Published 5 March 2026
Before calculating ROI, you need to understand what manual documentation actually costs. Based on surveys of 200+ UK site managers:
Average time per RAMS: 2.5 hours (range: 1.5-4 hours)
Average time per risk assessment: 45 minutes
Average time per toolbox talk: 30 minutes (preparation + delivery)
Average time per COSHH assessment: 40 minutes
Total weekly documentation time: 12-18 hours per site manager
At an average site manager salary of GBP 50,000 per year (approximately GBP 25/hour), 15 hours per week on documentation costs GBP 375/week, or approximately GBP 19,500 per year in professional time spent on paperwork.
Based on actual usage data from Site Manager AI customers:
RAMS with AI: 20-25 minutes total (2 min generation + 20 min review)
Risk assessment with AI: 10-12 minutes total
Toolbox talk with AI: 5-8 minutes total
COSHH assessment with AI: 10-15 minutes total
Total weekly documentation time: 3-5 hours per site manager
That is a time saving of approximately 10-12 hours per week — equivalent to getting an extra day back every week.
Annual time saved: 10 hours/week x 48 weeks = 480 hours
Value of time saved: 480 hours x GBP 25/hour = GBP 12,000
Cost of Site Manager AI: GBP 120/year (monthly plan) or GBP 150 one-time (lifetime)
ROI: 100x (monthly plan) or 80x (lifetime, first year only)
Even on the most conservative estimate — saving just 5 hours per week at a lower hourly rate — the ROI exceeds 30x. There are very few tools in construction that deliver this kind of return.
The financial ROI calculation does not capture the full benefit. AI-generated documentation is also: