# Blockchain-based Digital ID Management for Construction Workers

> SBB has developed a proof-of-concept for blockchain-based digital ID management to digitize the cumbersome and error-prone manual verification of qualifications and certificates of construction workers on construction sites. The system uses Ethereum blockchain and uPort technology to manage digital identities and control access to construction sites via QR code scanning. The successful PoC demonstrates how blockchain-based solutions can replace paper-based processes in construction site management.

**Sector:** Tertiary sector · **Industry:** Rail transport · **Organisation:** Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB) · **Maturity level:** Pilot

Canonical URL: https://www.sapientblock.com/en/use-cases/schweizerische-bundesbahnen-baustellenqualifikationen-digital-pruefen

## Documentation status

- **Project status:** Pilot
- **Evidence:** Evidence high
- **Editorial review:** Ufuk Avci, 15 April 2026

## Description

SBB operates thousands of construction sites with over 30,000 employees across Switzerland. On each site, workers from various subcontractors are active, all of whom must be medically fit and certified for their tasks — for example, welding. The problem: multiple companies, multiple certification bodies, thousands of construction sites. SBB developed a blockchain pilot with Linum Labs and uPort (ConsenSys), where workers, certification bodies, and supervisors receive unique digital identities on the Ethereum blockchain. Check-in and check-out are done via QR code scan using the uPort app.

In 2018, SBB completed a blockchain pilot project for qualification management on construction sites together with Linum Labs — a Swiss blockchain specialist — and the uPort identity solution (ConsenSys). SBB operates thousands of construction sites with over 30,000 employees; many are subcontractors from various companies. Swiss law prescribes who is allowed to work on tracks and with which certificates — railway accidents are often due to errors. The pilot ran from May to November 2018 on the Ethereum test network Rinkeby — as a proof of concept alongside regular paper documentation. This is how the system works: Workers download the uPort app and register their identity on the blockchain. Certification bodies issue digital certificates stored in the worker’s app. On site, the supervisor scans the worker’s QR code, checks certificates, and confirms check-in. A hash of the check-in/check-out activities is stored on the blockchain and is auditable. Personal data remains off-chain on the worker’s smartphone — GDPR compliant. A small team developed the entire architecture in just five weeks. Whether the project will continue was, according to an SBB spokesperson, still undecided after the pilot’s conclusion.

## Benefits

- Companies can significantly reduce their administrative costs by automating qualification checks.
- Digitalisation eliminates time-consuming manual verification processes and reduces the risk of errors or forged documents.
- The blockchain-based solution increases transparency and traceability of qualification checks.
- The system enables more efficient site management through automated access controls.
- Construction workers experience faster and simpler check-in processes without long waiting times.

## Challenges

- Companies must invest in new IT infrastructure and mobile devices for all construction sites.
- Implementation requires comprehensive training of employees in handling the new digital technology.
- Data protection compliance, especially the right to be forgotten under GDPR, presents technical challenges.
- Employees must adapt to new digital workflows and require appropriate technical support.

## Technology foundation

The system is based on the Ethereum blockchain in conjunction with uPort, an open-source technology from the ConsenSys portfolio for managing digital identities. Personal data is not stored directly on the blockchain; only hashes of check-in/check-out activities are published, while sensitive information remains off-chain on the workers’ smartphones.

## Sources

- [Swiss Federal Railway trials a digital identity pilot on the Ethereum blockchain](https://blokt.com/news/the-swiss-federal-railway-trials-a-digital-identity-pilot-on-the-ethereum-blockchain)
- [Swiss Railway Uses Blockchain to Manage Worker IDs on Construction Sites](https://builtin.com/blockchain/swiss-railway-uses-blockchain-id-workers-construction-sites)
- [Schweizerische Bundesbahn testet Blockchain-basiertes ID-Management](https://blockchainwelt.de/schweizerische-bundesbahn-testet-blockchain-basiertes-id-management/)