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Following recent updates in the fire prevention legislation, the contractor are actively encouraging and working to eliminate the requirement for all hot works through the design phases. They have worked with the subcontractor to procure a hydraulic cordless rebar cutter that is spark-free and eliminates the requirement for hot works/permits. The cutter significantly reduces noise during the rebar cutting in…

Steelwork was required in various locations throughout this tightly compacted residential home, including the formation of a new lower ground floor, rear terrace and installation of a central ‘stability frame’. To help manoeuvre these steels weighing in at almost 400kg each into the building, industrial grade rollers on bearings were implemented. Steels were delivered by hi-ab, positioned on rollers, and…

Kone Site Flow is a traffic analysis system which this contractor has implemented during construction to boost efficiency in the distribution of people and materials around the building via lifts and hoists to reduce waiting time and improve efficiency in vertical transportation up through the building. Each operative on site during induction is issued with a Kone Site flow sticker…

The Solo-Gyps drywall attachment simplifies the positioning of plasterboard ceiling panels saving manpower and effectively allowing one operator to lift panels without assistance. This is ideal for interior fit-out projects and significantly reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury and fatigue for installers. Plasterboard for ceilings have historically been raised by handed, while there have been some lifting aids and props…

This contractor is the first in the county to use a robotic arm to perform work in the high-risk environments around the segment stacks and lift. A robotic arm performs two tasks when preparing the segments for ring building. Dobydo is the name given to the part of the robot that screws in the segment dowels and fittings. Krokodyl is…

This contractor has looked into opportunities to reduce the risk of back and other injuries from the manual handling of scaffolding components such as scaffold tubes. Through this research the contractor has recently purchased two trolleys specifically designed to carry scaffold tubes around sites and factories. This has been welcomed positively by the employees on the project. To find out…

This initiative is focused on preventing repetitive strain injuries in construction which currently accounts for a third of all construction related injuries. The contractor has engaged with a former Team GB and current Red Bull Sport Strength & Conditioning coach to develop a programme specifically aimed at reducing repetitive strain injuries in the construction industry. The overall aim is to…

Poor posture can lead to spinal and muscular issues, but it can also cause headaches, poor sleep, and digestive problems. There are also links between poor posture and anxiety levels, with there being a clear link between posture and how it can affect our mental health. With that in mind, looking after the posture of workers is very important. On…

Engineers can carry a lot of heavy surveying equipment whilst out on site. One of the heavier items they carry is a theodolite which can weigh up to 12kg. As this equipment is stored in a case, the weight cannot be spread across the body but is instead distributed to the one hand causing the body to twist when walking…

In the early stages of this project it was identified that the method for transporting 3 metre lengths of mechanical and electrical materials such as pipework, trunking, cable tray, Unistrut, cable basket etc. from the basement loading bay to the fit-out floors was a challenging task. This was because the designated goods lift is under 3 metres long. Therefore the…

Cement boards are used in various applications on the project such as being rendered for gas farm walls and soffits. The boards are drilled into for fixing, and over 1,400 holes are required. Previously, this was a laborious operation as the operative needed to lift and rotate the board to drill the holes. These boards weigh approximately 13 kg/m2 so…

The traditional method of saw cutting trenches can be time consuming and expose workers to risks such as noise and flying debris as well as  fatigue if carrying out the task over prolonged periods of night time closures. In order to minimise these risks, athe contractor trialed the use of a rock wheel trencher on their projecy and it significantly…

As a result of site constraints with a limited distance to the NWR fence, combined with their complicated façade installation process, they needed a specialist device for installing some of their façade components. They used ‘Alice’ – their hydraulic remote controlled crane hook attachment. This prevents the number of operatives having to work around a suspended load and can turn…

This contractor is providing free access to the Canada Life ‘WeCare’ app and website, plus AIG’s bereavement support helpline for all construction employees and their immediate family members. The Canada Life WeCare app is a service with access to a 24/7 online GP, mental health counselling, a get fit programme, plus legal and financial support as well as diet and…

This contractor is using a thermocouple to assess concrete strength. The thermocouple is fixed by cable ties and then connected to the wireless transmitter. The contractor will then cast and pour the concrete and using the web portal view the results Using this method of concrete testing has benefits for the project which are: The requirement for manually making cubes…