Tracking time sheets is a difficult task on a construction site. Unlike most businesses, you don’t have the luxury of a static workplace with one central area for hourly employees to clock in and out. I recently had a conversation with founder of SmartBarrel, Albert Bou Fadel, and he told me about how his company can help solve a lot of the woes contractors are feeling in regards to time keeping and other field-based reporting tasks.

First, SmartBarrel is exactly what it sounds like. A typical orange construction barrel turned into a smart tool. With only a few simple steps, the SmartBarrel device attaches to the top of a standard barrel, creating an instant hub for employee timekeeping throughout the site.

There are no wires, it’s powered by a small solar panel and has its own modem for wireless communication. The device is also weatherproof and built like “a tank,” according to Fadel, so it can withstand tough jobsite conditions.

Ease of use is a huge factor to any technology adoption, so Fadel designed the device to operate with a simple keypad. To clock in, workers just type their phone number into the keypad and the device snaps a picture of their face for verification. Once the worker clocks in, they get a text message verifying that they have clocked in at their location. You can see the process in the video below: