For utility, civils and groundworks contractors
Every snag, drawing, photo, permit and operative on one site record.
Utility Guard is a web app for the office and an iOS and Android app for site. Site teams pin snags to drawings, take stamped photos, sign toolbox talks and clock in from the phone, even with no signal. The office sees it the moment it syncs, and the paperwork you need for a client or an inspector comes out as a PDF.
- Works offline
- Yes
- Site app queues changes and syncs when signal returns
- Platforms
- 3
- Web, iOS and Android
- Safety records
- 8 kinds
- RAMS, COSHH, permits, safe-dig, toolbox talks, SSOW, HAVS, manual handling
- PDF reports
- 5
- Snag list, project status, COSHH register, workforce compliance, single issue
The surfaces your team will use every day
Drawings and snags
Pin a snag to the drawing it belongs to
A snag written as “cable exposed near bay 4” sends someone looking. A pin at chainage 120 on drainage layout rev C sends them to the spot.
- Upload PDF or image drawings and keep every revision. The current revision is what the team sees; older ones stay for the record.
- Drop a pin on the sheet where the issue is. The pin carries the issue number, colour-coded by priority, and opens the issue in one tap.
- Filter the drawing to show only open snags, only one trade, or only what is due this week.
- The site app keeps drawings on the phone, so a pin can be placed in the trench with no signal and appears in the office when it syncs.
Photos
Every photo on the project, in one place, with the evidence built in
A dispute about a cable strike is settled by the photo taken at 08:41 that morning, not by memory. Utility Guard keeps that photo where the whole team can find it, with the time and place already on it.
- Photos from issues, daily logs, milestones, inspections, RFIs, submittals and permits all land in the same gallery. Filter by where they came from, by trade, by drawing, or by folder.
- Before upload, the phone burns the date, time, project name and GPS position into the image. The stamp is part of the pixels, so it survives being forwarded, printed or dropped into a report.
- Draw arrows, circles and notes over a photo. The original is never changed; the markup is a layer you can edit or remove later.
- Upload straight into the gallery and link a photo to a record afterwards, or move it between records if it was filed against the wrong one.
Permits and safe-dig
An excavation permit that carries its own proof
When an inspector asks how you knew where the LV cable was before you dug, the answer is the pack: drawings reviewed on Tuesday, scan photographed on Wednesday, trial hole at 0.6 metres, four signatures. All of it dated.
- Each excavation permit has a safe-dig pack: the HSG47 checklist, links to the utility drawings that were reviewed, and photos of the CAT scan and trial holes.
- The supervisor signs on screen. The gang sign on their own phones. The permit shows exactly who has and has not signed.
- Validity times are on the permit. An expired permit is obvious at a glance.
- RAMS, COSHH substances and toolbox talks link to each other, so the method statement points at the substances it uses and the talk that briefed it.
- ✓Utility drawings obtained and reviewed (CH 100 to CH 160)
- ✓CAT and Genny scan completed, LV cable located at 0.6 m
- ✓Trial holes dug by hand to confirm depth
- Safe digging method briefed to the gang
- Permit signed by supervisor and gang
Daily logs
The site diary writes its own first draft
End-of-day paperwork is the first thing dropped when the day runs long. Making the draft appear on its own is how you get a complete diary for the whole job.
- One log per day per project: weather, crew count, notes and photos.
- The AI reads what happened that day, which issues were raised and closed, which permits were live, which milestones moved, and drafts the narrative. The supervisor corrects it and saves it. It takes two minutes instead of twenty.
- Weather is pulled for the site postcode automatically.
- Logs are searchable and appear in the project status report, so the record is there months later when a delay claim needs it.
Bay 4 trench opened CH 100 to CH 160 under permit 7 after CAT scan and trial holes. LV cable found exposed at CH 120 and reported (#42), works stopped at that chainage pending UKPN. MH 12 benching completed and closed (#35). Reinstatement in Bay 3 still outstanding (#38), booked for Monday.
Workforce passports
Check an operative's cards at the gate in five seconds
The question at the gate is always the same: is this person allowed to do this work today? The passport answers it from the current record, not from a laminated card that might be two years out of date.
- Every worker has a passport: a card with a QR code. Anyone can scan it with a phone camera and see the worker’s name, employer, photo and the live status of each competency card and medical. No login, no app needed.
- Card details are read from a photo of the card by the AI, front and back, then confirmed by the person adding it.
- Expiry dates drive a compliance status per worker. Anything expiring within 30 days is flagged amber; expired is red. A weekly digest emails the office what needs renewing.
- Operatives keep their own records up to date from the app, and new starters complete the starter pack and right-to-work upload before their first day.
- CSCS Blue skilled workerIn date
- EUSR SHEA GasIn date
- NRSWA Unit 2 excavationExpires in 30 days
- Medical · safety criticalIn date
Reports
The PDF the client wants, sent before they ask
Reporting is where most site software falls down: the data is in there, but getting it out takes an afternoon. Here it is one click, or no clicks.
- Snag list with photos, project status, COSHH register, workforce compliance and inspection reports. Each is generated from the live record in a few seconds.
- Schedule any report daily, weekly or monthly to a list of email addresses. A Friday afternoon project status to the client is set up once and then just happens.
- Every generated report is kept, so you can see exactly what was sent and when.
- Single-issue reports print one snag with its photos, history and comments, for a subcontractor who needs a job sheet.
- 14 substances · 14 data sheets on file
- Used in 3 RAMS
- 7 open · 2 overdue · 3 closed today
- Photos included
- Milestone: Slab pour · on track for 19 Sep
- 12 issues raised, 9 closed this week
What it does
Each project has five areas. This is exactly what is in each one today.
