just a small part of the many time-saving features Raken’s daily reporting software offers. You can also benefit from:
Real-time notifications
Improved construction efficiency
Streamlined reporting
Easier compliance
Ready to see how Raken can help protect your company from liability for weather delays? Start a free trial of our mobile construction app and check out the benefits it offers.