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The BAM Construction, Plant and H&S teams recognised there was an issue around exclusion zones on site. Exclusion zones and restricted zones are commonly used in the construction industry to keep people away from high risk activities including falling objects or moving plant and machinery. Typically, these zones are denoted by pedestrian barriers with statutory signage fixed on the barriers….

Speller Metcalfe has been contracted by Derby Museums to redevelop the facilities at Derby Silk Mill, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in order to open the whole museum to the public for the first time in 50 years. The scheme is the second in the UK to be delivered using the innovative Integrated Project Insurance procurement approach, following Speller Metcalfe’s…

During a community drop-in session for their Scape Burnshot Bridge project, Balfour Beatty brought a 3D model of the bridge for residents to view through a VR headset. Unfortunately, a local blind resident was left disappointed as he thought it would be a physical model which he could have explored with his hands. The site team and client were really…

As a way to minimise disruption to neighbours, improve safety and to comply with the latest City of London Code of Practice, the 21 Moorfields project has specified that all delivery vehicles on the project should be fitted with broadband-only reversing alarms. Noise from broadband-only reversing alarms dissipates quickly at distance and thus reduces nuisance to neighbours. The frequency of…

Wates are piloting a new tracking system that should improve the fuel efficiency of their repair service. The tracking system will allow customers to view their operative’s live estimated time of arrival. This will enable them to track the operatives approach on a real-time map. It also provides the customer with a link to the schedulers enabling them to cancel…

At Mace’s GPE Hanover Square project, a Turkish stone company were identified as a medium-high risk supplier based on their Sedex self-assessment questionnaire and inherent risk score. With the support of the Great Portland Estates client team, Mace instructed an independent consultant to carry out a Sedex Member Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) – to better understand the working conditions of their…

During concrete placement activity, the site utilised an agricultural inspired “Crop” sprayer to evenly apply the curing compound. By using this, the site team successfully minimised working from height as previously operatives were required to work from bridges spanning 11m.

Following concerns raised about the tight site constraints, the site team has introduced “Walkie Talkie Boxes” – in which portable radios are kept at particularly tight points on site (e.g. crossing points) to enable site personnel to communicate directly with the machine operators and banksman. All radios are taken in for security and charging each night and returned to the…

Nottingham City Council, the local Pythian Club and the site team held an innovative event to encourage young people to enter the construction industry. The “Apprenticeship Link Up” event was held on the 30th August on site. What made this event different from previous events was the aim to create an informal party atmosphere, which was achieved by having music…

Bam Nuttall have implemented rebar mechanical tying guns to increase efficiency and significantly reduce repetitive strain injuries. The tying gun provides a solution to the physically demanding, monotonous and time-consuming work of manual tying. Tying rebar involves handling heavy materials, working in awkward positions, and repeating the same hand twisting motions over and over. All of this can lead to…

Clear directions to very specific locations across large construction sites can be challenging, particularly in emergency situations. The GBHP 17,000 square metre Royal Victoria Hospital Maternity construction project, located within a large hospital complex, is the first site in Northern Ireland to introduce the What3Words app as a means to improving communications and emergency responses to and across the whole construction project….

BMJV has developed two new custom construction safety boots for general ground workers (high ankle) and plant operators (low ankle), which aim to significantly reducing ankle-related injuries. The boots require no laces and instead use a BOA ratchet system (often found on snowboarding equipment), which provides ankle support while removing the reliance of personnel correctly tying traditional laces. They are…

bmJV have developed, trialled and implemented a positive recognition and incentive tool, used to recognise ‘above and beyond’ behaviours (not limited to safety) called ‘Spot On’. The system uses scratch cards with every card being a winner with a chance of winning the following: Level 1 – £250 Level 2 – £100 Level 3 – £50 Level 4 – £10…

Within the confined space of the Thames Barrier flood gates, grit blasting was carried out to remove existing coatings to enable initial inspections to be undertaken. During the later inspections a decision was made to change from grit blasting to quill blasting. Quill blasting is a modern water, air and aggregate blasting system which uses up to 80% less water,…

At Ballymore’s Goodluck Hope project, a psychologist has been employed to design and deliver a bespoke programme which is specifically aimed at the workforce. Whilst confidential 1 to 1 sessions are offered, the main focus is a five week programme of interactive randomly-selected group sessions. The sessions are run like workshops, they are guided by the presenter but the group…