Smart Card solutions
the client

The client is responsible for the refurbishment and maintenance of stations within a major transport system.

the requirement

Maintaining and assuring the highest possible standards of Health & Safety on sites is one of the company’s greatest priorities and was the driver to find an effective system for use across its business – which involves station refurbishment, maintenance and civil engineering projects.

Using a large supply chain of operatives, with relatively few directly-employed staff, the client understood that it needed a system that could be implemented across all of its sites – day and night – to check the competence of individuals coming to work and, just as importantly, ensuring for operatives’ own safety that they were off-site again at the end of their work.

The client selected an integrated solution that included Smart Cards to help reduce the amount of Certification/ ID Cards that operatives usually have to carry around. All current qualifications can be stored within the Smart Card microprocessor, meaning that the single card can be checked to confirm a range of training skills and qualifications.

Reference Point was chosen to develop the solution, as a leading Supplier with a unique fund of experience and expertise in the speciality of competence management with Smart Card technologies.

the solution

This was an intriguing project, involving some sites that carry out construction work 24 hours a day and others where work can only be carried out for limited periods at night-time.

Full reliance on an online solution at all times wasn’t feasible - although the main database is internet-enabled. Equally, no reliance could be made on permanent Communications technology, so the solution needed to incorporate a system that could work "offline" and independently but be easily uploaded to the main database whenever convenient.

It was essential that all operatives in possession of the mandated H&S qualifications should be given a Smart Card, which not only acts visibly as an ID card but also holds up-to-date information on the individuals’ qualifications.

Supervisors needed a Smart Card reading device that was portable, easy to use and, from the client’s point of view, relatively low-cost. Working with a leading French Smart Card hardware partner, Reference Point recommended a simple Card reader that fits easily into a Supervisor’s pocket and runs on AAA batteries.

Supervisors check operatives’ qualifications through the Card Reader at the start of work and again swipe out operatives at the end of work for their own safety. Supervisors can also conduct spot checks on Cards at any time to verify additional qualifications (for example, to use a certain piece of equipment). At the end of work, the Supervisor simply uploads from his own Card, which holds the day’s log of all Card activity. This means that the company can access an up-to-the-minute record of activities on sites and has a full record, should there be a safety incident.

Commenting on the project, the client said: "Using Reference Point to develop the solution was, in our view, essential to the project’s success. Not only do they have a great knowledge base and a lot of experience, but they also have shown total commitment to the project - they’ve been superb."