HMSREG established in Copenhagen

Copenhagen municipality has a large focus on combating social dumping. They have now implemented Omega’s cloud-based system, HMSREG, to ensure better control on construction sites.

Department manager for HMSREG, Kathrine Steen Andersen at the launch of HMSREG in Copenhagen municipality. 

On Monday November 25, Copenhagen municipality started using ID cards on construction sites as a security measure against social dumping. They are the first municipality in Denmark to take the system in use. The pilot project in Copenhagen is run by the  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department in the municipality. The CSR department in Copenhagen aims to uncover social dumping among the municipality’s suppliers. They stated that they found irregularities in around 70 per cent of their control visits, which in 2018 contributed to underpaid employees being paid back approximately 4.3 million NOK for which they had been cheated.

"It’s great that we have come this far, and it is a prestige project to be a part of. This is a milestone and it is the first time HMSREG is being used outside of Norway. The process has had its challenges, especially related to how the card/crew check-in was to take place. This is due to there not being any equivalent to the Norwegian HSE card, and all integration to the system needed to be built from scratch. We feel that we have come a long way and we are very motivated to support the municipality in their dissemination of the ID card arrangement," says project manager for HMSREG, Thomas Skjelde Økland.

Several pilot projects 

Initially, there are up to four pilot projects over a two-year period. The first project is the construction of a larger kindergarten (180 children and 40 employees) in Ørestaden, close to Kastrup Airport. By using HMSREG, Copenhagen municipality can control who is working on the various construction projects and whether they are trustworthy suppliers in the sector. If the pilot project is successful it is possible that a Danish ID card solution, like the HSE card arrangement in Norway, could become a national solution. This will increase the HMSREG systems' attractiveness in the Danish market.

ID card-based

All employees are issued ID cards which they must scan at the entrance to the construction site and the card must be visible on the employee. Omega’s cloud-based system provides an easy overview of the main contractor and subcontractors on the construction projects and collects information about the crew being registered in and out of the construction sites. The system stores information about the employees and details of employment. In suspicion of cheating, the municipality can quickly check and demand to see the employees’ pay checks and employment certificates.

HMSREG is currently being used by several large state enterprises in Norway, the four largest contracting companies and several municipalities. It has become a system known to many and which, in collaboration with StartBANK, is recognized as the leading solution for supporting the work building a trustworthy construction sector.