Field
- Issues. Snags, defects, observations and tasks. Each has a type, priority, status, trade, assignee, due date, comments, watchers and related issues. Capture one by typing, by voice, or from a photo.
- Plans. Upload PDF or image drawings with revision history. Pin issues to a sheet and page. Open the drawing and see every pin.
- Photos. One gallery of every photo on the project, whichever record it came from. Photos are stamped with date, time, project and location. Draw arrows, circles and notes over a photo without changing the original. Sort into folders. Link any photo to an issue, daily log, milestone, inspection item, RFI or submittal.
- Daily logs. One entry per day with weather, crew count, notes and photos. The AI drafts it from the day's activity.
- Inspections. Checklists built from templates, each item passed or failed with photos and notes. Due-date reminders by email. Exported as a PDF.
- Handovers. Formal handover records with sign-off.
Project
- Overview. Open issue counts, overdue items, this week's activity and the weather at the site postcode.
- Milestones. Key dates with target and actual completion, and evidence photos for each.
- RFIs and submittals. Numbered, with status workflow, attachments, comments and due dates. The AI suggests an RFI answer using your uploaded contract documents and specs.
- Activity. A feed of every change on the project, with who did it and when.
- Reports. Generate PDFs on demand, or schedule them to be emailed daily, weekly or monthly to a list of recipients.
Safety
- RAMS. Risk assessments and method statements with the signed PDF attached and operative sign-on.
- COSHH register. Substances with safety data sheets attached, linked to the RAMS that use them.
- Permits to work. Including excavation permits with a full safe-dig pack: the HSG47 checklist, linked service drawings, CAT scan evidence photos and crew sign-offs.
- Toolbox talks. Delivered on site and signed on the phone.
- SSOW, HAVS exposure and manual handling (TILE) assessments. Authored in the app, not uploaded as Word files.
Workforce
- Worker records. Contact details, photo, trade, employment status and project assignments.
- Competency cards. CSCS, EUSR, SHEA and the rest. Front and back scans, issue and expiry dates. Point the phone at a card and the AI reads the details for you.
- Medicals and drug and alcohol screens. With expiry tracking and a compliance summary per worker.
- Onboarding. Send a new starter a link. They fill in the starter pack, upload right-to-work documents and sign on their own phone before day one.
- Passports. A card with a QR code that anyone on site can scan to check a worker's current competencies. No login needed.
- Self service. Operatives keep their own cards, medicals and documents up to date from the app.
Time tracking
- Clock in and out from the phone with a selfie and location. Works offline.
- Shift records per worker per project, with supervisor approval.
- Payroll roll-up per site and across the company, using the pay rate that applied on each shift. Export to CSV.
Library and documents
- Company library. Master documents in folders, available to every project.
- Project documents. Contracts, specs and the health and safety file. Text is extracted and indexed so the AI can cite them when answering RFIs or questions about the project.
How a working day looks
- 1
Morning, on site
The gang clock in from the phone. The supervisor runs the toolbox talk and everyone signs it on screen. A new starter's passport is scanned at the gate to confirm their cards are in date.
- 2
During the day
An operative spots a defect, opens the drawing, drops a pin and takes two photos. No signal in the trench. It queues, and syncs when they walk back to the van. The office sees it appear live.
- 3
End of day
The supervisor fills in the daily log from a draft the AI has written from the day's activity. On Friday the client gets the project status PDF by email, automatically.
The site app
Site teams use the iOS and Android app. It keeps a copy of your projects, issues, drawings and safety documents on the phone, so it opens instantly and works where there is no signal.
- Create snags, add photos, sign documents and clock in offline. Changes queue and send in order when the phone reconnects. If one can't send, the rest still do and you are told which one is stuck.
- Photos are stamped on the phone before upload, so the date, time and location are part of the image itself.
- Push notifications when you are assigned an issue, mentioned in a comment, or an inspection is due.
- Operative accounts only see the sites they are assigned to.
The app is provided to your team by us when you sign up. It is not listed publicly on the app stores.
Also in the box
Access and security
Four roles
Super admin sees finance and manages the company. Admin runs projects and the workforce. Member is office staff who contribute to projects. Operative is a site worker who sees only their assigned sites.
Per-project access
Any person can be denied access to a specific project. Operatives are limited to sites they are assigned to, on the web, in the app and in search.
Files and sessions
Uploaded files are kept in private storage and served through short-lived signed links. Uploads are checked against their real file type. Changing your password signs out every other device. Sign-in attempts are rate limited.
Our privacy policy sets out what personal data is held and why. Account holders can request deletion at any time from the account deletion page.
Questions we get asked
- Does it work with no signal?
- Yes, on the phone app. Everything you do is saved on the device and sent when signal comes back. The web app needs a connection.
- How do operatives get an account?
- An admin invites them by email or sends an onboarding link. The onboarding link creates their account, collects their starter pack and issues a passport in one go.
- Can our client see a project?
- Not directly. You send them the project status PDF, on demand or on a schedule. Client logins are not a feature today.
- What file types can we upload?
- Photos as JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF or HEIC up to 20 MB. Other attachments up to 50 MB. Drawings as PDF, PNG, JPEG or WebP. Library files up to 100 MB.
- Can we export our data?
- Payroll exports to CSV. Reports export to PDF. Photos download at full size. If you need a full data export, ask us and we will provide it.
- How is it priced?
- Per company, agreed when you sign up. Email us and we will send a quote for your team size.
See it on your own drawings
Send us a drawing and a RAMS and we will walk you through a project set up with them. Thirty minutes, online.