How to save 6,500 h in the H&S department? – The story at Doraco

H&S digitization at DORACO

The company implements four main types of projects, each requiring a distinct approach to safety:

Commercial buildings – standard construction projects with typical industry challenges

Renovation and adaptation of historic buildings – projects requiring cooperation with heritage conservators, working within historic structures with limitations arising from cultural heritage protection

Hydrotechnical projects – implemented in challenging terrain conditions, with small specialist teams (around 20 people) operating heavy specialized equipment

Military projects – requiring special security procedures and adaptation to specific requirements

The diversity of projects illustrates the scale of challenges: from hydrotechnical projects with a 20-person team of specialized machine operators working in difficult terrain conditions, to the reconstruction of the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego headquarters, where 350 people from various industries work simultaneously in a historic building under the supervision of a heritage conservator.

H&S management philosophy at DORACO

The company’s approach to safety management is characterized by flexibility and support for implementation teams, rather than hindering their work. Safety management stems from the organizational structure and high-level management engagement, including the board of directors.

Construction Support

The H&S department has a supervisory-advisory role and performs three main functions:

• Verifies safety conditions at construction sites and reports to management
• Provides H&S training to staff
• Offers advisory support regarding potentially hazardous work

Partnership Approach

The key to success is a partnership approach between implementation and H&S departments. Construction managers, when planning dangerous work, consult situations with the H&S department, jointly analyzing risks and developing safe solutions. The H&S department is a conversation partner, not a “policeman.”

Pragmatism

For this reason, the company strives to maintain a healthy balance between procedures, documentation, and actual work. Implemented procedures do not hinder work while remaining compliant with law and regulatory requirements.

The Challenge

Initially, the H&S department at DORACO faced challenges related to the lack of standardization in inspection processes at construction sites and incident reporting. Depending on location and project type, these procedures varied, leading to inconsistencies in reporting and hindering centralized data analysis.

Moreover, managing H&S in a company simultaneously executing approximately 15 different investments was becoming increasingly complex, generating risks of regulatory non-compliance and potential threats to worker safety.

Hustro app implementation

Previous experiences

Before implementing the Hustro app, the company used a different application that was not well received by the team. The previous solution often hindered work and was not adapted to the specifics of H&S processes. As a result, team resistance to the new solution was strong due to negative previous experiences.

Implementation process

As a result, DORACO company decided to implement the Hustro app across the entire company, covering all ongoing investments and the central OHS department. The application deployment included 25 users, including OHS inspectors, construction managers, and personnel responsible for reporting and data analysis.

During implementation, differences in adoption of the new solution emerged. More experienced staff needed more time to become comfortable with the change, asking questions like “What do I need this for?” or “Why should I install this on my phone?” Meanwhile, younger staff immediately embraced the Hustro application positively.

Success factor

The key to success was an empathetic approach to team concerns. Those who needed more support received additional attention. Individual training sessions conducted by the Hustro team effectively resolved the resistance issue.

Furthermore, an important element was the awareness that safety management makes sense when everyone uses the same tool.

Implementation benefits

Process standardization

All processes related to H&S inspections and incident reporting have been unified. Regardless of construction site location, procedures are now identical, which significantly facilitates H&S management while ensuring ISO 45001 compliance.

Unified reporting

The application enables automated and standardized reporting, which reduced errors and accelerated the documentation preparation process. All reports are now generated in a uniform format, facilitating their analysis and comparison of results from different projects. Inspection report preparation time was reduced from 2.5 hours to 6 minutes.

Precise control and monitoring

Thanks to the application, H&S management at DORACO has become more transparent. Management now has the ability to continuously monitor H&S status across all construction sites, enabling quick response when non-compliance is detected. Additionally, it’s possible to monitor reports in real-time, send reminders, and conduct communication on specific topics.

Increased efficiency

Automation of inspection and reporting processes significantly accelerated the OHS department’s work, enabling better utilization of human resources and focusing on preventive activities rather than administrative ones. The H&S team has more time to work on construction sites where needed, spends less time on documentation, and has more time for team consultations. Frequent site visits are working visits rather than “major inspections.” Approximately 400 visits are conducted annually.

Quality and safety improvement

The application makes it easier to determine who is responsible for what at a given construction site. The number of dangerous situations has significantly decreased, resulting from increased awareness among management staff and the engineering team, as well as better organization of the H&S department’s work.

High audit standards

External audits are conducted annually by third-party companies. The company is praised for the clarity and transparency of information provided, receiving high ratings.

Time savings

Summary

The implementation of the Hustro application at DORACO delivered measurable operational benefits. Automation of key processes – such as reporting, data synchronization, incident registration, and repair management – significantly reduced task time-consumption and operational costs. Communication digitization and elimination of paper-based information flow improved data circulation and increased process control, resulting in higher efficiency of both field and office teams. The key success factor was not only implementing the right tool, but also a conscious approach to change management. Particularly noteworthy are the deep understanding of construction project specifics, strong team engagement, and consistent building of a safety culture based on partnership and trust – these elements formed the foundation of successful digital transformation.