On a construction site, safety is not an abstract concept — it’s something you wear, handle and rely on every day. The helmet, the gloves, the high-vis vest – these aren’t just symbols of compliance. They are what stand between a normal workday and a serious accident.

But PPE is not only about the gear itself. It’s about the systems behind it — how equipment is tracked, maintained and documented across teams, projects and suppliers. And that’s often where things become complicated.

Every employer in the construction industry has a legal and moral duty to protect workers from risk. The requirements are defined in both EU Regulation 2016/425 and national health and safety laws, which state that PPE must be:

• chosen based on documented risk assessments
• certified and CE-marked according to relevant EN standards
• correctly used and maintained
• replaced when no longer safe or valid

In other words: safety must be verifiable.

While the rules are clear, the reality is often messy. Equipment and documentation are spread across subcontractors, suppliers and project stages.
Certificates expire unnoticed. Updated manuals sit in email attachments. Someone assumes the data is correct — until an audit or an incident proves otherwise.

These gaps don’t happen because people don’t care about safety, but because information is fragmented and inconsistent.

This is where digital collaboration changes the picture. Instead of treating PPE as isolated items or checklists, construction companies can manage equipment and documentation in one shared system — where data flows automatically between actors.

That’s the principle behind Cobuilder Collaborate:
A platform that connects products, people and processes into a single, reliable picture of workplace safety.

1. Documentation that follows the product
   Each item of protective equipment can be linked to its technical file — CE certificates, user manuals, conformity statements — all stored in one place.
   No missing files, no outdated documents.Result: Continuous traceability and proof of compliance.
2. Real-time updates and validation
   When a manufacturer updates safety data or certification, the changes are instantly visible to contractors and HSE managers.
   Everyone works with the same verified information, at the same time.Result: Reduced risk and consistent compliance across all sites.
3. Shared visibility for the entire project
   Collaborate gives all stakeholders — client, contractor, supplier — a shared view of the safety documentation chain.
   Who supplied what? When was it last inspected? Everything is searchable and audit-ready.Result: Greater transparency and accountability across the value chain.
4. From control to learning
   Once data is structured, it becomes a source of insight.
   Companies can analyse usage patterns, track recurring issues and identify the best-performing products or suppliers.Result: Continuous improvement based on evidence, not assumptions.

Following the law is just the starting point. The companies that excel in safety management use data not only to comply, but to build trust — within teams, and with clients and regulators.

With Cobuilder Collaborate, PPE management becomes part of a larger safety ecosystem: connected, traceable and transparent. It turns documentation from an administrative task into a living system for accountability and improvement.