Offline Access

Many construction sites have poor or no mobile signal. The RAMSdoc mobile app works offline so you can access documents, deliver briefings, capture sign-offs, and complete POWRAs without an internet connection.

What works offline

Feature	Offline support
Viewing documents	Yes — documents are cached when you select a project/site
Delivering briefings	Yes — briefing content is available offline
Capturing sign-offs	Yes — sign-offs are recorded locally and synced later
Completing POWRAs	Yes — POWRAs are saved locally and synced later
Permits to work	Yes — permits can be opened, managed, and closed offline
Incident reporting	Yes — reports are saved locally and synced later
Photo capture	Yes — photos are stored on the device and uploaded on sync
QR code scanning	Partial — QR codes that link to cached content work; codes requiring server data do not
AI features	No — AI requires an internet connection
Searching	Limited — search works within cached documents only

How offline mode works

Automatic caching

When you select a project and site in the app, RAMSdoc automatically downloads and caches:

• All approved RAMS documents for that site
• Toolbox talks and briefing summaries
• Active permits
• The hazard library entries used in those documents
• Worker profiles for competency checks

This happens in the background whenever you have a connection. The app shows a sync indicator confirming your data is up to date.

Working offline

When you lose your connection, the app continues to work with cached data:

• A banner at the top of the screen indicates you are offline
• You can view documents, deliver briefings, and capture sign-offs as normal
• All actions are saved locally on the device

[Screenshot: Mobile app in offline mode showing the offline banner and a briefing in progress]

Syncing when back online

When your connection is restored:

1. The app automatically detects the connection.
2. Pending data is uploaded in the background:
   • Sign-off records (with timestamps from when they were captured)
   • POWRA records
   • Permit actions
   • Incident reports
   • Photos
3. New or updated documents are downloaded.
4. The sync indicator shows Synced when complete.

Note

Sign-offs and POWRAs keep the original timestamp from when they were captured offline, not the sync time. This ensures the audit trail accurately reflects when the action actually happened on site.

Preparing for offline use

Before going to a site with poor connectivity:

1. Open the app while connected — select the project and site so data is cached.
2. Wait for the sync to complete — check the sync indicator shows all data is downloaded.
3. Check for pending updates — if documents have been recently updated, make sure the latest versions are cached.

Tip

Cache your project data while you still have Wi-Fi or mobile signal — for example, before leaving the office or while in the site cabin. Do not wait until you are on site with no signal.

Offline limitations

• AI features are not available offline — you cannot generate content, suggest hazards, or run compliance checks without a connection
• Document editing is not available on mobile (this is a web-app function), so you cannot edit RAMS content offline
• New documents cannot be created offline — only existing cached documents are available
• Competency checks work against cached worker profiles — if a worker’s certification was updated on the web app while you were offline, the mobile app will not reflect this until it syncs
• Search only covers cached documents, not the full document library

Conflict resolution

In rare cases, the same record may be modified both offline and online (e.g. a permit extended on the web while you were offline on site). When this happens:

• The app flags the conflict during sync
• You are asked to review and choose which version to keep
• Both versions are preserved in the audit trail

Storage

Cached documents and offline data are stored on your device. The app manages storage automatically, but if your device is low on space:

• Older, inactive projects may be removed from the cache
• Photos are compressed before upload to reduce storage use
• You can manually clear the cache in Settings > Storage (this removes offline data — sync first)